Estimating and Tendering Software for Mechanical & HVAC Contractors
Estimating software for mechanical services and HVAC contractors needs to handle scope a general quoting tool was never built for — ductwork measured by the lineal metre and square metre of sheet metal, equipment priced item by item off a schedule, pipework, insulation, and dampers and diffusers counted individually, then assembled into a formal, itemised submission a head contractor will actually accept. My Trade Hub is built around that chain: automated quantity takeoff from your uploaded PDF plans, your own editable rates library applied to what gets measured, and a structured Bill of Quantities and tender document at the end of it. The verified result is a priced tender prepared 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually. Creating a My Trade Hub account is free; estimating, takeoff and tender preparation sit in the paid Starter, Scale and Professional plans.
Key takeaways
- Mechanical tenders hide dozens of separately priced items — ductwork, equipment, pipework, insulation, dampers and diffusers — and missing one quietly erodes margin.
- My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff measures lineal metres and square metres of ductwork and pipework, and counts equipment, dampers, diffusers and grilles off your uploaded PDF plans.
- Every rate is yours — labour, material and plant unit prices you set are applied automatically to measured quantities and stay fully editable afterwards.
- Measured quantities and your rates roll into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document, built for the itemised submissions head contractors expect.
- It’s free to create a My Trade Hub account for the contractor marketplace; take-off, rates and tender preparation are paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
Why mechanical and HVAC tenders are hard to price fast
Mechanical and HVAC tenders are hard to price fast because a single set of services drawings hides dozens of separately measured items across ductwork, plant, pipework and controls — and missing even one, a damper, a diffuser, a metre of insulated flexible duct, quietly erodes the margin on the whole job. Unlike a trade with one or two dominant cost drivers, a mechanical estimate has to get several different measurement types right in the same take-off: lineal metres, square metres, and item counts, all in one drawing set.
On top of the physical scope, mechanical subcontractors are almost always tendering to a head contractor or builder, not pricing directly for a homeowner. That means a submission needs to look and read like a formal, itemised document — not a one-page quote — because that is what gets shortlisted and what gets checked against variations later in the job.
One missed count is one lost margin point
A diffuser, a damper or a metre of ductwork left off a manual take-off rarely gets noticed until the job is already won and the shortfall has to come out of your own margin. The items most often missed are exactly the small, repetitive ones — counts and lineal runs — that are tedious to scale by hand and easy to under-count when a tender is due tomorrow.
What a complete mechanical take-off has to cover
A complete mechanical take-off has to cover every trade-specific measurement type in one job, not just a single floor area or wall length, because ductwork is priced by the lineal metre or square metre of sheet metal, equipment is priced per item straight off a schedule, and dampers, diffusers and grilles are priced by count.
Getting all of this consistently right, job after job, is what separates a tender that holds its margin from one that quietly loses it.
- Ductwork — lineal metres of flexible duct, square metres of galvanised or insulated sheet metal ductwork
- Equipment schedules — AHUs, FCUs, chillers, split systems, exhaust fans and other plant items, priced individually
- Pipework — lineal metres of refrigerant, condensate, chilled and heating water pipe
- Insulation — square metres of duct and pipe insulation
- Dampers, diffusers and grilles — supply air, return air and exhaust, counted individually
- Commissioning and testing, plus labour and plant (access equipment, hoists) to install and commission the system
How automated take-off measures ductwork, equipment and pipework from your plans
My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff reads your uploaded PDF plans and mechanical services drawings and measures the lineal metres of ductwork and pipework, the square metres of sheet metal and insulation, and the individual counts of equipment, dampers, diffusers and grilles shown on the drawing — so you are not scaling a plan by hand with a ruler or an on-screen measuring tool for every item.
That takeoff is a starting point, not a finished tender. You still review what has been measured and classify scope the drawing itself does not always make explicit — flexible duct against rigid sheet metal, insulated runs against uninsulated ones — before it goes anywhere near a rate.
How My Trade Hub speeds up mechanical tender prep
My Trade Hub speeds up mechanical tender prep by linking automated take-off directly to your own rates and a structured tender output, rather than treating measuring, pricing and document formatting as three separate jobs. Ductwork, equipment, pipework and diffuser counts come off the plan through automated takeoff; your editable rates library applies your own labour, material and plant unit prices to each measured item automatically; and the priced result compiles into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document.
That chain is the whole point: it is the same estimating work a mechanical estimator already does, done without re-measuring drawings by hand or re-keying rates line by line. The verified outcome across My Trade Hub users is a priced tender prepared 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually.
