FastEst is ALL you need.

Great product, great service. Non-complicated, in less than an hour, you will be building an estimate.

Pros

I have used several different "top brand" programs during my ongoing 30 yr career as an MP estimator and project manager. Programs that varies in the ranges, from digitizer to on screen take off. The pipe & duct programs are so easy to use, you almost wonder - can this be true. We're programmed to work harder, not smarter. FastEst changes all that. Estimating efficiency and accuracy is what FastEst provides for me, not to mention the affordable price and options you can select for your particular needs. The other very, very important selling point is that when I have an issue and call the help line.....the person who answers the phone helps you right then - your issue is resolved. NONE of the competition does that, you place your call, they take your info then hopefully someone calls you back timely. FastEst customer service is the best.

Cons

That my competitors may discover FastEst.......
I'd like to push one button for the material price updates and be done. Currently we get our materials quoted anyway as most of our bids are sizable.

I am an Estimator with 35 years of practice, all types of programs

Pros

Ease of learning.
Comprehensive materials price service provided.
Availability to many industry standard labor data bases and accuracy of Fast Est Materials labor data.
Assemblies,
Reports available exportable to Excel. Ability to import data from other takeoff.
Ability to copy plans from Fast pipe to Fast duct or vice versa, saving time for job setup,
Customizable Bid workbook to fit company needs,
Ability to feed into combined Pipe and Duct workbook from either Fast Pipe or Fast Duct program,
Takeoff tools within program, ability to replicate visuals and paste for repeated patterns, Scaling options great
Customer support is the best I have ever experienced
Cost of programs and yearly support fees are very competitive. Absolute best bang for the buck.
Ease of copying take for show and tell purposes
Program is entirely flexible to be used in network configuration or stand alone.

Cons

Nothing to not like. The product is the best software I've used in my career.

When I first looked into FastEST products in 1997, there were plenty of other options out there. Over time, we have watched those competing companies get bought out, merge with others and some go out of business altogether. Accuracy is a big concern when it comes to estimating in general. With the high pressure to kick out large volumes of estimates, mistakes are easy to make and in some cases, cost people their businesses. FastEST provides a high level of transparency in their products, making it very easy for managers to review estimates before they are sent out. All of the data is exported to excel where it can be analyzed, cut and diced into manageable chunks and quickly compared to historical data. Many other programs claim to do this, but are not as seamless. We are fortunate to belong to several trade organizations and had the opportunity to ask our competitors what programs they were using. We were amazed to find out they had spent thousands of dollars on other programs and never made it to full implementation. After talking with these people the reason why became more and more apparent. If it is not intuitive and easy to understand, it will simply not get used. Many estimators are brought up through the ranks in the field, into the office and expected to understand computers. FastEST shines in the power of simplicity. While most other programs require a week training or more, we can have someone up and going in a matter of a few hours. The interface is very user-friendly. When its crunch time a call back or a response to an email is too long to wait! Although I would have to say emergencies have been quite rare with the program, when issues have arisen, a quick phone call and the support staff will get you back on your feet. Like anyone that knows what they are doing, they make it look easy and they are almost always done in a matter of minutes. Other programs we have used require an email to be sent before you are even placed in the queue. In 1997 when I first started using the program, we were doing strip malls and gas stations. We now use the program to estimate all manner of public and medical facilities well into the ten million dollar range. This is a product that can help you grow your business and grow with your business. We have been fortunate to have FastEST as a partner in our business and contribute much of our success to the power of the program.

Best in Industry, in my opinion

I believe this is the highest quality estimating system you can buy. The support is awesome, problems resolved within an hour at most. easy to learn... I could go on but at a minimum give theses guys a chance if you are looking to buy a system.

Pros

This program allows me to estimate with speed and confidence. I have the right material and labor every time. Great for young estimators and old dogs like me. Packed with everything I need and lots of features. With this program I can tackle any project that comes my way. I can't tell you how impressed I am without you thinking I work for the company. But the truth is the truth and this program is the best I ever used.

Cons

If it was only FREE but I digress. It would be nice to have more mark up functions such as clouding.

Our Project Managers do most of their own estimating and we don’t have a formal Estimating Department. As our old programs were becoming obsolete, we needed a new program that was both easy to learn and use and not so detailed that you would forget how to use it if not used every day. We looked at about five different products, all offering about the same amount of performance and reporting capability before selecting FastPIPE. FastPIPE seemed to strike the right balance. New users can usually get pretty competent at takeoff with a couple of hours of training. The database and reporting is everything we were looking for and there are enough factoring options to dial in a bid any way we want. Several times we have had the need for specialty systems to be added to the Catalog such as high purity stainless steel and specialty plastics for pharmaceutical uses. FastEST has been very responsive in researching and adding whole new categories of materials along with their MCA labor rates. When the FastDUCT product came on the market it was an easy choice to make. Although it is much more intricate, all the screens, commands, and reporting are so similar it is very easy for a FastPIPE user to pick up. The product support has been fantastic. When we have questions there is usually someone available to help immediately. I have never had to go on hold to wait for the next available tech or wait days for a return call. Their ability to get on line directly with a user and look at the same screens is very helpful.

Great cost effective software for estimating

Pros

What we like about the FastPipe program is one the initial cost is lower than most we have reviewed. We like the ease of data base catalog additions. We are a specialty process piping contractor with alot of special materials. We have added these to our catalog and his really sped up our estimating time. The on screen takeoff and custom options available are another very nice feature

Cons

sometimes the import drawings feature doesn't work as well as would like. Drawings dont come thru clear enough to read and we have to try different things and re import

Highly satisfied long time user

Pros

FastEST Estimating Software has worked well for me over the years. The support staff is always responsive and helpful.

