How to choose electrical takeoff software for a small contractor
The one whose counts you can check quickly on your own drawings, that flags what it isn't sure of instead of guessing, and that carries the counts into a priced estimate with your own labor units and supplier prices. Test any tool on a past job you already counted, and price it for your real team, sheet volume and contract terms.
Run a past job whose quantities you trust and compare. A demo project always looks good; your own drawings, symbols and legends are the real test.
2 · Every count must be checkable
You should be able to click a quantity and see the sheet it came from. If you can't check a count quickly, you'll end up recounting by hand anyway.
3 · How it handles doubt
Ask what happens when the software isn't sure: does it flag the device for you to count, or guess? A flagged count costs a minute. A wrong count you didn't see costs the job.
4 · Your PDFs, not perfect ones
Automated takeoff reads CAD-exported PDFs far better than scans. Try your typical drawings, including a scanned set if you get them.
5 · Addenda
When an addendum reissues sheets, does it re-count only what changed and show the difference, or start over?
6 · It has to reach a price
Counts are only useful once they're priced. Check whether quantities flow into an estimate with your labor units and your supplier's prices, and whether you can send your supplier a bill of materials.
7 · Seats, limits and contracts
Price it for your real team and workload: how many estimators log in, how many sheets or projects a month, what happens at the limit, and whether you can cancel monthly.
8 · Your data
Ask whether your drawings and prices are used to train AI, who can see them, and whether you can delete them.
Questions estimators ask
How accurate is AI electrical takeoff?
It depends on the drawings and on how the tool handles doubt. Bidprobe counts each sheet twice, independently, and a third time where the two counts disagree; anything still in doubt is flagged for you to count, never guessed. It reads CAD-exported PDFs best. You check and correct the counts before they're priced, and every count links to its sheet.
Does Bidprobe do takeoff?
Yes. Bidprobe counts the symbols on the electrical plans, lets you measure runs on the plans, and builds a bill of materials for your supplier. The counts flow into an estimate priced with your labor units and your supplier's prices, then into a proposal. The bid check, which reviews the whole tender for scope gaps and contract risks, is in the same product.
Can I try the takeoff before subscribing?
Yes. Every new account gets one free bid check with no card required, and a company's first single job is half price (US$124.50, or CA$174.50 in Canada), including a takeoff of up to 10 plan sheets.
Test it on a job you already counted.
One free bid check on every new account, no card required.