What does OCR do?
Optical character recognition (OCR) "converts an image of text into a machine-readable text format" (AWS). It is what makes a scanned datasheet or a photographed nameplate searchable. It is useful, and it is usually one layer inside larger document tools.
Why doesn't OCR solve tender specification review?
Once the text is readable, the real work starts. A bid engineer still has to find every requirement. They sit across the project specification, material requisition, inspection and test plan and the standards they call up. The engineer then checks each one against the datasheet and writes the technical deviation list. OCR gives you text. It does not give you a status per requirement.
| Step | OCR | OdysseyGPT |
|---|---|---|
| Make scanned pages readable | Yes, this is its job | Reads PDF, Word, Excel and CSV files |
| Find every requirement in the spec package | No | Yes, across the specification, MR, ITP, datasheets and the standards they call up |
| Check each requirement against your datasheets | No | Yes, against your datasheets, standard specifications and test procedures |
| Status per requirement | No | Complies, deviates, clarification, not addressed, document requested, not applicable or out of scope |
| Evidence | Recognised text only | A quote from the source document, with page, sheet or cell |
| Output | Text | Editable compliance matrix and deviations & clarifications list |
| Engineering drawings | Recognises text on the drawing | Does not interpret drawings such as GAs or P&IDs |
When is OCR enough?
When you only need a searchable copy of a scanned document. Or when you will read and check every clause yourself. If the clause-by-clause check is what slows you down, use the datasheet vs specification checklist by hand, or a tool built for that check.
Who uses OdysseyGPT instead?
Bid engineers, proposal engineers and project managers at valve, pump, actuator and instrumentation manufacturers who answer EPC and owner tenders. It does not send anything to the customer. Your engineers decide open items and own what goes out. See OdysseyGPT for manufacturing.
OdysseyGPT Managed: from $999/month
Managed onboarding included. See pricing or request a demo with one of your own past tenders.