# BoQ from a Baubeschreibung: STLK positions drafted by AI

> Create a bill of quantities from a building description: AI reads functional road and bridge tenders and writes each piece of work as an STLK position, with its source, as GAEB X83.

Some public road and bridge tenders in Germany arrive without a bill of quantities, just a Baubeschreibung (building description) of what the client wants built. Before you can price the job, someone has to turn it into a bill of quantities. Streckenheld reads the Baubeschreibung and drafts a bill of quantities of STLK positions in minutes, ready for you to check, price and pass on as a GAEB file.

## Why a bill of quantities from a description takes so long

In a functional tender (Leistungsbeschreibung mit Leistungsprogramm), breaking the work down into positions is the bidder's job. The description often names only a result, such as "build the replacement structure", and spreads the requirements over dozens of pages. The estimator has to:

- **Read everything**, section by section, and write out every piece of work, from site setup to road markings.
- **Break the work down**: a replacement structure becomes excavation, foundations, formwork, reinforcement, concrete, waterproofing, bearings, joints and railings.
- **Find the right STLK position** among nearly 2,000 base texts in 37 work areas, and choose its options.
- **Carry the values over**: concrete classes, layer thicknesses, depths and dimensions, scattered across the whole description.

That takes days, and every piece of work that's missed is missing from the price.

## How Streckenheld turns a Baubeschreibung into a bill of quantities

### Every piece of work, listed

The AI reads the whole description and lists every piece of work you'll have to price: site setup and traffic management, design and verification work, demolition and disposal, earthworks, foundations, the structure itself, waterproofing, drainage, each layer of the road build-up, kerbs and paving, equipment and landscaping. Requirements such as a material class or a test go with the work they belong to. What the description says isn't part of the tender, or is done by the client, is left out.

### The right STLK position

For each piece of work, the AI searches the STLK for matching base texts, in the current edition of each work area: from site setup (LB 101) and earthworks (LB 106) to concrete structures (LB 118) and asphalt and concrete pavements (LB 813 and 814). Anything that finds no match is checked a second time against the whole catalogue.

### Options and values filled in

The AI chooses the position's options and fills in the values from the description, such as concrete classes, layer thicknesses or depths. The position text is always the catalogue's own wording, never written by the AI. Quantities are taken over only where the description states them.

### Free text where the catalogue has nothing

Work the STLK has no position for, such as a pre-construction condition survey, is added as a free-text line in the right section and clearly marked for you to complete.

### Traceable to the source

Every position shows its STLK code and the passage of the description it covers. While the draft is being created you see each step live, including what the AI is considering; afterwards, a card on the bill of quantities sums up how it was made.

### What's in the bill of quantities

| In the BoQ | What it means |
|---|---|
| STLK position | Position text in the catalogue's wording, with the chosen options and the values from the description |
| Free-text line | Work without a matching STLK position, marked for you to complete |
| Quantity | Only where the description states it; otherwise left empty to complete |
| Source | The passage of the Baubeschreibung the position comes from |

## How it works with Streckenheld

1. **Click "Create BOQ from Baubeschreibung"** in your list of bills of quantities and choose the construction site.
2. **Upload the Baubeschreibung** as a PDF.
3. **Watch or carry on working**: the draft is built in the background in five steps: reading, listing the work, picking STLK positions, filling in the positions, writing the bill of quantities.
4. **Check the draft**: complete the free-text lines and add the missing quantities.
5. **Carry on as with any bill of quantities**: run the [VOB check](https://www.streckenheld.com/vob-check.md), price it with the [budget estimate](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/budget-estimate.md), send [quote requests](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/rfq-preparation.md) to suppliers and subcontractors, or download it as GAEB X83 for your calculation software.

## Who it's for

- **Estimators in road and bridge construction** who price functional tenders and don't want to spend days copying standard texts.
- **Bid managers in civil engineering** who want to take on more tenders than their time used to allow.
- **Managing directors** who want to bid on tenders without a bill of quantities too, without leaving work out of the price.

The article [GAEB](https://www.streckenheld.com/knowledge/gaeb.md) explains what a GAEB file such as X83 contains. The draft takes the reading and writing off your team; the quantities and prices in your bid remain your responsibility.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does Streckenheld need?

The Baubeschreibung as a PDF with a text layer, as it comes from Word or a tender portal. The AI can't read pure scans without text; Streckenheld tells you straight away instead of producing an incomplete bill of quantities.

### Where do the position texts come from?

From the STLK, the German standard catalogue for road and bridge works, in the current edition of each work area. The AI picks the matching position and its options and fills in the values from the description; the text itself is always the catalogue's own wording. Work with no matching STLK position becomes a clearly marked free-text line.

### Does the AI work out the quantities?

Only where the description states the quantity of a piece of work. It never estimates. Positions without a quantity stay in the bill of quantities and in the GAEB download, so you can take the quantities off the drawings and complete them in your calculation software.

### How do I check the draft?

Every position shows its STLK code and the passage of the description it comes from. A card on the bill of quantities sums up how it was created: the number of positions, the free-text lines, the time taken and every AI step with its reasoning.

### How long does it take?

A few minutes. It keeps running in the background when you leave the page; the new bill of quantities waits in your list.

## Read next

- [VOB Check: review tenders before you price them](https://www.streckenheld.com/vob-check.md): VOB check for bidders: AI checks every bill of quantities position against the VOB/C trade standards and the contract terms against VOB/B, with change orders, risks and questions.
- [GAEB: formats, exchange phases and practice in construction](https://www.streckenheld.com/knowledge/gaeb.md): GAEB explained: GAEB 90, GAEB 2000 and GAEB DA XML, the exchange phases X81 to X86, and how bills of quantities flow between planner, contractor and supplier.
- [Bill of Quantities (BOQ) Analysis with AI](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/boq-analysis.md): Upload a bill of quantities and let AI extract every position, summarize each section, and flag gaps, risks, and change-order traps before you send it out. Turn a BOQ into a ready-to-send request for quotation in one step.
- [AI Budget Estimate from a Bill of Quantities](https://www.streckenheld.com/guides/budget-estimate.md): Turn a bill of quantities into a priced budget in minutes. AI prices every position from your own contracts and past offers, falls back to regional market prices, and shows its assumptions — then export it as CSV, XLSX, or GAEB.

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Source: https://www.streckenheld.com/boq-from-building-description
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