Takeoff software for trade contractors

Any trade that counts symbols, runs linear feet or picks up areas off a plan set. You name the scopes, click what's there, and the arithmetic stops being your job.

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Trade pages

TradeMillwork and caseworkCabinet counts, trim runs, countertop area and hardware.TradeElectricalDevices, fixtures, panels, conduit and homeruns.TradeLow-voltageDrops, cameras, readers, speakers and cable pathways.TradeDrywallWall runs by type, ceiling area, openings and finish.TradeFlooring and tileRoom areas by material, base runs, transitions and thresholds.

Also counted this way

  • Doors, frames and hardware
  • Painting and coatings
  • Insulation
  • Fencing and site work
  • Roofing
  • Concrete flatwork

The common questions

Does it matter what trade you're in?

Not much. If your bid comes down to counting symbols, running linear feet and picking up areas off a plan set, the tools are the same. What changes is what you name the scopes and what rate you put behind them.

How do you set it up for your scopes?

You name them. A scope is a label, a color and a unit — each, feet, or square feet — plus a material rate and a labor rate. Save the set once and reuse it on the next job.

What about trades with assemblies and a cost database?

If your estimating depends on a maintained assembly library, a heavier tool will serve you better. FastBid is for shops where the estimator's own rates are the database.

What comes out at the end?

A proposal PDF with your scopes and quantities, or a CSV that drops into the workbook you already bid from.

Against what you're using

CompareFastBid vs. ExcelCompareFastBid vs. BluebeamCompareFastBid vs. PlanSwift

Run one real bid through it.

Two projects free, no card. If it doesn't beat your spreadsheet on the first job, you've lost an afternoon.

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