Morgan Lewis is the founder of New Source, a medium-sized, multi-state electrical contracting firm specializing in large-scale commercial and industrial installations. With over 20 years of field experience and a decade running his own company, Morgan has led projects across New York and Florida—ranging from car washes and commercial kitchens to military bases and federal infrastructure.
As his company expanded, Morgan found himself drowning in estimating work. He was still the lead estimator, juggling multiple million-dollar bids while managing teams across two states. Estimating large jobs manually became a bottleneck, and the pressure to get bids right—especially with prevailing wage projects—was enormous. One mistake could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Morgan’s early process was paper-based, time-consuming, and error-prone. Bids were built with printed blueprints, colored pencils, and gut-based guesses. He cycled through estimating platforms like ConEst and GroundPlan, but they were clunky, outdated, or required too much manual input. Even when he began using labor units like NECA 1 and 2, accuracy and scalability were still major problems. As jobs grew, so did the stress.
“I had a rule. I wouldn’t estimate after 40 hours of work in a week. I knew that’s when costly mistakes happen.”
Facing burnout and a pipeline full of seven-figure bids, Morgan discovered Makeoff. What started as curiosity quickly turned into transformation. The software not only automated takeoffs and labor units, it learned how Morgan actually built jobs—down to the wiring choices, conduit sizing, and preferred materials.
“Once I plugged in my BOM and flipped between NECA units in Makeoff, I realized… this is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Morgan began using Makeoff’s AI-powered bidding software to:
• Parse and structure project specs
• Auto-generate bills of material
• Apply labor units and cost logic
• Catch blueprint errors and suggest changes
• Free up time for other ventures (like launching his own supply company)
With Makeoff, he submitted a highly complex bid for a $4 million Amtrak project, complete with a snow melt system, multi-phase service upgrade, and accurate switchgear quoting.
• 75% reduction in estimating time
• Zero bid rework or major errors
• Landed a $4M federal contract
• Freed up capacity to grow in Florida and focus on new revenue streams
• Improved job profitability through better forecasting and material planning
“Before Makeoff, it was guesswork. Now, our projects run smoother, my crews are happier, and we’re growing faster than ever. In 10 years, there’ll be two types of electricians—those using AI to estimate, and those working for them. This software is the lever that makes that possible.”