Cons

There is nothing negative to say about this product or vendor. It really is great. One funny thing is that the name gives the impression that everything is going to go really fast. I joke with my coworkers and say it's actually more like accurate-est.

Good Software for estimating and material list

Pros

The product catalog is full of good product and easy to find. There's a lot a scale to choose from. You can modify you plan to do the as build.

Cons

Would like to have an option for Canadian prices. When you are in mode takoff, you cannot minimize the window.

Long time customer; still pleased.

Pros

Pricing is right.
The ease of access to customer service
Portability
FastPipe's willingness to:
- create special reports
- add products to database
- solve problems immediately
- answer questions regarding upcoming features
- add features

Cons

Although FP is eager to do custom reports, they will drop on the list behind new features and upgrades.

I had no experience with the computer when I saw information about FastPipe & FastDUCT. After watching the video I was interested in learning more. After research we decided to try this program. From the start it was easy to learn - within days we were doing all our bidding on the computer. It has been a real time saver and help in the bidding process. We tried an estimating program about 10 years ago and we paid 3 times as much and it came without any information. We were never able to get the first bid off that program. We really like FastPIPE & FastDUCT - the staff is great to work with - they walk you through any problems and are constantly try to improve the program. The options are great, like being able to change from one kind of pipe to another so easily. Changing the pipe prices is simple. Changing the labor rate in seconds. Having the record on the computer is so valuable. We do some traveling and we are able to do the bidding where ever we are and can look back and see what was bid if there is a question on the previous jobs. This is a great program and the prices are constantly being upgraded so you are never out of date with your pricing. The seminars are also helpful - you discover something that you can do that you had not been using - making it even easier. Highly recommend this program!

Makes estimating easy

Pros

Gone are our days of doing takeoff manually. For a plumbing project of any size this saves hours and hours of time as well as increasing accuracy. Worth every penny we paid for it.

Cons

It can get expensive once you start getting a lot of users, but other than that it is great and we are not to that point yet anyways.

Great estimating software that is easy to use.

Pros

They are always updating and making the software better. Took very little to learn and start using this program.

Cons

The dual screen feature needs some work and is a little cumbersome. to use. The initial setup and location of files is difficult especially when switching computers.

Very happy with FastPipe & FastDuct

SA recommended 5 estimation programs for us. I started by getting pricing on all 5. The least expensive choice lacked an object library for the materials we use in plbg & HVAC, so I moved on to the next higher priced choice, which was FastPipe & FastDuct. We scheduled a web demo, and our estimators liked it, so we bought it. It was much more affordable than any of the remaining 3 choices. To be fair, the other products had extra features, but none that we really needed, so I'm convinced we got the best bang for our buck.

Pros

The UI is intuitive and fairly easy to learn. FastEst support is the best I've experienced for any software product!

FANTASTIC PRODUCT

Pros

The ease of use, the software and the technical support make this a great product. Steve, has been there to answer and assist every step of the way. The software cuts my estimating a project by 75%. I've using the Fastpipe for almost a month and I've pushed 6 bids. That would not have been possible with the assistance and help of Steve. Thanks for a great product.

Cons

I don't have anything negative to say about the software nor the tech support. One thing that could be great is online courses.

Great product

I'd recommend this product in a second (especially to a plumber). Customer service is fantastic, and it just works. As a matter of fact it's one of the better designed pieces of software I've ever used.

Pros

Clean, well thought out and efficient design. Well supported, reasonable price (comparatively),flexible payment options.

Cons

This is a program designed for plumbers (FastPIPE) if you come from a different background the learning curve will be a little steeper as you need to know your fittings and such.

It's a great program for estimating jobs fast pipe is on point.

Pros

Easy to navigate, it becomes a second nature,watching the videos help as well someone is there to answer any questions that you may have. I wish there was a section that help on pricing for your trim that would take a snap shot of the blue prints so you could copy and paste text off the print and be able

Cons

Typing out everything copy and paste option off digital prints so I can send off for pricing right away from my supplier.

second to none

Pros

the bid breakdowns are perfect for pricing and putting together a proposal anything you can think of they have it included and can change percentages to your companies liking

Cons

software is a little intimidating when it comes to adjusting their material pricing to your buy pricing but the tech support definitely does a great job navigating you through your concerns

By far the best out of three that I have used in my 15 yrs estimating

Pros

I have been using FastPipe for almost 3 years and love it! It is very easy to learn - in a few day you will be using it comfortably. I used a big name estimating program for 8 years before this one that was really hard to learn, and if you did not use it every day, you would forget things. The vendor has a great support staff that know the product. You will almost always get a live person when calling, and if you have to leave a message, they will usually get back to you in a hour or two.

Cons

I do not have any dislikes of this product. I use it every day and love it!

FastDuct

Pros

Everything. There is no specific requirements to use this software , everyone will be able to use this one.

Cons

it might be a complexity to read the results from the take offs. A little bit complicated to update the product list.

Great Product

Pros

This an easy to use and comprehensive estimating program that is a perfect for our needs. No complex set-up or learning curve. Honestly, if you have ever used a computer estimating program before you will be up and running in less than a week. Everyone that works at FastEST is easy to work with and very helpful solving any issue that might arise.

Cons

I really have no complaints. The product works great for us.