Bidfident for plumbing and mechanical subcontractors
Estimating software for plumbers
For plumbing and mechanical subcontractors, Bidfident prices pipework by the metre and sanitaryware, frames and water heaters by number. Copper and PVC-U carry their own waste, each line takes the plumber's hours per unit, and the pipework insulation quotes sit side by side. Group the sheet by division or by floor, so the price you give the main contractor adds up line by line.
- 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?
Sanitaryware counts that don't match the price
WCs, basins and frames 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 subcontractor quotes, a second comes in lower, and the higher figure stays in the spreadsheet. In Bidfident the quotes sit side by side, the lowest is flagged, and you carry the one you pick.
Everything in one long column
When pipework, soil and waste, sanitaryware and plant all land in one column, it's hard to see where the money is. Bidfident groups the sheet by division with subtotals, and the cost report totals each cost code under its division.
How Bidfident fits your work
Pipework by the metre, sanitaryware by number
Copper pipe and PVC-U soil and vent by the metre, WCs, basins and the water heater by number. Each line takes a quantity, the plumber's hours per unit, a material price with a waste percentage, and plant by the hour.
Divisions laid out the way you read them
Group the sheet by division with subtotals, and name a division of your own, such as 32A for the toilet areas, so it sits in order with the rest.
Insulation and other packages side by side
Enter each pipework insulation quote, see the lowest flagged, and carry it or the one you pick. A subcontractor you haven't heard from can carry an allowance until the quote comes in.
Sanitaryware and frames in your library
Keep sanitaryware, frames, 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 tender starts from the same prices.
A cost report by code
See the tender by cost code under each division, from pipework to sanitaryware. 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 toilets 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 nursery refurbishment
A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 34 lines of your own work, 3 subcontract packages and 4 preliminaries items over a 8-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 "Plumbing and mechanical" and press Add example project.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Copper pipe, 22 mm, with fittings, 260 m
| £6,916.00 |
PVC-U soil and vent pipe, 110 mm, 180 m
| £3,537.00 |
Wall-hung WCs, with concealed frames, 8 nr
| £4,792.00 |
Wash hand basins with taps, 10 nr
| £3,450.00 |
Gas-fired water heater, 190 litre, 1 nr
| £3,472.00 |
29 more lines of your own work
| £26,929.02 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Pipework insulation
| £4,100.00 |
Chlorination and water hygiene certificate
| £704.00 |
Grease separator, supply and set
| £1,375.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Supervision, part-time supervisor
| £5,600.00 |
Van, small tools and consumables
| £1,408.00 |
Building Control and water notice fees
| £688.00 |
Skip, shared with the main contractor
| £496.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Own work
| £49,096.02 |
| Excluded lines, not counted | £2,375.00 |
| Subcontractors | £6,179.00 |
Preliminaries
| £8,192.00 |
Direct cost
| £63,467.02 |
Contingency
| £3,173.35 |
Overheads and profit
| £6,664.04 |
| Subtotal before the bond | £73,304.41 |
Bond
| £733.04 |
Insurance
| £366.52 |
Tender total
| £74,403.97 |
VAT, for reference
| £14,880.79 |
See it in Bidfident
Coming soon Ask your estimate anything. Claude first, ChatGPT to follow. See how it will work
Questions
Can I keep plumbers and heating engineers on separate rates?
Yes. Set a rate per trade, such as Plumber and Heating engineer, 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 pipework in metres and fittings 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 a WC and its frame 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 alternative sanitaryware range without counting it?
Yes. Switch the alternative'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 tender.
Can copper and PVC-U carry different waste?
Yes. Every line has its own waste percentage, so the copper pipe, the soil and vent pipe and the fittings can each carry their own.
Does it size pipework or work out flow rates?
No. Bidfident prices the pipework and sanitaryware you've already sized. Type the sizes, lengths and counts in from the design.
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 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.