Six sequential AI phases turn your uploaded plans and Calculator data into a complete, divisioned construction budget — Architectural through Plumbing, compiled into one Executive Summary.
Sending data from the Measurement Calculator first (see that guide) gives every phase real field-measured quantities to work from instead of relying only on plan-reading.
📹 Prefer a video walkthrough? Full video walkthroughs for the MBI Intelligence System are in the works — check back here for the link once they're live.
Everything lives on a single scrolling dashboard: Project Information, an optional Project Metrics panel, plan upload, Phase Context fields, the six phase buttons, and your report — all on one page, not a step-by-step wizard.
Firm details, company logo, project name, report language, client name, report type, address, and jurisdiction/occupancy/construction-type/codes. These are always manually entered — MBI never generates code-citation fields itself, since getting a code reference wrong carries real professional-liability risk.
Total SF, floor count, ceiling height, partition LF, door count, project type, city, existing conditions, and scope definition. Expand it if you're entering these by hand rather than via the Calculator Bridge (Section 07).
Before your very first phase run ever, a one-time accuracy notice appears and must be acknowledged — a persistent reminder banner stays visible above the phase buttons afterward: "Even at High Confidence, this estimate only reflects what the plans and Phase Context specify — verify field conditions before bidding."
A single file field accepts multiple PDFs or images at once. It isn't per-phase — the same field is reused for every phase you run, and nothing clears it automatically between runs. An upload-hint banner changes its wording per phase to suggest what to upload next (e.g. floor/finish plans for Phase 1, HVAC/equipment schedules for Phase 3) — but that's advisory text only, it doesn't restrict or sort your files for you.
For an accurate analysis, swap the files in the upload field to match each phase before you click that phase's button — architectural/finish plans for Phase 1, structural plans for Phase 2, mechanical schedules for Phase 3, and so on.
A separate, faster shortcut button that uploads whatever's in the field to every phase at once for a rough visual-only pass. It's explicitly labeled for renders/images, not real construction plans — for an actual project estimate, use the phase-by-phase workflow above instead.
| # | Phase | Covers | Has Phase Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Architectural | Div 02, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 — demolition, all wall framing, insulation, doors/windows/openings, finishes (flooring, paint, tile, ceiling), and manufactured specialty items. | No |
| 2 | Structural | Div 03, 04, 05 — concrete, masonry (existing CMU untouched unless plans show new), structural steel. | Yes |
| 3 | Mechanical | Div 23 — HVAC equipment, ductwork, controls. | Yes |
| 4 | Electrical | Div 26 — service/panels, lighting, conduit, data/IT, emergency lighting, EV charging. | Yes |
| 5 | Plumbing | Div 22 — all fixtures, trim, and rough-in piping. | Yes |
| Summary | Executive Summary | Compiles every completed phase into one Consolidated Grand Total — no new line items, only division subtotals. | No |
Phase 1 is unlocked from the start; every phase after it stays locked ("Complete the previous phase first") until the one before it finishes. Re-running an already-completed phase clears every phase after it and re-locks their buttons, since Summary is built from all five phase outputs together.
A single button runs Phases 1 through 5 and then Summary back-to-back, using whatever's currently in the upload field for every phase — best suited to a first quick pass, or to projects genuinely covered by one combined plan set.
It automatically compiles the stored results from Phases 1–5 — you don't upload anything for it, and it never repeats individual line items, only division subtotals rolled into one Grand Total.
Phases 3, 4, and 5 each have their own tab of fields you fill in before running that phase — Phase 1 and Phase 2 have none. These give the AI details plans don't always show clearly. Watch the field labels carefully: several are worded to prevent a specific, common mix-up.
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| HVAC System Type | RTU (Rooftop Unit) · Split System · VRF/VRV · Chilled Water/AHU · Fan Coil Units · No HVAC Work |
| Equipment Count (RTU/AHU) | Number — count of units, not tonnage |
| Ductwork Scope | All New · Reuse Existing · Partial Demo + New · Ductless (mini-split/VRF) |
| Refrigerant Type | R-410A · R-32 · R-454B (A2L) · R-22 (existing/legacy) |
| Controls / BAS | New DDC Controls · Reuse Existing · Standalone Thermostats · None |
| Kitchen Exhaust Hood | Yes · No |
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Service Size | 100A · 200A · 400A · 800A · 1200A · Unknown |
| Number of Panels | Number — count of named panels, not amperage |
| Lighting Fixture Type | LED Troffer (2×4/2×2) · Recessed Can/Downlight · Linear Suspended · Pendant · Track Lighting · Mixed/Per Schedule |
| Conduit Type | EMT · MC Cable · Rigid Conduit (RMC) · PVC Conduit |
| Emergency Lighting | Yes · No |
| EV Charging Stations | Number — 0 if none |
| Data / IT Scope | Basic data outlets only · Structured cabling (Cat6) · Full IT buildout (IDF/MDF, patch panels) · None |
| Outlets / Fixtures / Switches | Number each — can be typed, or imported directly from Blueprint Tool’s Count tool |
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Pipe Material | Copper · PEX · CPVC · Cast Iron (DWV) · PVC (DWV) · Reuse Existing |
| Water Heater | Electric Tank — 40/50 gal · Gas Tank — 40/50 gal · Tankless (Electric) · Tankless (Gas) · None |
| Grease Trap | Yes · No |
| Gas Service | Yes · No |
| Backflow Preventer | Yes · No |
| Fixtures / Floor Drains | Number each — can be typed, or imported directly from Blueprint Tool’s Count tool |
Phases 4 and 5 each have an "Import from Blueprint Tool" button that pulls outlet/switch/fixture counts directly from anything you tallied with Blueprint Tool's Count tool — no retyping needed.
