The Scope Gap Index · Q3 2026
Every scope package Scope Agent generated between 17 July and 30 September 2026, across 24 projects from 16 general contractors, counted by MasterFormat division. These are the model’s flags, checked by a person on fewer than one item in a hundred. Read them as where to look, not as proof.
scope packages read, one per trade per project, 17 July to 30 September 2026
projects from 16 general contractors, all Provision customers
of packages had at least one flag from Scope Agent
had at least one coordination flag, meaning work between two trades
A flag is Scope Agent’s judgment that a job is needed and nobody’s scope names it (inferred), or that it sits between two trades (coordination). It isn’t a confirmed omission on that project.
The finding
Scope Agent flagged six kinds of work in 39% to 48% of all 1,290 packages, whichever trade the package was for. They’re jobs, every one of them. Each one either sits between two subs or is something the documents require without naming who does it.
48%of 1,290 packages flagged (621)
The pattern: the steel sub needs an embed cast into the concrete sub’s slab, the drawings show the embed, and neither scope says who buys it or who sets it.
45%of 1,290 packages flagged (583)
The pattern: where the roofer stops and the siding sub starts, somebody has to seal the line, and the documents show the joint without a name.
44%of 1,290 packages flagged (569)
The pattern: the cabinet, the grab bar and the TV mount need wood or steel in the wall. The drywall sub won’t put it there unless told. The millwork sub assumes it’s there.
42%of 1,290 packages flagged (542)
The pattern: somebody covers the finished floor while four other trades walk across it. Hardly ever drawn, usually priced by nobody.
40%of 1,290 packages flagged (521)
The pattern: the spec requires the test, the inspection and the certificate, and no scope says who pays for them.
39%of 1,290 packages flagged (509)
The pattern: the pipe goes through the rated wall. Who sleeves the hole, who seals it, and who signs for it.
The examples describe the pattern a flag usually points at, written by an estimator. They aren’t findings on any single project.
Take anchors, embeds and connections. Scope Agent flagged at least one, as unassigned or as sitting between two trades, in 24 of the 27 electrical packages we read. Metals, 46 of 53. Masonry, 19 of 22. When a flag like that is right, the item’s on the drawing and in nobody’s scope, and it turns up the week the slab’s poured as a change order.
That’s why the pattern matters more than any single number. A checklist written trade by trade won’t catch these, because the item was never on one trade’s list to begin with. It lives in the gap between two lists, and nobody owns the gap. The Index tells you which gaps to go and look at.
By division
For each division: how many packages we read, how many had at least one flag, and the job flagged most often. Full division pages are coming one at a time. Electrical’s up first.
| Division | Packages | Projects | With a flag | Most-flagged job | Share flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 General RequirementsTesting, inspection and certification · 20 projects | 38 | 20 | 89% | Testing, inspection and certification | 47% |
| 02 Existing ConditionsRemoval, demolition and disposal · 22 projects | 57 | 22 | 91% | Removal, demolition and disposal | 63% |
| 03 ConcreteAnchors, embeds and connections · 24 projects | 125 | 24 | 93% | Anchors, embeds and connections | 67% |
| 04 MasonryPenetrations, sleeves and firestopping · 20 projects | 22 | 20 | 95% | Penetrations, sleeves and firestopping | 91% |
| 05 MetalsAnchors, embeds and connections · 24 projects | 53 | 24 | 96% | Anchors, embeds and connections | 87% |
| 06 Wood, Plastics and CompositesBlocking, backing and support · 22 projects | 96 | 22 | 94% | Blocking, backing and support | 70% |
| 07 Thermal and Moisture ProtectionSealants, flashing and waterproofing joints · 24 projects | 155 | 24 | 95% | Sealants, flashing and waterproofing joints | 82% |
| 08 OpeningsOpenings, cutting and patching · 23 projects | 79 | 23 | 96% | Openings, cutting and patching | 66% |
| 09 FinishesTolerances, joints and trade interfaces · 23 projects | 92 | 23 | 89% | Tolerances, joints and trade interfaces | 68% |
| 10 SpecialtiesBlocking, backing and support · 24 projects | 81 | 24 | 94% | Blocking, backing and support | 57% |
| 11 EquipmentAnchors, embeds and connections · 22 projects | 67 | 22 | 85% | Anchors, embeds and connections | 57% |
| 12 FurnishingsTemporary protection · 21 projects | 53 | 21 | 94% | Temporary protection | 34% |
| 13 Special ConstructionAnchors, embeds and connections · 21 projects | 39 | 21 | 87% | Anchors, embeds and connections | 51% |
| 14 Conveying EquipmentTesting, inspection and certification · 19 projects | 22 | 19 | 95% | Testing, inspection and certification | 73% |
| 21 Fire SuppressionTemporary protection · 23 projects | 26 | 23 | 92% | Temporary protection | 85% |
| 23 HVACTesting, inspection and certification · 23 projects | 28 | 23 | 93% | Testing, inspection and certification | 86% |
| 26 ElectricalAnchors, embeds and connections · 23 projects | 27 | 23 | 96% | Anchors, embeds and connections | 89% |
| 27 CommunicationsTesting, inspection and certification · 21 projects | 50 | 21 | 92% | Testing, inspection and certification | 62% |
| 28 Electronic Safety and SecurityTesting, inspection and certification · 19 projects | 24 | 19 | 88% | Testing, inspection and certification | 50% |
| 31 EarthworkRemoval, demolition and disposal · 20 projects | 49 | 20 | 100% | Removal, demolition and disposal | 63% |
| 32 Exterior ImprovementsUtility and service connections · 22 projects | 61 | 22 | 90% | Utility and service connections | 56% |
| 33 UtilitiesUtility and service connections · 15 projects | 21 | 15 | 95% | Utility and service connections | 95% |
“Share flagged” is the number of packages where Scope Agent flagged that job, out of all packages read for the division. A package is one trade on one project, so a division holds more packages than projects, and the same project can appear in several divisions. A utilities package flagging utility connections is no surprise; the row is there for completeness. Plumbing (11 packages) and Electrical Power Generation (7) fell below the 20-package threshold and aren’t shown.
Method
1,290 scope packages generated by Scope Agent between 17 July and 30 September 2026, across 24 projects from 16 general contractors. One package per trade per project, taken as it stood at the end of the quarter. Reruns and revisions of the same package count once. Provision’s own test projects are excluded.
An item counts when Scope Agent flagged it as inferred, meaning the job needs it but the drawings and specs never say who does it, or as coordination, meaning it sits between two trades. We grouped the items into sixteen topics by keyword. One item can land in more than one topic, so the topic shares don’t add up to a total.
One topic catches only the words “supply” and “install” and was flagged in 77% of packages. It’s too broad to mean anything on its own, so we left it out of every ranking on this site. A division gets published once we’ve read at least 20 packages for it.
These are sixteen Provision customers’ projects from one quarter. They’re general contractors who went looking for a scope-review tool, so they already suspected they had a scope problem. The numbers describe this sample and nothing wider. A flag is Scope Agent’s judgment; fewer than one item in a hundred had been looked at by a person when we counted, so some flags will be wrong. The sample size sits next to every number so you can judge it yourself. We’ll update it every quarter.
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