Bidfident for electrical subcontractors
Estimating software for electricians
Pricing an electrical installation in Bidfident starts with what you already measure: metres of conduit and cable, and each socket outlet, light fitting and distribution board by number. Every line carries your electrician's hours per unit and the material with its waste. The scissor lift is charged only for the hours it runs, fire alarm quotes sit side by side, and supervision follows the programme.
- Electrical
- Plumbing and mechanical
- HVAC and ductwork
- Dry lining
- Roofing
- Painting and decorating
- Flooring
- Brickwork and blockwork
- Concrete
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?
Cable waste added as a guess
In a spreadsheet the extra for offcuts and drawing in is often a lump added at the bottom, or forgotten. In Bidfident each line of conduit or cable carries its own waste percentage, so the materials are right line by line.
The scissor lift priced for every hour
Light fittings go up off a scissor lift, but the lift isn't in use for every hour of the install. In Bidfident the plant on a line can have its own hours per unit, so it's charged for the time it's used.
Fire alarm quotes in three emails
The fire alarm subcontractor sends a quote, then a revised one, and the old figure stays in the spreadsheet. In Bidfident each package's quotes sit side by side, the lowest is flagged, and you carry the one you pick.
How Bidfident fits your work
Metres of conduit, outlets by number
Price conduit and cable by the metre, and socket outlets, LED panels and boards by number. Every line takes a quantity, the electrician's hours per unit, a material price with a waste percentage, and plant by the hour. Copy and paste, fill down and undo work like Excel.
A higher rate for the board work
Setting and terminating a distribution board may need your most experienced electrician. Give that line its own rate and it's marked in purple, while the rest of the job stays on the electrician's library rate.
The scissor lift for the hours it runs
Give the lift on the light fitting line its own hours per unit, say half an hour for each panel, and it's charged for that time, not for every hour the gang spends on the line.
Fire alarm quotes side by side
Enter each fire alarm or data cabling quote, see the lowest flagged, and carry it or the one you pick. Waiting on quotes? Carry an allowance until they arrive.
Your accessories and fittings, found as you type
Keep sockets, light fittings, cable and conduit in the company library with their prices and hours per unit. Type a description and the line picker finds them, or an assembly that fills a whole line at once.
Supervision that follows the programme
A part-time supervisor by the week follows the job duration, so a 10-week programme that grows to 12 picks up two more weeks. Temporary lighting and power can go in as a lump sum.
Worked example: electrical installation for a two-storey office fit-out
A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 36 lines of your own work, 4 subcontract packages and 6 preliminaries items over a 10-week programme. 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 the UK, then on the Projects screen, under Example project, pick "Specialist subcontractors" and "Electrical" and press Add example project.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Distribution board, 250 A, TP&N, 2 nr
| £5,760.00 |
20 mm galvanised steel conduit, surface run, 420 m
| £4,422.60 |
2.5 mm² LSF singles, drawn into conduit, 1,300 m
| £1,413.75 |
Twin switched socket outlets, 64 nr
| £1,459.20 |
LED panels, 600 x 600 mm, 48 nr
| £4,387.20 |
31 more lines of your own work
| £69,737.68 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Fire alarm, L1 system
| £10,350.00 |
Access control and intruder alarm
| £7,634.00 |
Diamond drilling and slab scanning
| £1,733.00 |
DNO supply upgrade, allowance
| £2,500.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Supervision, part-time electrical supervisor
| £7,500.00 |
Contracts manager, part time
| £3,300.00 |
Temporary lighting and power
| £1,500.00 |
Small tools and consumables
| £1,020.00 |
Inductions, RAMS and PPE
| £468.00 |
Building control and notification fees
| £1,570.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Own work
| £87,180.43 |
| Excluded lines, not counted | £7,768.00 |
| Subcontractors | £22,217.00 |
Preliminaries
| £15,358.00 |
Direct cost
| £124,755.43 |
Contingency
| £3,742.66 |
Overheads and profit
| £12,849.81 |
| Subtotal before the bond | £141,347.90 |
Bond
| £1,413.48 |
Insurance
| £706.74 |
Tender total
| £143,468.12 |
VAT, for reference
| £28,693.62 |
See it in Bidfident
Coming soon Ask your estimate anything. Claude first, ChatGPT to follow. See how it will work
Questions
Can I price conduit by the metre and outlets by number?
Yes. Units are free text, so m, nr and item all work. Bidfident doesn't convert between units, so price each line in the unit its rate is in.
Can the board work carry a different rate from the rest of the job?
Yes. Give that line its own rate. It's marked in purple so anyone checking the estimate can see it.
Can I keep electrician and apprentice rates apart?
Yes. Set a rate per trade in the library, such as Approved electrician and Apprentice, and give each line the trade that does the work. Type a new trade in the Trade cell to add it with its rate.
Can I see the containment and wiring floor by floor?
Yes. Tag each conduit, cable and fittings line with an area or location, such as ground floor and first floor, and group the sheet by it with a subtotal for each.
Does it count fittings from the drawings?
No. Bidfident doesn't read quantities from drawings. Type your counts in, or paste them into the sheet from a spreadsheet or your bill of quantities.
What if the electrician's rate goes up after I submit a tender?
A submitted tender keeps the electrician's and scissor lift's rates it was priced with, so a change to your library doesn't move a price you've already sent.
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 electrical tender 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.