For Phases 3, 4, and 5, a confidence banner tracks what percentage of that phase's context fields you've filled in: 🟢 High Confidence at 80%+ (labeled ±15% estimate accuracy), 🟡 Medium at 50–79%, 🔴 Low below 50%.
Clicking that phase's button opens a warning listing exactly which fields are still empty, with a choice to go fill them in or proceed anyway. Phases 1 and 2 have no context fields, so this check doesn't apply to them.
A small "N/A" button sits next to each of Phase 2, 3, 4, and 5's main button (not Phase 1 — every project has some architectural scope — and not Summary, which is the compiler). Use it for a project with genuinely no scope in that division, e.g. a scope of work with no mechanical changes at all.
The phase is skipped entirely — no AI call runs, no credit is spent — and the next phase unlocks immediately, exactly as if that phase had completed normally. The button changes to "↺ Undo N/A" if you need to reverse it. The Summary phase still gets a clear note for that division ("not applicable to this project") instead of the division just silently disappearing from your final report.
Marking it N/A after a real result exists asks you to confirm first — doing so discards that result.
Once you click "Send to MBI" in the Measurement Calculator, MBI checks for that data automatically every time you open the page or switch back to this tab — no action needed from you. The panel shows room count, SF, LF, and a plumbing fixture breakdown when data is present, or "No data — press Send to MBI in Calculator first" when it isn't. If the data is more than 24 hours old, it's flagged: "Synced from Measurement Calculator (stale — check before using)." Every phase you run automatically uses this data in the background, regardless of anything else on the panel.
This button only pre-fills the visible SF/LF/door-count/project-name fields on this page for your own editing and reference — it does not control what the AI uses. Dismissing it with the ✕ only clears that local pre-fill; your synced project data is unaffected and the AI keeps using it exactly as before. If Calculator sends newer data, you'll need to click "Apply to Form" again to pull the new numbers into the visible fields — but the AI already picked up the newer data automatically, with no click required.
After every phase finishes (except the visual-only render mode), a quick second AI pass checks the output's formatting and — for Phase 1 when Calculator data is present — cross-checks that your verified Floor SF, Framing LF, door count, and opening counts actually show up correctly in the report text.
✅ green "QC PASS" if everything checks out; ⚠ amber "QC REVIEW — Check before submitting" with a short bullet list of what to look at if something's off.
On Takeoff and Field Operator plans, you'll see a neutral 🔒 "QC Agent Review is available on Professional and Enterprise plans" banner instead — not an error, just a locked-feature notice that appears after every phase.
Beyond each phase's own division tables, MBI automatically builds several report sections around your AI output — all generated from your entered fields, not by the AI itself:
A real generated file — every division table exported as spreadsheet rows.
Also a real generated file, built the same way as CSV. It's loaded from an online library rather than bundled with the app, so an internet connection is required for this specific export.
This opens your browser's print dialog with a formatted layout (including your cover page and company logo) rather than generating a file directly. In Chrome, uncheck "Headers and footers" in the print dialog for a clean result, and choose "Save as PDF" as the destination.
| Action | Where | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Save | Top user bar — 💾 Save | Saves under whatever name is in the Project Name field. Saving again with a project already open updates it in place — it does not create a duplicate. |
| My Projects | Top user bar — 📂 My Projects | Lists every saved project by name and last-updated date, each with Open and 🗑 Delete. |
| Open | Inside My Projects | Restores every field, your company logo, and all completed phase results — and correctly re-locks whatever phases hadn’t run yet. |
Credits aren't shown on the main dashboard — open Settings → Plan & Storage to see "X of Y credits used this period," with top-up options if you're running low (the dashboard's top usage bar only tracks saved-project storage, not AI credits).
Every successful phase run costs 1 credit — a failed call costs nothing. This is the same shared pool used by Blueprint Tool's Read Dims/Verify and the Calculator's own AI estimate. On a very large project (20+ rooms of Calculator data), Phase 1 automatically triggers a second follow-up call to build a room-by-room cost breakdown — so that one Phase 1 click costs 2 credits total, not 1.