Quanto for CostX: AI Rate Prediction for Faster Priced BOQs

CostX helps quantity surveyors measure and organize project quantities. Yet measurement is only part of producing a priced Bill of Quantities. Estimators must still find suitable historical rates, match them to individual line items, make project-specific adjustments, and prepare the final bill for review.

Quanto for CostX adds AI rate prediction to that existing workflow. It reads measured items from a CostX workbook, identifies and groups the elements, predicts rates from the firm's historical pricing data, and creates a formatted priced BOQ.

The product works alongside CostX rather than replacing it. Quantity surveyors retain control of measurement interpretation, pricing context, risk, and final approval while repetitive rate lookup becomes faster.

Key takeaways

• Quanto reads measured items directly from a CostX workbook.
• AI predicts rates from the firm's historical construction pricing.
• The workflow supports NRM2 and other measurement standards.
• The priced BOQ can be exported to Excel, CSV, or specialist software.
• Concolabs currently lists the monthly package at USD $900, subject to confirmation before publication or purchase.

What is Quanto for CostX?

Quanto for CostX is an AI-assisted pricing and BOQ automation product for QS firms and cost consultancies that already use CostX. It takes measured workbook data and carries it through element identification, historical rate prediction, and priced BOQ preparation.

This distinction matters. Firms don't need to discard their established CostX measurement process. Quanto focuses on the next bottleneck: the repeated search for suitable rates and the manual work required to apply them consistently.

Concolabs currently positions Quanto for CostX as a scaling product for the UK, Australia, and the UAE. Its strongest fit is a practice with a useful historical pricing library and a consistent review process.

Why is pricing still manual after CostX measurement?

Measured quantities don't automatically contain commercially appropriate rates. An estimator may need to search previous BOQs, compare descriptions, check units, review specifications, and adjust prices for project location and market date.

Historical records are rarely perfectly consistent. Similar items may use different descriptions. One rate may include waste or accessories while another excludes them. Tendered, negotiated, and final-account rates may also represent different commercial conditions.

The problem becomes larger across offices. Two estimators can search the same rate library and select different precedents. Valuable pricing knowledge stays inside personal folders or individual experience instead of becoming a controlled business resource.

Quanto for CostX creates a repeatable first pass. It predicts suitable rates and allows the estimator to concentrate on exceptions, adjustments, and risk.

How does Quanto for CostX work?

The Quanto for CostX workflow follows four stages from measured workbook to priced BOQ.

1. Import the CostX workbook

The user uploads the relevant CostX workbook. Quanto reads the measured items and transfers them into the rate-prediction workflow.

Before import, the QS should confirm the workbook version, measurement status, units, work sections, and included scope. Draft or incomplete quantities should be identified clearly so they don't appear to be approved information.

2. Identify and group the elements

Quanto uses AI to identify building elements and group them under the required measurement structure. Concolabs states that the engine supports NRM2 and other measurement standards.

Consistent descriptions, units, coding, and dimension-group structures improve this stage. Ambiguous items should be flagged for review rather than forced into an unsuitable category.

3. Predict the line-item rates

The machine-learning engine maps historical pricing rates to each item. The prediction is based on the firm's own rate data rather than a generic public price list.

Predicted rates should include enough provenance for verification. The reviewer needs to understand which historical information influenced the suggestion and whether time, location, quantity, or specification adjustments are required.

4. Generate the priced BOQ

Quanto produces a fully formatted, priced BOQ for expert review. The quantity surveyor checks scope, descriptions, quantities, rates, assumptions, provisional items, risk, and totals before issue.

The reviewed bill can be exported to Excel or CSV. Concolabs also describes direct output to specialist BOQ software where needed.

How does AI rate prediction use a firm's historical data?

Quanto is trained on the organization's historical pricing information before deployment. Concolabs states that predictions can improve as more project data is added.

More data isn't automatically better. The records need reliable descriptions and commercial context. A clean rate dataset should identify:

• Item descriptions and measurement units
• Project and work-package type
• Geographic location
• Pricing and tender dates
• Specification or quality level
• Quantity ranges
• Procurement and contract conditions
• Tendered, accepted, or adjusted status
• Any exclusions or special assumptions

The firm should also define which records are unsuitable for training. Distressed tenders, abnormal projects, incomplete bills, and heavily negotiated rates can introduce misleading patterns.

AI rate prediction is most effective as a controlled recommendation system. It speeds up common pricing decisions and highlights uncertain items for human review.

What are the main benefits of Quanto for CostX?

The product reduces the administrative gap between measured quantities and a priced deliverable. That can improve speed without asking the QS team to change its core measurement platform.

Potential benefits include:

• Less manual searching through historical BOQs
• Faster application of rates to measured items
• More consistent use of firm pricing knowledge
• Clearer identification of low-confidence items
• Reduced spreadsheet copying and formatting
• Faster preparation of review-ready priced bills
• Better reuse of previous project data
• More time for risk assessment and client advice

The exact benefit depends on the quality of the workbook and historical rate data. A well-governed pilot should test both before wider deployment.

Does Quanto for CostX replace CostX?

No. Quanto works alongside CostX. CostX remains the source of the measured workbook information, while Quanto adds AI-assisted rate prediction and priced BOQ preparation.

This makes the workflow different from a replacement estimating platform. Teams can preserve established CostX measurement processes, dimension groups, and internal skills. Quanto focuses on reducing the rate lookup and pricing workload that follows measurement.

