The retyping problem
Before any engineering judgement starts, someone copies each clause into a spreadsheet. For a 300-page package that is a day or two of a proposal engineer's time, and it is where requirements get missed — the unnumbered 'shall' in paragraph three, the data-sheet line that contradicts the spec, the addendum that arrived on Friday.
What is extracted
| Source | What |
|---|---|
| Specifications | Numbered clauses; normative statements in prose (shall, must, minimum, in accordance with) |
| Data sheets | Each line item with its value and unit |
| Standards lists | Standard, part, edition where stated |
| Drawings | Title-block requirements and notes |
| Instructions to tenderers | Format, deviation-table layout, documentation requirements |
| Addenda and Q&A | Changes diffed against the register with a change log |
Classification
Performance · material · standard · inspection/test · documentation · commercial-technical. The class decides where the agent looks for evidence (datasheet, certificate, ITP, past bid).
Confirmation, not guessing
Narrative extraction over-includes by design. The bid manager strikes what is not a requirement; the agent does not decide on its own. Requirements repeated across documents are linked so the decision is made once and propagates.