While the construction industry has come a long way, challenges like estimating earthwork and underground utilities remain one of the most complex parts of construction. Contractors have to mix and match data, manually examine PDFs, CAD drawings, survey data, and plan sheets to ensure everything is aligned and interpreted before they start calculating quantities. Companies like InSite Software are changing the way this process is done using digital software to revamp estimating and earthwork. At CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, we got a firsthand look at Elevation Pro and the all-new TrenchVision 3D platform that help streamline the estimation process, consolidate data, and make it more accurate.
Getting the correct estimates on groundwork is hard when data is not consolidated. Contractors often have to piece together utility plans from different sources and in various formats, while trying to align profiles, plan views, and detailed grading plans that don’t always match. Add in constant changes to subsurface conditions and trench depths, and things can get overly complex very fast.
According to InSite Software CEO Steve Warfle, one of the biggest benefits of the company’s tools is their ability to simplify the entire process for contractors.
“The difference between winning and losing a bid often comes down to speed, accuracy, and confidence in the numbers,” he said. “Elevation Pro gives estimators one place to review their data, validate quantities, and prepare bids with greater clarity.”
Even minor miscalculations can impact bid accuracy, increasing risk for contractors and cutting into profit margins.
Why accuracy matters more than ever in construction bidding
Contractors know infrastructure and utility work often comes with tight project margins, leaving little room for estimating mistakes. The challenge gets even harder when subsurface conditions are unclear or utility conflicts are not fully visible during takeoff. Add in the reality of site details being scattered or incomplete, the risk carries into the field as rework, change orders, and margin pressure.
According to an FMI and Autodesk report, bad data contributed to 14% of global construction rework, equal to $88.69 billion, and that one out of every three poor decisions was tied to bad data. Earlier research also found that poor project data and miscommunication accounted for 48% of rework, or about $31.3 billion annually.
Yet, even with all this data, there’s immense pressure to prepare bids quickly while deftly tackling increasing project complexity. To help close this gap, estimating software tools like Insite’s Elevation Pro have become more popular in recent years to allow teams to speed up the estimating process and make it more accurate.
Insite Elevation Pro
Insite Software’s tool for earthwork and utility estimators, Elevation Pro, is a takeoff and GPS modeling platform that offers precision and speed to contractors who need to quickly prepare accurate bids. When you’re dealing with data from the industry it comes from a lot of sources, being able to organize it in one place under a single tab interface makes a major difference in the speed of making your estimate. Elevation Pro integrates PDFs, CAD drawings, survey data, and drone data into a single takeoff workflow, simplifying tasks for contractors and enabling consistent results while managing risks.
For instance, a construction estimator can directly import site plans into Elevation Pro and access a 3D surface model of the terrain. The software simplifies the next step by automatically calculating cut-and-fill volumes, allowing them to determine how much earth needs to be moved across the job site.
TrenchVision 3D
Utility takeoffs, as most contractors would attest, often require estimators to visualize trench geometry from 2D plans, a complex task that can increase the risk of quantity errors when bidding underground work. To help solve this problem, the company recently launched TrenchVision 3D, built into Elevation Pro, which aims to take things to the next level.
TrenchVision 3D applies solid modeling to utility takeoff and provides interactive 3D visualization, allowing estimators to review trench conditions, validate quantities, and flag any issues early in the bid process. By defining trench paths and depths, the tool automatically calculates excavation, bedding, and backfill quantities while accounting for changing trench depths in gravity-based utility systems.
“In utility work, even small quantity errors can become costly,” Warfle said. “TrenchVision 3D helps contractors reduce uncertainty and deliver takeoffs that are easier to verify and defend.”
Estimators can easily and confidently validate their numbers with these tools before submitting bids, proactively tackling any conflicts that arise during the process. Ultimately, tools like Elevation Pro and TrenchVision 3D aim to reduce the amount of manual work estimators must perform before starting takeoffs.
The future of sitework estimating
Contractors have traditionally dealt with unavoidable complexities while estimating for earthwork and utilities. However, things are looking up, with the process becoming increasingly digital and more seamless as contractors turn to 3D modeling, integrated data sources, and automated quantity calculations.
As highlighted by Steve Warfle, takeoff is primed to become faster and more accurate with digital tools, enabling contractors to focus on evaluating projects and drafting better bids. For contractors struggling with takeoff and bid estimations, choosing a software could make the difference between landing a job and being profitable, especially on complicated projects.
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