The distinction also affects implementation. Firms should test how workbook versions, item codes, descriptions, units, and exports move between the two systems. A clear source-of-truth rule prevents users from editing the same information in several places.

Does Quanto replace estimators or quantity surveyors?

No. Quantity surveyors remain responsible for the professional and commercial result. Quanto automates repetitive identification and pricing tasks, but it cannot accept responsibility for the project context.

The QS should review:

• Measurement rules and workbook completeness
• Scope gaps, exclusions, and duplicated items
• Description and unit consistency
• Historical-rate relevance
• Market movement and location adjustments
• Project scale and specification differences
• Preliminaries, risk, and contingency
• Provisional or abnormal items
• Low-confidence predictions
• Final BOQ structure and totals

The strongest workflow uses AI to reduce routine work while making expert review more focused and traceable.

How does Quanto for CostX compare with manual rate lookup?

Manual rate lookup gives estimators control, but it depends heavily on individual memory and file organization. The same item may be searched repeatedly across projects. Rate decisions can also become difficult to audit when their original sources aren't recorded.

Quanto predicts rates at line-item level using the firm's historical data. Concolabs positions the result as a priced BOQ produced in hours and ready for expert review, rather than a bill assembled manually over several days or weeks.

The comparison shouldn't be based only on speed. Firms should also measure consistency, exception rates, provenance, review effort, and the quality of the final pricing decisions.

What outputs and measurement standards are supported?

Concolabs states that Quanto supports NRM2 and other measurement standards. Items can be grouped according to the firm's rules and the required BOQ structure.

The final output can be exported to Excel or CSV. Where required, the product can also feed specialist BOQ software. Teams should test client-specific formatting, formulas, coding, rounding rules, and work-section hierarchies during implementation.

The same Quanto rate-prediction engine is available across Revit, Autodesk Construction Cloud, CostX, and 2D PDF or DXF workflows. Firms can therefore select the input method that matches each project's source information.

What does Quanto for CostX cost?

As of August 2026, the Quanto for CostX page displays a monthly subscription price of USD $900 for the workbook-import and rate-prediction module.

The same page includes a note to confirm pricing before publishing. Buyers should therefore verify the current subscription, implementation scope, customization, training, data preparation, taxes, and regional availability directly with Concolabs.

An enterprise add-on is also offered on a custom-plan basis. It is intended for multi-office deployment and training on more complex proprietary historical-rate information.

How should a QS firm pilot Quanto for CostX?

Choose a completed project with a controlled CostX workbook, an approved priced BOQ, and well-documented historical rates. This creates a reliable benchmark.

Import the workbook and generate the automated pricing result. Compare rates and totals by work section, but don't stop at the final figure. Record correct mappings, unsuitable predictions, missing data, low-confidence items, and adjustments required during review.

A useful pilot should measure:

1. Successful workbook-item import
2. Element and work-section mapping accuracy
3. Relevance of predicted rates
4. Percentage of items requiring manual review
5. Time needed to reach an issue-ready BOQ
6. Traceability to historical rate sources
7. Export and template compatibility
8. Handling of workbook revisions
9. Consistency between different estimators

The firm should define acceptance thresholds before the pilot begins. That prevents a favorable total from hiding weak item-level performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Quanto adapt to our firm's historical pricing?

Yes. Concolabs states that Quanto is trained on the firm's historical rate information before deployment. Predictions can improve as relevant project data is added, provided the records remain clean, consistent, and commercially meaningful.

Which measurement standards are supported?

Quanto supports NRM2 and other measurement standards. Elements can be grouped and measured according to the firm's rules. Confirm any regional, client-specific, or bespoke requirements during configuration and pilot testing.

Does Quanto for CostX replace estimators?

No. It automates repetitive item identification, historical rate mapping, and priced BOQ preparation. Estimators remain responsible for scope, measurement interpretation, pricing context, adjustments, risk, professional advice, and final approval.

Can the final BOQ be exported to Excel?

Yes. Concolabs lists Excel and CSV as export options. The product can also send information to specialist BOQ software when required. Firms should test their exact templates and coding requirements before deployment.

Does Quanto replace CostX or work alongside it?

Quanto works alongside CostX. It reads the measured items in the CostX workbook and adds AI rate prediction and BOQ pricing. The existing CostX measurement workflow remains in place.

How are low-confidence rate predictions handled?

Concolabs states that low-confidence elements can be flagged for review. Firms should establish confidence thresholds, reviewer responsibilities, and a documented process for accepting, adjusting, or rejecting each suggestion.

Can Quanto for CostX support multi-office firms?

Yes. Concolabs lists a custom enterprise option for multi-office deployment and training on complex proprietary rate histories. Confirm data separation, permissions, regional adjustments, and commercial terms during procurement.

How much does Quanto for CostX cost?

The product page currently displays USD $900 per month but also says the figure should be confirmed before publishing. Contact Concolabs through the Quanto for CostX page for current pricing and implementation terms.

Price CostX quantities without repeating the lookup work

Quanto for CostX connects measured workbook items with the firm's historical pricing knowledge. It automates line-item rate prediction and priced BOQ preparation while preserving the QS review needed for reliable commercial decisions.

For firms already using CostX, the product offers a practical route to faster pricing without replacing the measurement platform. A controlled pilot can test rate relevance, review time, consistency, and export quality using real project data.

Explore Quanto for CostX or review the complete Concolabs product suite to compare the Revit, ACC, CostX, and 2D drawing workflows.