What does FlowManual actually flag?

On a first read: scope items, cost references, deadlines, insurance requirements, and exclusions. When you compare two documents: every scope addition, deletion, and price change between them. Each finding is highlighted on the exact line and ranked by its dollar impact.

Any PDF: signed contracts, bid packages, specs and drawings, vendor buyout quotes, and invoices. No conversion or special formatting required. Drop the file in and FlowManual reads it page by page.

Does it replace reading the contract?

No. You still read every contract. FlowManual is a safety net that marks what changed and where the money is, so nothing costly gets past you. It never signs anything for you.

How does the comparison work?

Drop in two related documents (your bid and the signed contract, or a buyout quote and the invoice) and FlowManual lines them up and surfaces every difference: scope added or removed, prices changed, exclusions overridden. Each one links to the exact spot in the PDF so you can confirm it yourself.

Will it replace my estimators?

No. Estimators still own the read and the bid. FlowManual just makes the first pass faster and keeps the buried, costly line from slipping through.

How long does it take to get started?

One on-site install of about 2 to 4 hours: we set everything up, walk your team through the workflow, and hand off a runbook. After that your team owns it day to day.

Where does my data live?

Entirely on your own server. The database, the files, and the extracted text are all yours and stay on hardware you control. There's more on the security model in the Security section above.

Automating the back office

The back office for construction contractors. Win more work, catch what costs you.

It reads your bid, the GC's contract, vendor quotes, and invoices, then marks every scope, price, and exclusion change on the exact line, before you sign or award.

Book a demoBacked byCombinator

Cedar Ridge MechanicalLive

FLAGGED CHANGES6

FLAGCONTRACT § 3.4flagged 6:02 AM

Scope added back into the contract.

THE CHANGE

+$8,400

R-8 duct insulation added on all supply and return runs in unconditioned space. This was not in your bid.

Source: clause 7.4(b), p. 318 / 512. Highlighted on the page.

VERIFY IN THE PDF

Every flag links to the exact line.

SeverityHIGH

Locationp. 318 / 512

MatchExact text

EXPOSURE

$16,800

at risk before award

CAUGHT

6 changes caught between bid and contract. Each one before you sign.

FLAGCONTRACT § 3.4flagged 6:02 AM

Scope added back into the contract.

THE CHANGE

+$8,400

R-8 duct insulation added on all supply and return runs in unconditioned space. This was not in your bid.

Source: clause 7.4(b), p. 318 / 512. Highlighted on the page.

EXPOSURE

$16,800

at risk before award

CAUGHT

6 changes caught between bid and contract. Each one before you sign.

FLAGGED CHANGES6

One workbench

One workbench for the whole back office.

It starts with contract and buyout review, then keeps going: RFIs, estimating, vendor pricing, submittals, change orders. Click any box to see it.

FIRST-READ MODE

Catch scope, price, deadlines, and exclusions on the first pass. Open a fresh spec or scope package and the findings appear on the page itself, color-coded with a margin label and the clause reference.

SPECmech_spec_230900.pdf

SECTION 23 09 00 - BUILDING AUTOMATION AND CONTROLSp. 412 / 980

3.2Install DDC controllers at each air handling unit and provide BACnet/IP connection to the building automation system head-end.

3.4Contractor shall furnish and install R-8 duct insulation on all supply and return ductwork in unconditioned spaces.

3.5Coordinate control wiring with Division 26 prior to rough-in.

3.6Submit control valve schedule for approval within 14 days of contract award.

3.7Provide one year of remote monitoring support after substantial completion at no

3.8Owner-furnished thermostats are excluded from this scope and remain the responsibility of the owner's vendor.

Every highlight links back to this exact line in the document.

Scope
Deadline
Exclusion

COMPARISON MODE

Bid against signed contract, buyout against invoice. Every scope addition, deletion, and price change is flagged, ranked by severity and dollar impact, each a click from the exact line.

COMPAREbid-vs-contract.pdf

BID · mechanical_bid_rev2.pdf

1.1Furnish and install rooftop units per schedule, RTU-1 through RTU-4.

1.2Duct insulation: R-6 on exposed supply ductwork only.

Unit price, RTU-3 ............ $36,600

Excludes: test and balance, owner-furnished controls.

