No.  Quantify was initially designed as an estimating software for electrical contractors, however, it has expanded to offer items and pre-built assemblies for mechanical contractors as well.  What started as a software to help contractors bid electrical work, has now developed into an integrated platform to support both the mechanical and electrical trades.

Yes.  Quantify is now available as a fire suppression and fire sprinkler estimating software for contractors.  Our latest addition to the mechanical items in the Quantify database include sprinkler systems and other items necessary to help contractors bid fire sprinkler/suppression work.  It we don’t have the items you need to bid work in our database of 52,000 items, simply connect with us and we will add them for you. 

The biggest factor to consider with this question is: cost.  A comparable electrical or mechanical estimating software package (offering only some of PataBid’s vast features) can cost contractors as much as $3000-4000 per year.  There are also slightly less expensive software options than Quantify, but they do not provide the user with a complete estimating package.  There are often features that cost money to add, set up fees, yearly update charges etc.  Quantify features the only estimating software for small contractors with integrated public tender information.  For $1,200 USD per year, users can find and bid electrical work (or mechanical work) on a single, unified platform.     

No.  We know that PataBid is a solid choice for an estimating software for small contractors.  However, the Quantify platform is also a competitive estimating solution for enterprise level corporations.  The platform simply scales with the size of job that you are bidding.  Whether it is a small residential project or a major commercial/industrial bid, Quantify will ensure that you are producing fast, reliable estimates. 

Quantify’s MEP estimating software is applicable to the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Our advanced software enables electrical and mechanical contractors to bid a variety of work including HVAC, fire suppression, fire sprinkler, plumbing, electrical and building automation projects.

You can upload any pdf into Quantify – a drawing or a spec document.

No.  Once you have purchased a Quantify license, you simply go here to log into the software.  The cloud based design of Quantify  means that you can log in on any computer, anywhere that has a stable internet connection.  You will never be required to download our software. 

We recommend using Quantify estimating software on a 48” 4K resolution screen.  This allows a typical drawing set to be viewed easily at 100% scale.  We realize it’s not always feasible to estimate on this size of screen, but we do recommend using the largest screen size possible.  A larger screen will allow you to see more of the drawing or spec at once, without having to constantly navigate around the pdf to complete the graphical takeoff.  For these reasons, the Quantify platform is not designed for mobile size screens.  Refer to this blog post for more tips on digital estimating implementation. 

If you want to access a free trial of Quantify, you simply go to the sign up page and input your name, phone number, email, company name and unique password.  There is no credit card information that is required to access the trial.  Once you complete the registration, you can access the full Quantify electrical estimating software free trial.  Ideally, we want users to complete a full estimate in the trial period, in order to become familiar with the Quantify tools and features.  If for some reason you cannot complete an estimate in the given two week trial period, you can simply connect with us to discuss an extension.  After the free trial has ended, you will be directed to complete the payment options form.

No.  Quantify does not have any additional set up fees.  Our all-inclusive license fee ensures that contractors do not encounter hidden fees like set up costs or tech support charges.  And it gets even better!  When our development team releases an amazing new feature, the user does not pay to access a new version of Quantify.  Quantify’s cloud based design guarantees that users can access new features upon release, with no downloading or extra costs required.  Gone are the days of paying to update your software to the newest version.  With Quantify, users always have the latest version of our electrical estimating software.  Give us a try today and see why people are calling Quantify the #1 estimating software for electrical contractors. 

Your documents and estimates are stored in Quantify estimating software forever.  We even currently save estimates from expired free trials or inactive accounts so that no bid documentation is lost before you sign up/renew your license.  By centralizing all bid documentation with PataBid Quantify, you can rest assured that your files are in a secure location that is accessible from anywhere with a stable internet connection.  Centralized documentation is another reason why PataBid is considered the best estimating software for contractors. 

You can store an unlimited number of estimates and documents in Quantify.  There are no storage limits.