- Automated quantity takeoff from uploaded PDF plans and mechanical services drawings
- An editable rates library for labour, material and plant — every rate stays yours to change
- Bill of Quantities generation and quote generation from the same measured quantities
- Tender document templates formatted for head contractor and builder submissions
From measured quantities to a structured Bill of Quantities and tender document
Once ductwork, equipment, pipework, insulation and diffuser counts are measured and your rates applied, My Trade Hub compiles them into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document — the itemised, section-by-section format a head contractor or builder expects to receive from a mechanical subcontractor, rather than a single lump-sum figure.
Every line in that document — description, unit, quantity, rate or total — stays editable after it is generated, because the pricing behind it is your rates library, not a fixed formula. That matters at tender stage, when a scope item gets added or a quantity needs correcting the night before a submission closes.
Worked example: costing a small AHU replacement
To make the take-off-to-tender chain concrete, here is how a small commercial AHU replacement might look once quantities are measured and rates applied. The figures below are illustrative only — every rate shown is an example, and in your own account these come from your editable rates library, not a fixed table.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Example rate (AUD) | Extended cost (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply & install packaged AHU (10kW) | ea | 1 | 8,500.00 | 8,500.00 |
| Galvanised sheet metal ductwork | m² | 45 | 95.00 | 4,275.00 |
| Flexible duct, 200mm | lm | 30 | 28.00 | 840.00 |
| Supply air diffusers | ea | 8 | 145.00 | 1,160.00 |
| Return air grilles | ea | 4 | 120.00 | 480.00 |
| Motorised dampers | ea | 6 | 210.00 | 1,260.00 |
| Copper refrigerant pipework | lm | 18 | 65.00 | 1,170.00 |
| Duct and pipe insulation | m² | 45 | 32.00 | 1,440.00 |
| Commissioning and testing | item | 1 | 950.00 | 950.00 |
| Labour — install and commissioning | hr | 60 | 85.00 | 5,100.00 |
Getting started as a mechanical or HVAC contractor
Getting started costs nothing up front — creating a My Trade Hub account is free, and that free tier covers the contractor marketplace side of the business: setting up your company profile, browsing tenders and receiving quotes. When you are ready to price and submit a mechanical tender, take-off, the rates library and Bill of Quantities generation sit in the paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans, priced in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
From there, invoicing and the Frankie AI receptionist are available as paid add-on apps if you want to extend the platform beyond estimating and tendering. See the pricing page for current plan details rather than treating any figure here as fixed.
Frequently asked questions
Is there estimating software for HVAC and mechanical services contractors?
Yes. My Trade Hub is estimating and tendering software built for construction subcontractors, including mechanical services and HVAC contractors, with automated quantity takeoff for ductwork, equipment and pipework, an editable rates library, and Bill of Quantities and tender document generation.
How does My Trade Hub measure ductwork and equipment from PDF plans?
My Trade Hub’s automated quantity takeoff reads uploaded PDF plans and mechanical services drawings, measuring lineal metres and square metres of ductwork, pipework and insulation, and counting equipment items, dampers, diffusers and grilles directly off the drawing, rather than requiring manual scaling.
Can I use my own mechanical services rates in My Trade Hub?
Yes. My Trade Hub’s rates library is fully editable — you set your own labour, material and plant unit prices, and those rates are applied automatically to measured quantities. Nothing is calculated from a hidden or generic rate database.
Does My Trade Hub produce a Bill of Quantities for mechanical tenders?
Yes. Once ductwork, equipment, pipework and other quantities are measured and your rates applied, My Trade Hub compiles them into a structured Bill of Quantities and a formatted tender document suited to head contractor submissions, with every line staying editable afterwards.
Is My Trade Hub free for mechanical contractors?
Creating a My Trade Hub account is free, and that free tier covers the contractor marketplace — posting jobs, browsing tenders and receiving quotes. Quantity takeoff, the rates library and tender preparation are part of the paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans, priced in AUD with no lock-in contracts.
Does My Trade Hub integrate with accounting software like Xero or MYOB?
No. My Trade Hub does not integrate with Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or any other accounting package. It focuses on quantity takeoff, rates, Bill of Quantities and tender preparation, with invoicing available separately as a paid add-on app inside the platform itself.
How much faster is tendering with My Trade Hub compared to manual estimating?
Preparing a priced tender with My Trade Hub is verified as 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually, based on removing manual plan scaling and manual rate lookups from the process. This is the only quantified performance figure My Trade Hub makes.
Ready to win more work?
Turn your plans into professional tenders 60–75% faster with My Trade Hub. Plans built around your tendering volume — no lock-in contracts.
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