WHITE PAPER
The 70% Estimate: A New Standard for Proposal Velocity
How agentic AI turns scope into a defensible, review-ready estimate in days—not weeks.
Aerospace & Defense proposal teams are under pressure to deliver faster, with fewer resources and higher compliance demands. This whitepaper introduces a new operational standard: the defensible 70% estimate—a faster, smarter way to reach a credible position early, without sacrificing quality or traceability.
Why estimating keeps breaking down
Most teams don’t struggle because they can’t build an estimate. They struggle because they have to rebuild it—again and again.
Each proposal starts from scratch. Scope gets decomposed differently. Roles drift across tasks. The narrative is written last, under pressure, and often no longer matches the numbers.
Over time, this creates a hidden cost: slower cycles, fewer bids, and estimates that feel fragile instead of defensible.
A different goal: not perfect—defensible
The idea behind the 70% estimate is simple, but powerful.
Instead of aiming for a perfect final estimate from the start, teams focus on reaching a point where the structure holds. Where the scope is covered, roles make sense, effort is plausible, and the narrative aligns with the numbers.
At that point, the estimate can be reviewed, challenged, and improved—but it no longer needs to be rebuilt.
What actually makes this possible
The shift isn’t just about generating estimates faster. It’s about keeping them consistent as they evolve.
Agentic AI introduces a validation layer that works in the background—checking for missing scope, unrealistic allocations, and narrative inconsistencies as changes happen.
Instead of relying on manual reviews at the end, the system continuously protects the integrity of the estimate.
That’s what turns estimating from a document into a system.
Two ways real teams actually estimate
In practice, teams don’t work in a single mode.
Sometimes there’s historical data to rely on—past estimates, actuals, proven structures. In those cases, the fastest path is reuse and calibration.
Other times, there’s nothing to start from. That’s where generative approaches create a structured first version from raw scope.
The key isn’t choosing one approach. It’s supporting both—and applying the same validation layer to ensure consistency either way.
This idea sits at the core of the 70% estimate.
“The goal is not to generate a perfect estimate. The goal is to reach defensibility quickly—then let humans refine.”
From the whitepaper
In environments where time, complexity, and compliance collide, waiting for perfection slows everything down. What teams actually need is a strong, rational first position—one that can hold up under review and evolve without breaking.
About the author
Tom Shanahan
Founder & CEO, ProjStream
Tom Shanahan is the founder of ProjStream PrecisionAI, where he focuses on applying AI to high-friction workflows in cost estimating, proposal development, and project execution.
His work centers on a very specific challenge: turning complex scope into structured, traceable, and defensible estimates that teams can build—and trust—under real-world constraints.
With a focus on Aerospace & Defense and other compliance-driven industries, his approach combines practical workflow design with emerging AI capabilities, helping organizations move faster without losing control.
From estimate to system
One of the less obvious shifts is what happens next.
When scope is structured into work packages and kept consistent, the estimate starts to look less like a proposal artifact—and more like the foundation of execution.
It becomes a bridge between requirements and delivery.
For teams that recognize this early, estimating stops being just a step in the process—and becomes the starting point of a larger system.
From estimate to system
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About ProjStream + PrecisionAI
ProjStream is a digital platform that helps government contractors and engineering firms reconnect their requirements, estimates, and program outcomes through version-aware tracking and intelligent automation.
Built specifically for estimating teams, program controls professionals, and digital engineering leaders, ProjStream’s PrecisionAI module delivers scope-sensitive cost attribution, automated change intelligence, and real-time impact analysis enabling teams to move from reactive cost management to proactive decision support.
Trusted by defense contractors, systems integrators, and engineering -intensive organizations, ProjStream integrates with existing ERP, PLM, and requirements management systems to create a unified digital thread from requirements to cost.