CONTRACT · subcontract_agreement.pdf

1.1Furnish and install rooftop units per schedule, RTU-1 through RTU-4.

1.2Duct insulation: R-8 on all supply and return ductwork, conditioned and unconditioned.SCOPE ADDED

Unit price, RTU-3 ............ $45,000+$8,400

Excludes: test and balance.EXCLUSION DROPPED

3 differences detected between bid and contract

Flagged before signing

across 3 changes between your bid and the contract

+$0

Severity and dollar impact are estimates to triage by. You confirm each one in the PDF.

NO BLACK BOX

Every flag links to the exact line in your PDF. Nothing is asserted off the page. FlowManual pins each finding to its precise spot. It makes sure the part that costs money does not get past you.

FINDINGsubcontract-agreement.pdf

PAGE 318 / 512SUBCONTRACT AGREEMENT

The Subcontractor agrees to perform all work described in Exhibit A in accordance with the Contract Documents.

§ 7.4 (b)SCOPE ADDED

Contractor shall furnish and install R-8 duct insulation throughout, including all return-air plenums.

All materials shall be new and of the quality specified.

CLAUSE 7.4 (b)/SUBCONTRACT - REV C

View in PDF

AUDIT TRAIL2026-06-21 14:08:11Zprovider=anthropicdigest=9f3a1c...e7b2

Every model call is logged with a keyed prompt digest your IT can verify independently.

0 click

from a flag to the highlighted line.

findings without a source line.

of flags trace to verbatim text.

RFIS FROM GAPS

Turn a flagged gap or a conflicting clause into a drafted RFI in seconds. The draft cites the documents, clauses, and pages it came from, so nothing is invented and nothing is lost.

RFI LOGcedar-ridge-rfi-log

RFIs

4 open / 12 total

RFISUBJECTBALL IN COURTSTATUS

RFI-014VAV box schedule conflict, RM 240from spec 23 09 00 / 3.4ArchitectOpen

RFI-013RTU-3 curb height not on drawingsfrom spec 23 74 13 / 2.1GCOverdue

RFI-011Chilled water pipe spec vs. plan sizefrom spec 23 21 13 / 2.3ArchitectOpen

RFI-008Owner-furnished thermostats, who wiresfrom spec 23 09 00 / 3.8GCAnswered

Drafted from 9 gaps flagged across the project documents. Each cites the clause it came from, so nothing is invented.

ESTIMATING + SCHEDULES

Pull the equipment schedule and a first-pass cost estimate straight off the spec. Big tables come back as structured line items you can check against your own pricing history.

ESTIMATEmech-estimate-rev-a

Equipment schedule + estimate

Cedar Ridge Mechanical / 23 73 00

first-pass

ITEMQTYUNITEXTENDED

RTU-1Rooftop unit, 25 ton gas/electricQty 1$52,400$52,400

RTU-2CHECKRooftop unit, 40 ton gas/electricQty 1$71,800$71,800

VAV-24VAV terminal box, hot-water reheatQty 24$1,150$27,600

DDC-CTLDDC controllers, BACnet/IPQty 32$640$20,480

DUCTGalv. ductwork + R-8 insulationQty 1 lot$148,900$148,900

Estimate total$0

Pulled from the equipment schedule. Benchmark each line against your own pricing history.

BUYOUT VS. INVOICE

Lock the buyout, then catch the invoice that drifts off it mid-job. FlowManual pulls vendor pricing into a history you can search, so a price that moved is found in seconds, not in a file cabinet.

BUYOUTpo-4471-vs-invoices

Buyout vs. invoice

Mechanical Air Supply Co. against your locked buyout

PO-4471

INV-0098

LINE ITEMBUYOUTINVOICEDELTA

RTU-1 packaged unitCarrier 48TC, 7.5 ton

$28,400$28,400$0MATCH$0

RTU-3 packaged unitCarrier 48TC, 12.5 ton

$36,600$39,800+$3,200PRICE UP+$3,200

VAV boxes (24 ea)Titus DESV, w/ reheat

$19,100$19,100$0MATCH$0

Roof curbs (4 ea)not on the buyout

--$2,400$2,400NOT IN BUYOUT$2,400

Caught 2 changes off the locked buyout

Benchmarked against your price history before it gets paid

+$0

SUBMITTAL REVIEW

Check a submittal against the spec it has to meet. FlowManual reads both, lines up the requirements, and flags where a cut sheet falls short before it goes back for revision.

