Bidfident for plumbing and mechanical contractors
Estimating software for plumbers
For plumbing and mechanical contractors, Bidfident prices pipe by the linear foot 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 bids sit side by side. Group the sheet by division or by floor, so the number you give the GC 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 bids leveled by hand
One insulation sub bids, 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, DWV, 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 foot, fixtures each
Copper water pipe and PVC DWV by the linear foot, 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 owner-furnished fixtures, 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 number until the bid 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 the whole estimate by cost code as CSV.
Subtotals by floor or wing
Tag each line with an area, such as the first floor restrooms 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 remodel
A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 34 lines of your own work, 3 subs and 4 general conditions 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 the US, then on the Projects screen, under Example project, pick "Specialty contractors" and "Plumbing and mechanical" and press Add example project.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Copper water pipe, 3/4" Type L, 850 LF
| $12,461.00 |
PVC DWV, 3", 590 LF
| $5,832.15 |
Wall-hung water closets, with carriers, 8 ea
| $10,128.00 |
Lavatories with faucets, 10 ea
| $7,000.00 |
Gas water heater, 50 gal, 1 ea
| $4,308.00 |
29 more lines of your own work
| $46,895.73 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Pipe insulation
| $5,500.00 |
Backflow testing and certification
| $1,024.00 |
Grease interceptor, supply and set
| $2,000.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Supervision, part-time foreman
| $8,400.00 |
Service truck, small tools and consumables
| $2,048.00 |
Plumbing and gas permits
| $1,000.00 |
Dumpster, shared with the general contractor
| $720.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Own work
| $86,624.88 |
| Excluded lines, not counted | $3,650.00 |
| Subcontractors | $8,524.00 |
General conditions
| $12,168.00 |
Direct cost
| $107,316.88 |
Contingency
| $5,365.84 |
Fee
| $11,268.27 |
| Subtotal before the bond | $123,950.99 |
Bond
| $1,239.51 |
Insurance
| $619.75 |
Bid total
| $125,810.25 |
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 pipefitters on separate rates?
Yes. Set a rate per trade, such as Plumber and Pipefitter, 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 by the foot?
Yes. Units are free text, so LF, EA and LS 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 keep my own codes for water, waste and gas piping?
Yes. Paste your cost code list in from Excel or QuickBooks. Bidfident shows a preview of what it read before anything changes, then each pipe and fixture line takes its code.
Can copper and PVC carry different waste?
Yes. Every line has its own waste percentage, so copper water pipe can carry one figure and PVC DWV another.
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.