Bidfident for fiber splicing contractors
Estimating software for fiber splicing
Splicing is priced in Bidfident by the each: fusion splices, splice cases, mid-span access splices and testing per fiber, each with the splicer's hours per unit. The splice trailer is charged by the hour for the time it runs, apart from the crew. Traffic control for aerial splices goes in as a sub, and part-time supervision by the week.
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 splicer
The splice 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 fiber, with hours per fiber and the splicer's rate.
How Bidfident fits your work
Splices by the each
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.
The bid total always in view
Change the hours per splice and see right away how much the bid moved.
A splice trailer for its own hours
Give the trailer its own hours per splice, apart from the splicer's. It's charged for those hours only.
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.
Traffic control as a sub
Enter each traffic control bid for the aerial splices, see the lowest flagged, and carry it or the one you pick.
Splices, cases and tasks in your library
Keep splices, splice cases 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 fiber ring
A made-up job, priced in Bidfident: 24 lines of your own work, 3 subs and 4 general conditions 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 the US, then on the Projects screen, under Example project, pick "Telecom and fiber" and "Splicing" and press Add example project.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Fusion splices, 864 ea
| $6,799.68 |
Splice cases, prepped and mounted, 3 ea
| $2,628.00 |
OTDR and power meter testing, per fiber, 576 ea
| $1,843.20 |
Mid-span access splices, 6 ea
| $5,694.00 |
20 more lines of your own work
| $29,239.08 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Traffic control for aerial splices
| $5,400.00 |
Vac truck clean-out of flooded handholes
| $2,320.00 |
Fiber repairs found in testing, allowance
| $2,400.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Supervision, part-time
| $2,850.00 |
Splice van and tools
| $1,320.00 |
Fusion splicer and OTDR calibration
| $720.00 |
Crew lodging, two splicers
| $3,900.00 |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
Own work
| $46,203.96 |
| Excluded lines, not counted | $2,266.56 |
| Subcontractors | $10,120.00 |
General conditions
| $8,790.00 |
Direct cost
| $65,113.96 |
Contingency
| $1,953.42 |
Fee
| $6,706.74 |
| Subtotal before the bond | $73,774.12 |
Bond
| $737.74 |
Insurance
| $368.87 |
Bid total
| $74,880.73 |
See it in Bidfident
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 labor from the trade's rate.
Can I price testing per fiber?
Yes. Put testing on its own line, with the number of fibers as the quantity and hours per fiber.
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 splice 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 splice case 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
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.