“I’ve been looking for something like this for quite a while. I truly hope this will make things easier and faster.”
— Lydia, Grace Creation Inc.
At a Glance
- Document type: Construction bidding papers (300-900 pages per project)
- Current volume: 1-2 projects, targeting 5 per day
- Manual process time: ~1 hour per document
- Challenge: Each project comes from different architects and producers with varying document structures
- Page extraction: Specific sections need extraction and completion from larger packages
- Solution: AI-assisted conversion of flat PDFs to fillable forms, manual field refinement, and automated data population
- Form types: Bidding specifications, contractor information sheets, subcontractor lists, compliance declarations
The Construction Bidding Documentation Challenge
Grace Creation Inc. manages construction bid packages for projects across several states. Each bid involves extracting specific portions from large manuals (300-900 pages) and repetitively filling contractor details. Documents are submitted as flat, non-fillable PDFs from various sources with differing formats, complicating automation. Despite this, all require the same essential contractor data, such as company names, license numbers, and compliance certifications.
The team’s current workflow involves opening these PDFs in an editor, manually selecting pages, cutting them out, placing text boxes over fields, and copying data from reference documents. Processing one 37-page section takes roughly an hour. While manageable at current volume, scaling to five projects per day is unsustainable with this approach.
Initial Attempts and Technical Barriers
Lydia trialed Instafill.ai’s Flat PDFs to Fillable Forms converter, which automatically detects form fields in flat PDFs and creates fillable forms. The tool identified about 70-80% of fields, but effectiveness varied depending on scan quality and document complexity. Issues included poorly scanned documents, complex tables, unclear checkboxes, and multi-line fields misinterpreted by AI. Initial automated filling attempts showed mismatches in field data placement due to ambiguous AI descriptions. The main hurdle was that full automation was impractical across highly varied documents without manual refinement for field accuracy.
Building a Hybrid Solution
Instafill.ai collaborated with Lydia to establish a hybrid workflow that blends AI with manual review:
- Step 1: AI-Assisted Conversion
Upload flat bidding documents to Instafill.ai’s converter. The AI analyzes document structure, identifying blank spaces, checkboxes, signature lines, and other fields, then generates fillable fields. This replaces hours of manual field creation with a process completing in seconds. - Step 2: Manual Field Review and Refinement
After conversion, the PDF is uploaded to Instafill.ai and opens in the field editor. The team reviews the automatically generated fields, adding any that the AI missed and removing ones incorrectly detected. This manual review typically takes 5 to 15 minutes per document, which is significantly faster than creating all fields from scratch. - Step 3: AI-Powered Form Filling
Once the fields are correctly configured, the fillable form is added to Lydia’s Instafill.ai account. The system runs an AI form fine-tuning process. Afterward, filling the form with contractor data takes under two minutes, with AI accurately populating all fields based on source information.
Addressing Technical Challenges
Several challenges arose during implementation and were resolved:
- File Size Limits: Bidding packages often exceeded the initial 10MB upload cap. The limit was increased to 100MB to accommodate large documents without splitting.
- Field Description Accuracy: Early AI filling produced errors with data placed incorrectly. The team refined field description algorithms, improving accurate field mapping to over 99%.
Real-World Application
Lydia submitted the Pavement Rehabilitation Project document, which contained over 200 fields for contractor, insurance, and compliance data. After the Instafill.ai team’s conversion and refinement, Lydia spent a few minutes verifying fields. The form was auto-filled in less than 90 seconds. This setup time applies per form type only once; subsequent uses take under two minutes – a substantial time saving compared to manual processing.
Industry-Specific Considerations
Construction bidding requires strict compliance and meeting tight deadlines. Errors or missed bids can mean losing contracts. Small firms like Grace Creation Inc. rely on individuals juggling multiple roles, so efficiency boosts directly impact capacity.
The varied document formats reflect real industry conditions: no universal bidding form exists, and requirements differ by jurisdiction and project type. Instafill.ai’s adaptable hybrid solution fits these varying needs without compromising accuracy.
Results and Impact
This workflow cut manual effort dramatically – from about an hour per bid section to under two minutes to complete. It allows Lydia’s team to increase the number of projects handled daily without loss of accuracy, adapting smoothly across diverse document formats and sources.