Bidfident for plumbing and mechanical contractors
Estimating software for plumbers
For plumbing and mechanical contractors, Bidfident prices pipe by the metre and fixtures, carriers and water heaters each. Copper and PVC carry their own waste, each line takes the plumber's hours per unit, and the pipe insulation sub's quotes sit side by side. Group the sheet by division or by floor, so the price you give the general contractor adds up line by line.
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?
Fixture counts that don't match the price
Water closets, lavatories and carriers get counted on one tab and priced on another, and the two drift apart. In Bidfident the count, the hours and the material sit on one line, and the totals update as you type.
Insulation quotes compared by hand
One insulation sub quotes, a second comes in lower, and the higher number stays in the spreadsheet. In Bidfident the bids sit side by side, the lowest is flagged, and you carry the one you pick.
Everything in one long column
When water pipe, drainage, fixtures and equipment all land in one column, it's hard to see where the money is. Bidfident groups the sheet by CSI division with subtotals, and the cost report totals each cost code under its division.
How Bidfident fits your work
Pipe by the metre, fixtures each
Copper water pipe and PVC drain by the metre, water closets, lavatories and the water heater each. Each line takes a quantity, the plumber's hours per unit, a material price with a waste percentage, and equipment by the hour.
Divisions laid out the way you read them
Group the sheet by CSI division with subtotals, and name a division of your own, such as 22A for in-suite work, so it sits in order with the rest.
Insulation and other subs side by side
Enter each pipe insulation bid, see the lowest flagged, and carry it or the one you pick. A sub you haven't heard from can carry a plug amount until the quote comes in.
Fixtures and carriers in your library
Keep fixtures, carriers, pipe and fittings in one company library with their prices and the plumber's hours per unit. Every estimate uses the same library, so the next bid starts from the same prices.
A cost report by code
See the bid by cost code under each division, from water pipe to fixtures. Filter by area, location or cost type, click a row to jump to its lines, and copy it as CSV.
Subtotals by floor or wing
Tag each line with an area, such as the ground floor washrooms or the kitchen, and group the sheet by it with a subtotal for each. Collapse the groups to see the whole job on one screen.
Worked example: plumbing for a daycare renovation
A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 34 lines of your own work, 3 subtrades and 4 overhead items over a 8-week job. The 5 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 "Trade contractors" and "Mechanical and plumbing" and press Add example project.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Copper water pipe, 3/4 in. type L, 260 m
| $16,243.50 |
PVC drain, waste and vent, 3 in., 180 m
| $7,900.20 |
Wall-hung water closets, with carriers, 8 ea
| $12,940.00 |
Lavatories with faucets, 10 ea
| $9,025.00 |
Gas water heater, 190 L, 1 ea
| $5,440.00 |
29 more lines of your own work
| $61,309.16 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Pipe insulation
| $6,850.00 |
Backflow testing and certification
| $1,280.00 |
Grease interceptor, supply and set
| $2,500.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Site supervision, part-time foreman
| $10,400.00 |
Service van, small tools and consumables
| $2,560.00 |
Plumbing and gas permits
| $1,250.00 |
Waste bin, shared with the general contractor
| $900.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Own work
| $112,857.86 |
| Excluded lines, not counted | $4,637.50 |
| Subtrades | $10,630.00 |
Overhead
| $15,110.00 |
Direct cost
| $138,597.86 |
Contingency
| $6,929.89 |
Fee
| $14,552.78 |
| Subtotal before bonding | $160,080.53 |
Bonding
| $1,600.81 |
Insurance
| $800.40 |
Bid total
| $162,481.74 |
GST, for reference
| $8,124.09 |
See it in Bidfident
Coming soon Ask your estimate anything. Claude first, ChatGPT to follow. See how it will work
Questions
Can I keep plumbing and steamfitting on separate rates?
Yes. Set a rate per trade, such as Plumber and Steamfitter, and give each line its trade. Type a new trade in the Trade cell to add it to the library with its rate.
Can I price pipe in feet instead of metres?
Yes. Units are free text, so lf, m and ea all work. Bidfident doesn't convert between units, so price each line in the unit its rate is in.
Can a fixture and its carrier go in as one line?
Yes. Save it as an assembly in your rate library. Pick it from the line picker and it fills the whole line at once.
Can I show an alternate fixture without counting it?
Yes. Switch the alternate's line off. It stays on the sheet, struck through, with what it comes to shown beside the totals, and it isn't counted in the bid.
Can I use my own codes for water pipe, drainage and fixtures?
Yes. Paste your cost code list in from Excel or QuickBooks. Bidfident shows a preview of what it read, and what will be added or updated, before anything changes.
Can copper and PVC carry different waste?
Yes. Every line has its own waste percentage on its material, so copper water pipe and PVC drain can each carry their own, and fixtures can carry none.
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 plumbing bid in Bidfident
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.