Vortex AI: HVAC Estimation Platform
2x estimating capacity via automated workflows
Scaled estimating capacity 2x without increasing headcount by replacing a fragmented legacy tech stack with an AI-powered unified workspace — reducing standard job processing from 2.3 hours to 20 minutes.
Construction Technology, HVAC Engineering, B2B SaaS
Product & Design Lead
AI Platform, Document Extraction, Automated Takeoff, Pricing Engine, Triage Dashboard
THE CHALLENGE
Vortex's growth was bottlenecked by a highly manual, 10-hour average estimating cycle. Highly paid technical estimators were wasting hours hunting through massive PDF sets, manually tracing ductwork in legacy tools, and re-keying data into Excel. Processing ~136 monthly RFQs meant that scaling revenue required linearly scaling expensive headcount.
Data-Driven Prioritisation
Pipeline analysis revealed a 70/30 split between standard and complex jobs. We targeted the 70% standard jobs for heavy AI automation to clear the queue, while designing a frictionless manual fallback for the complex 30%.
Human-in-the-Loop Design
To ensure adoption by sceptical engineers, we positioned the AI not as a replacement, but as an assistant. The AI does the heavy lifting, but the estimator remains the final approver via a visual triage dashboard.
WHY IT MATTERED
Scaling revenue was locked behind linearly scaling expensive headcount. Every RFQ that couldn't be processed was revenue left on the table. The opportunity was to break this linear dependency by automating the 70% of standard work, freeing estimators to focus on complex, high-value jobs.
THE APPROACH
Intelligent Document Extraction
Computer vision instantly scans 100+ page bid packages, isolating relevant mechanical drawings and extracting required material specs — eliminating hours of manual PDF hunting.
Automated Takeoff & Triage
The AI automatically measures standard ductwork. A visual dashboard triages the drawings, clearly flagging items that are 'Completed' versus those that 'Need Attention' — giving estimators a clear priority queue.
Integrated Fallback Canvas
For highly complex geometries, estimators can manually trace and override AI calculations directly within the platform, eliminating context-switching between legacy tools.
Zero-Touch Pricing Generation
Visual takeoff data (dimensions, materials) is instantly translated into a fully costed Recap Report, eliminating up to 4 hours of manual Excel entry per job.
THE OUTCOMES
Doubled quoting capacity without increasing headcount
Standard job processing reduced from ~2.3 hours to 20 minutes
Weighted average time across all job types from 10 hours to 5.7 hours
Standard jobs fully processed by AI with human approval