When you log in, you'check out' a license from your account. When you log out, you return that license to the pool automatically.  It works the same way a Netflix account does.  Pooled licensing allows users who may only log into Quantify occasionally to still have access to the system, without requiring companies to buy multiple licenses.  A company can create an unlimited number of users, but only one user can access Quantify at a time. This feature is another reason why PataBid is the contractor’s choice for electrical and mechanical estimating software. 

PataBid Quantify has 52,000 + items in our internal database to help you bid electrical work and mechanical work easily and efficiently.  Our data input team is adding new items to the database every week so that number is always increasing.  If you have your own items database from other legacy estimating software, connect with us about setting up a data importation into Quantify. 

Absolutely!  In fact, the PataBid development team encourages feature requests from our users.  Listening and implementing feedback from our users is the only way to make sure Quantify is meeting the needs of mechanical and electrical contractors.  The Quantify platform was built as an adaptable application, meaning that most feature requests can be accommodated without disrupting the established workflow of the system.  So connect with us to share your ideas of how we can improve our platform as we strive towards being the best mechanical and electrical estimating software on the market. 

Yes. PataBid is integrated with two electrical suppliers: City Electric Supply and Gescan. More electrical and mechanical suppliers will be brought into Quantify MEP estimating software as well in 2024-2025. Direct supplier integrations allow our contractors to connect their supplier accounts to Quantify to access contractor specific, instant material prices when estimating. Direct material ordering from within Quantify is also possible with specific suppliers. Learn how to bid electrical work effectively with PataBid's innovative supplier integrations.

Quantify software comes with the Suderman labour manual, NECA labour manuals, MCA manual as well as an in-house mechanical labour rate system.  You can modify the default labour rates in the software or input your own custom labour rate.  More out of the box labour rates will be added to Quantify in the future to better serve contractors.    

Yes.  PataBid offers a robust internal pricing service in Quantify.  There are three different levels of pricing available in the software – list price, contractor price and job-specific price.  To learn more about how to use the pricing features to bid electrical work reliably, refer to this blog post.   The pricing services, along with all Quantify features, are included with every license purchase.  Start to produce reliable bids faster and easier with PataBid’s mechanical/electrical estimating software. Note that we also now have direct integrations with electrical suppliers City Electric Supply and Gescan so contractors can connect their supplier accounts to PataBid for instant material pricing in Quantify.

Yes.  Drawings can be created from scratch on customizable templates.  This is a very useful feature for contractors who bid design build work or are trying to do a change order estimate off a field sketch, fax drawing or other non-pdf document.  It’s quick and easy to convert non-pdf documents into drawings in Quantify.  Use the software’s drawing tools to sketch out your design to scale.  Whatever materials you add to your design (conduit, pipe, junction boxes, etc) are all automatically part of your estimate.  The items will show up in your audit trail and summary for the estimate.  The ability to do manual drawing in Quantify makes this software a versatile solution for contractors to bid work.

Rapid Count is a feature in Quantify that uses AI technology to automatically count items on a drawing.  It is as simple as selecting the item on the drawing you want the AI to count, and then hitting commit.  In approximately 20-30 seconds, you will see that Rapid Count has taken off all of the items on that drawing for you automatically and displayed them in your audit trail.  Rapid Count operates at 97% accuracy, saving you hours of time counting items on each job.  With Quantify, you can produce quick and reliable bids knowing that you have the best electrical estimating software on the market.

Yes.  Quantify’s estimating software for electrical contractors comes with pre-built assemblies for ladder trays, EMT conduit, device installation and much more.  You can also create custom assemblies with PataBid’s easy to use assembly editor.  PataBid’s assemblies are formula driven, meaning that if you build an assembly and then need that same assembly with a different size of wire, you can simply change the wire size and PataBid’s formulas calculate the rest.  No need to build 4 different assemblies for the same item package using 4 different wire sizes.    

