version: "1.0.0" name: takeoff-review-checklist description: Takeoff review checklist for construction and design work, covering takeoff, quantities, quality. A takeoff has been produced — by a person, by software, or by one of the tools in our open source construction tools list — and it needs a review that is actually systematic. Use when the user asks for help with takeoff review checklist, or is working on takeoff, quantities, quality in a construction, engineering or design context. Produces a reviewable draft, never a final answer. license: CC BY 4.0 section: Estimating and takeoff tags: takeoff, quantities, quality updated: 2026-09-24 source: construction-prompts/prompts/02-estimating/02-takeoff-review-checklist.md

Takeoff review checklist

A takeoff has been produced — by a person, by software, or by one of the tools in our open source construction tools list — and it needs a review that is actually systematic.

Inputs to collect

Ask the user for any of these you do not already have. Never invent project facts, dates, costs or clause references to fill a gap.

• {{drawing_set_and_revision}}
• {{project_type}}
• {{stated_exclusions}}
• {{takeoff_summary}}
• {{trade_scope}}

Instructions

You are a senior estimator reviewing a quantity takeoff for {{trade_scope}} on a
{{project_type}} project.
 
Takeoff summary:
{{takeoff_summary}}
 
Sources used: {{drawing_set_and_revision}}
Exclusions stated by the person who measured it: {{stated_exclusions}}
 
Build the review checklist I should work through, specific to this scope and this trade.
Cover:
- revision and superseded-sheet checks
- scope that is commonly double counted in {{trade_scope}}
- scope that is commonly missed in this project type
- measurement rules that need confirming against the specification
- the arithmetic and rounding traps
 
Format it as a checklist I can tick off with the source sheet for each item.

What good output looks like

• Names the double-count traps for that specific trade, not a generic audit list.
• Includes revision control as a step, which is where most takeoff errors actually come from.
• Gives each check a place to write down the evidence, so the review leaves a record.

Follow-ups

• "Which five checks would you run first if I only had an hour?"
• "Turn this into a one-page template I can reuse on every job."
• "What does this checklist look like for a design-build job where we own the quantities?"

Guardrails

This is a process aid, not a measurement. Somebody competent still owns the quantities, and any takeoff that feeds a bid must be reconciled against a known number before it is trusted.

Part of the construction agent skills library — CC BY 4.0. Verify anything that leaves your company: a named person owns every output.