ScopeSpec — an open standard for comparable project briefs
Current version 0.1 (draft) · Published 2026-09-10 · Editor Ben Davis, ben.davis@bidbro.com · Licensed CC BY 4.0
In short
ScopeSpec is an open, versioned field list for a comparable residential project brief. It defines what a homeowner must state about a job, and what a contractor's quote must return, so that two quotes for the same project can be compared line for line instead of by headline price alone.
The problem it addresses
Three quotes for the same roof arrive at three prices, and the homeowner has no way to tell which of them is cheaper and which is simply smaller. One carries debris removal and one does not. One assumes the decking is sound; one prices replacing it. One quotes a shingle by name and one quotes “architectural shingle”. The prices differ because the jobs differ, and nothing on any of the three pages says so.
ScopeSpec makes those differences visible in one place: the brief states what is included, what is excluded, what is an allowance and what is assumed; and a conforming quote states which of those assumptions it accepted and which it replaced. That last field is the one that does the work.
What version 0.1 contains
- 40 fields in 9 groups, of which 31 are required — document identity, the project, the property, scope, measurements, materials, permits, documents and stated assumptions.
- 15 fields a conforming quote returns, including the accepted and restated assumptions that make two prices comparable.
- 6 conformance rules and 10 enumerations.
- 6 trade profiles — Roofing replacement, Bathroom remodel, Kitchen remodel, HVAC replacement, Exterior painting, Other work — each adding required measurements, a photo minimum and photo guidance.
- A JSON Schema, the full field registry as JSON, three worked examples and a
CITATION.cff.
Who it is for
| Homeowners | A checklist of what to state before asking for quotes, including the questions — debris, allowances, permits, access — that go unasked until they become an argument. |
|---|---|
| Contractors and estimators | A predictable brief shape, and a defined way to record a restated assumption so a careful bid is not read as a more expensive one. |
| Software vendors | A JSON Schema to map to, so a brief exported from one estimating or lead product can be read by another without a bespoke integration. |
| Inspectors, architects, lenders and educators | A neutral, openly licensed vocabulary to point at when explaining what a comparable scope looks like — citable without endorsing any platform. |
BidBro knows of no third-party implementation as of 2026-09-10. This page will name implementers when they exist and agree to be named, and not before.
How to adopt it
- Read the field reference for 0.1 and decide which trade profile fits the work.
- Validate your documents against the JSON Schema below. A brief that fails validation is not a ScopeSpec brief; the validator names the missing field.
- Start from a worked example rather than from an empty object — the examples are conforming documents, and the acceptance test that publishes this page validates them against the schema on every build.
- Extend it under
x-extensionsrather than by adding fields to a group. The schema is closed everywhere else on purpose, so a consumer can tell a standard field from a vendor one. - Cite it in plain text. Under CC BY 4.0 credit is enough — a link back is welcome and never required, and nothing is conditioned on providing one.
Downloads
- JSON Schema (draft-07) — scopespec-0.1.schema.jsonValidates a brief. The quote half is at #/definitions/scopeSpecQuote in the same file.
- Field registry — scopespec-0.1.jsonEverything on this page as data: groups, fields, enumerations, trade profiles and limitations.
- Worked example — roofing replacement briefA conforming brief. Illustrative only: no real property, household or contractor.
- Worked example — bathroom remodel briefA conforming brief for an interior trade, with three allowances and incomplete selections.
- Worked example — a conforming quoteThe response half against the roofing brief, including one restated assumption.
- CITATION.cffCitation metadata in Citation File Format 1.2.0.
Versions
| Version | Published | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 2026-09-10 | First public version. Nine core field groups, ten enumerations, six trade profiles and six conformance rules, with a JSON Schema, a machine-readable field registry, two worked examples and a CITATION.cff. |
What this standard does not do
- ScopeSpec describes a project; it does not price one. Nothing in it produces, implies or validates a cost.
- The six trade profiles in 0.1 are the trades BidBro can describe carefully today. They are not a claim about which trades matter most, and the standard is explicitly incomplete outside them — use `other`, which imposes no extra fields, rather than forcing a job into a profile that does not fit.
- Field names and enumerations may change in 0.2. Every 0.1 URL and artifact remains available permanently so a brief written against 0.1 stays interpretable.
- The standard asserts nothing about licensing, insurance or competence. `licenseNumber` and `insuranceOnFile` record what a bidder states; verifying either is the reader's responsibility.
- No adoption is claimed. As of the published date, BidBro knows of no third-party implementation, and this page will name implementers only when they exist and agree to be named.
How to cite ScopeSpec
BidBro, Inc. (2026). ScopeSpec 0.1: a comparable residential project brief. https://www.bidbro.com/scopespec/v0-1 (CC BY 4.0)
Cite the version, not the hub, whenever the citation needs to stay true: this page tracks whatever the current version is, and /scopespec/v0-1 will always be 0.1.
Corrections and comment
ScopeSpec 0.1 is published for review. If a field is wrong, ambiguous, missing, or would not survive contact with a real job in your trade, email ben.davis@bidbro.com. Corrections are dated in the version history rather than made silently, and a change that alters a field's meaning waits for the next version rather than being applied to a published one.
Elsewhere on BidBro
- Virginia Beach contractors — licensed contractors by trade across the city.
- Virginia contractors — the statewide directory.
- Virginia home-improvement projects — live projects taking bids.
- Hampton Roads Home Project Observatory — BidBro’s published construction data and its methodology.
- Press kit and reporter data desk — company facts and a named press contact.