Quantify is built to support contractors installing fire suppression, fire sprinkler, boiler systems, mechanical piping jobs, closed-circuit systems and more.  Much like the electrical items in the PataBid database, mechanical items are pre-loaded with material cost and labour units.  There are even common items like pumps, boilers and chillers.  The PataBid development team is working hard to continue development on Quantify to guarantee that it is the best mechanical estimating software on the market for small contractors. 

Yes.  PataBid does have a comprehensive close out option for contractors with the ability to customize and utilize various factors and rates.  Quantify can also export your estimate numbers into an Excel spread sheet if you prefer to close out a job using that program rather than in the software. 

Yes.  You have the option of connecting with PataBid for technical support via phone at 1-877-472-8224,  via email at info@patabid.com or through this contact form.  We can also be reached through our social media channels which are linked at the bottom of this page. Rest assured that you will be able to reach a PataBid team member during business hours using any of these methods.  We find that the easiest way to help our customers is to set up a video call with a shared screen so that our tech team can see exactly what you are seeing in the software.  To set up a video call please connect with us using one of the above methods.

No, this is not a service that PataBid offers. However, we have developed partnerships with top electrical training groups within Canada and the USA for electrical estimating training course options. Candels out of Florida offers an online training program for electrical contractors tailored to the US market. Their course is offered completely virtually with live support options. Contractors can choose 2, 6 or 12 month access to the online virtual courses. Suderman Estimating Systems in Calgary offers in person and online 2 day training programs tailored to the Canadian market. Find more information on Candels and Suderman Estimating course options here.

Yes.  PataBid offers two options for learning the software.  The first option is exploring and learning Quantify using the built-in tutorial videos and contacting PataBid tech support as needed.  The second option involves paying a fee for an onboarding service through Suderman Estimating Systems Inc., where their professional estimators will assist you in setting up your Quantify account with pre-built assemblies and templates specific to your industry and job size. This one-time investment in training is in addition to a Quantify license fee. 

Yes.  PataBid’s estimating software for small contractors is designed to be intuitive to learn and easy to use.  We do our best to provide as much information on how Quantify software works through built-in tutorial videos, our Youtube channel and our blog.  The reality is that users who have never used estimating software may find the transition to Quantify difficult compared to those with software experience.  Let us know if there are ways that we can make onboarding to Quantify easier for you.

PataBid accepts e-transfer, credit card and specific digital wallets as forms of payment. First, complete a Quantify electrical estimating software free trial and then you will be prompted to complete a payment options form to set up a recurring yearly license.

No.  PataBid's Tenders platform is integrated into the Quantify estimating platform.  This allows you to find public tenders and complete quantity takeoff in the same application.  A Quantify license includes integrated access to public tender information (a $588 value).  We see this integration as a necessity to help contractors find and bid electrical work.  Tenders integration is another reason why PataBid is the best, value-packed estimating software for small contractors.

For $1,200 USD per year, you have access to all the available features within Quantify.  We don’t believe in a tiered pricing system where specific features are only available to top level customers.  For one flat yearly fee, you can access current – and future – feature developments.  The PataBid software team is constantly working on new features to continue to be the best estimating software for small contractors.  Once new features are developed and rigorously tested, they are released to the platform immediately.  The cloud-based structure of Quantify means that there’s no software downloads when new features are released.

Quantify software is less expensive than many other available estimating software options because our development team uses a proprietary AI to automate our internal workflows.  You pay less for PataBid’s software because PataBid can operate with smaller overhead costs than larger companies.  Another reason why Quantify software is so affordable is because we passionately believe that estimating software should be accessible for every contractor.  We could charge more for our software, or create a tiered licensing approach that caters more towards large enterprise businesses.  However, that’s not our focus.  Our goal is to become a well-established estimating software for electrical contractors and mechanical contractors alike.  Quantify is built from the ground up to be an estimating software for small contractors to grow and expand their own business enterprises.