Bidfident

Bidfident for fibre splicing contractors

Estimating software for fibre splicing

Splicing is priced in Bidfident by the piece: fusion splices, splice enclosures, mid-span access splices and testing per fibre, each with the technician's hours per unit. The splicing trailer is charged by the hour for the time it runs, apart from the crew. Traffic control for aerial splices goes in as a subtrade, and part-time supervision by the week.

Get started

Enter your email and Bidfident sends you a sign-in link. New companies start with a starter rate library. Who runs Bidfident, and what it keeps about you.

Sound familiar?

  • Thousands of splices, a few seconds off

    At 2,304 splices, a small change in minutes per splice moves the bid a long way, and a spreadsheet hides where. In Bidfident the bid total stays in view and shows how much it moved after each change.

  • The trailer charged like a technician

    The splicing trailer runs part of the time the crew is on the job, but the spreadsheet gives it the same hours. In Bidfident the trailer gets its own hours per splice.

  • Testing priced as a guess

    OTDR and power meter testing ends up as one round number at the bottom. In Bidfident testing is its own line by the fibre, with hours per fibre and the technician's rate.

How Bidfident fits your work

  • Bidfident screenshot: splices by the piece

    Splices by the piece

    Each line takes a count, hours per splice, a material price per splice and the trailer by the hour. Copy and paste and fill down like Excel.

  • Bidfident screenshot: the bid total always in view

    The bid total always in view

    Change the hours per splice and see straight away how much the bid moved.

  • Bidfident screenshot: a splicing trailer for its own hours

    A splicing trailer for its own hours

    Give the trailer its own hours per splice, apart from the technician's. It's charged for those hours only.

  • Bidfident screenshot: night splicing at its own rate

    Night splicing at its own rate

    Splices done at night can take their own rate on that line only, marked in purple. Harder work, like mid-span access, takes more hours per splice instead.

  • Bidfident screenshot: traffic control as a subtrade

    Traffic control as a subtrade

    Enter each traffic control bid for the aerial splices, see the lowest flagged, and carry it or the one you pick.

  • Bidfident screenshot: splices, enclosures and tasks in your library

    Splices, enclosures and tasks in your library

    Keep splices, enclosures and testing as tasks with hours per unit. Type in Description and the line picker finds them with their prices.

Worked example: splicing for a 288-count fibre ring

A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 24 lines of your own work, 3 subtrades and 4 overhead items over a 3-week job. The 4 lines this page talks about are listed one by one, and the rest are added up in one row. It's the same job you can open as an example project in Bidfident, so every figure below matches it.

To open this job in Bidfident: sign in and set up your company in Canada, then on the Projects screen, under Example project, pick "Telecom and fibre" and "Splicing" and press Add example project.

Your own work
ItemAmount
Fusion splices, 864 ea
  • Labour: 864 ea × 0.08 hrs = 69.12 hrs at $88.00/hr (splicing technician) = $6,082.56
  • Material: 864 ea × $1.20 = $1,036.80
  • Equipment: splicing trailer, 864 ea × 0.05 hrs = 43.2 hrs, less than the crew, at $40.00/hr = $1,728.00
$8,847.36
Splice enclosures, prepared and mounted, 3 ea
  • Labour: 3 ea × 4 hrs = 12 hrs at $88.00/hr (splicing technician) = $1,056.00
  • Material: 3 ea × $780.00 = $2,340.00
$3,396.00
OTDR and power meter testing, per fibre, 576 ea
  • Labour: 576 ea × 0.05 hrs = 28.8 hrs at $88.00/hr (splicing technician) = $2,534.40
$2,534.40
Mid-span access splices, 6 ea
  • Labour: 6 ea × 6 hrs = 36 hrs at $88.00/hr (splicing technician) = $3,168.00
  • Material: 6 ea × $420.00 = $2,520.00
  • Equipment: bucket truck, 6 ea × 3 hrs = 18 hrs, less than the crew, at $85.00/hr = $1,530.00
$7,218.00
20 more lines of your own work
  • Labour $25,125.68 + material $9,800.40 + equipment $3,444.00
  • 1 more line is priced but left out of the total
$38,370.08
Subtrades
ItemAmount
Traffic control for aerial splices
  • Bids: Bidder A $6,800.00, Bidder B $7,250.00
  • Carrying the lowest: Bidder A
$6,800.00
Hydrovac clean-out of flooded handholes
  • Bids: Bidder A $2,900.00, Bidder B $3,250.00
  • Carrying the lowest: Bidder A
$2,900.00
Fibre repairs found in testing, allowance
  • No bids yet: carrying the plug amount
$3,000.00
Overhead
ItemAmount
Site supervision, part-time
  • 3 wk × $1,200.00, following the job duration
$3,600.00
Splicing van and tools
  • 3 wk × $550.00, following the job duration
$1,650.00
Fusion splicer and OTDR calibration
  • 1 LS × $900.00
$900.00
Crew accommodation, two technicians
  • 15 day × $320.00
$4,800.00
Bid summary
ItemAmount
Own work
  • Labour $37,966.64 + material $15,697.20 + equipment $6,702.00
$60,365.84
Excluded lines, not counted$2,949.12
Subtrades$12,700.00
Overhead
  • 3 weeks
$10,950.00
Direct cost
  • Own work + subtrades + overhead
$84,015.84
Contingency
  • 3% of direct cost
$2,520.48
Fee
  • 10% of direct cost plus contingency
$8,653.63
Subtotal before bonding$95,189.95
Bonding
  • 1% of the subtotal
$951.90
Insurance
  • 0.5% of the subtotal
$475.95
Bid total
  • The price you submit, before GST
$96,617.80
GST, for reference
  • 5%, shown separately and not part of the bid total
$4,830.89

See it in Bidfident

The bid, always in view Change the minutes per splice and the bid total shows how much it moved. 36 sec
A rate for one line Night splices at their own rate, on that line only, marked in purple. 31 sec
Search the rate library Type splice or enclosure into Description and pick it from your library, with its price. 32 sec

Coming soon Ask your estimate anything. Claude first, ChatGPT to follow. See how it will work

Questions

Can I price splices by the each?

Yes. Units are free text, so ea, hr and LS all work. Set the hours per splice and Bidfident works out the labour from the trade's rate.

Can I price testing per fibre?

Yes. Put testing on its own line, with the number of fibres as the quantity and hours per fibre.

Can one line take a higher rate for night work?

Yes. Give the line its own rate. It's used for that line only and marked in purple.

Can the splicing trailer run fewer hours than the crew?

Yes. Give the line's equipment its own hours per unit. Leave it blank and it runs for the crew's hours.

Can mid-span access splices cost more than the others?

Yes. Put them on their own line with more hours per splice and their own material price. If they need a higher rate too, give that line its own rate.

Can I see what each splice point comes to?

Yes. Tag each line with its enclosure location or hut and group the sheet by it, with a subtotal for each.

Does Bidfident work with Claude or ChatGPT?

Not yet, but it's coming. You'll be able to connect Bidfident to your own Claude or ChatGPT account and ask about your estimates in plain English. The answers will come from Bidfident's own figures, so they match the estimate. It will use the account you already have: Claude first, ChatGPT to follow.

Price your next splicing bid in Bidfident

Get started

Enter your email and Bidfident sends you a sign-in link. New companies start with a starter rate library. Who runs Bidfident, and what it keeps about you.