SUBMITTALScedar-ridge-submittals

Submittal review

6 items

SUBMITTALSPECSTATUS

Product data, RTU-1 through RTU-4

Missing seismic restraint cut sheets.

23 74 00Revise + resubmit

VAV box schedule, VAV-1 to VAV-22

Airflow and pressure match the schedule.

23 36 00Approved

Hydronic pump curves, P-1 / P-2

Awaiting motor efficiency rating.

23 21 23Pending

Ductwork insulation R-values

R-6 submitted, spec calls for R-8.

23 07 13Revise + resubmit

DDC controls point list

BACnet/IP points complete.

23 09 00Approved

Checked against the spec. 3 issues flagged.

CHANGE ORDERS

Read a change order against your original scope and surface exactly what is being added, removed, or repriced, so you can price it right and not absorb work you already excluded.

CHANGE ORDERScedar-ridge-co-log

Change orders

running total

CO #CHANGE / CLAUSEIMPACTSTATUS

CO-007Added R-8 insulation, all supply runs§ 3.4 Scope+$8,400Pending

CO-006Upsized RTU-3 to 25 ton per addendum 2§ 1.1 Equipment+$11,200Approved

CO-005Deleted (4) VAV boxes, level 2 east§ 2.6 Distribution($3,950)Approved

CO-004Relocated condenser pad, owner request§ 5.2 Site+$1,750Disputed

Net contract impact+$0

Each tied to the contract clause it came from.

THE DIFFERENCE

The old way vs. FlowManual.

You still read every page. The difference is what happens to the line you would have missed.

THE OLD WAY

The GC adds scope back into a 512-page contract. You find it after you sign, and a single missed addition runs $5K to $10K.
A vendor's invoice drifts off the locked buyout mid-job. The original quote is in a file cabinet somewhere, and incidents can reach $100K and up.
The one line that decides who owns the cost is on page 318 of 512. By the time anyone finds it, the work has already started.

WITH FLOWMANUAL

Scope added back into the contract is flagged on the exact line, ranked by dollar impact, before you sign.
Every invoice is compared to its buyout in seconds, so a price that moved is caught while you can still do something about it.
The costly line surfaces on the first read with a margin label and a clause reference. Nothing hides on page 318.

YOUR NUMBERS

Your numbers stay yours.

Your pricing is your competitive advantage, so it stays with you. What FlowManual learns from your documents works for your company, not a shared model.

Your pricing history. Every quote, buyout, and invoice you upload builds a price record only your team can see. It is never pooled with other companies and never shown to another contractor. Sharing to improve the product is off by default and only happens if you turn it on.
Your bid structure. Your clarifications, your exclusion language, and the way you put a bid together stay in your workspace unless you choose to share them. A competitor never sees your paper.
Your way out. Your documents are yours to take. Download them or delete your account whenever you want.

SECURITY

Security your IT team will sign off on.

Your pricing, vendor relationships, and margins are protected end to end: encrypted, isolated from every other customer, and never used to train a model.

Encrypted and isolated

Every file and its extracted text is encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. Your workspace is walled off from every other customer's, and you can export or delete your data whenever you want.

The model only ever sees text

We send extracted text to Anthropic, never your original files, under a zero-retention policy. Your documents are never used to train a model, ours or theirs.

No ad tracking, full audit trail

No ad trackers, and we never sell your data. Every document analysis is written to a signed audit log your team can inspect, and admins control who sees what.

AES-256-GCM at restTLS in transitSHA-256 keyed audit digestNo training on your data

DeploymentIn our cloud, by defaultSelf-hosted or on-premise for teams that require it

Win more work. Stop signing scope you didn't bid.

The back office for construction contractors, from the bid to the buyout. See it on a real bid and contract in 20 minutes.

Book a 20-min demo Start free

Encrypted, never trained on
No card to start
Export or delete anytime

Built out of Y Combinator for the people who sign the contracts. Questions go straight to the founders at founders@flowmanual.com.