From begining to end from quick pen Dos through the current version of Auto bid it has allowed us to bid more work with fewer people in shorter time frames without compromising accuracy.

It allows estimators flexibility to use a tool that they can trust to be consistent and accurate.

The lack of ability to link Auto Bid Mechanical rapid reports with Auto Bid Sheet Metal that will work more than once.

It has made our takeoff process a lot simpler, we print less plan sets. Sped up our overall process.

The on screen takeoff looks nice, pretty intuitive once you get used to it

The lack of keyboard shortcuts for basic takeoff features. It would really speed up the process

Recent tech support does not have field experience. They tend to just delete problems and not actually fix WHY a problem has occurred. Had I not asked a few questions regarding the latest version (2018v2) I would not have known it was NOT the actual version I was running even though it clearly showed the version number. An all new stand alone install had to be done, sending me back to square one with the program as if new out of box.

Pro:The ability to set up joints to pick up the transition parts such as going from CS to copper, (like a weld-o-let die-electric nipple and copper adapter). Importing direst from Trimble's Trade Service is great. Cons (continued) I have been using onscreen takeoff programs for about 15 years. This is an old program that requires way to many mouse clicks. No usable hot keys.

Set up of the program takes a LOT of time and tends to be an ongoing project as you add items. Updates are few and far between. The updates are often are buggy leaving you with unexplained errors. Version 2017 had enough issues that the new 2018v2 version is a stand alone version requiring you to start all over. Supplied spread sheets can not be customized any more.

Overall experience is good. Technical support team is really efficient when you encounter an issue. Database could be more friendly if it can be linked directly to alpriser

The way you can setup your project and then manipulate and change certain systems or create line items or zones is what i like the most about this software.

Not directly linked with Alpriser and we have to manually add all the updates into the database.

All in all its alright. I'm winning jobs with it but I still need to do things by hand. I have so much to learn as I know I'm only scratching the surface of its capabilities

I like the speed in which you can take off projects.

I don't like dealing with errors after calculatingI don't like the cost of 1 on 1 trainingI don't like that specs are all over the place and that I have to edit constantlyI don't like that there arrnt any quick keys to do things quicker

It is a great work tool for estimators providing the estimator know the work and can make the job by job adjustments

It is the most widely known sheet metal estimating software in our market. I have been using Quick Pen since it was DOS based with a digitizer and dot matrix printer, and the advancements have been quite something over the years. There are a few things such as inability to merge the plumbing version with the sheet metal version that I thought would have been worked out a long time ago since the majority of the shops that use QP will have plumbing and sheet metal estimators

For some reason since our last update we have not been able to work on the network, we have to escape out of the server do the takeoffs and copy the summaries back on to the server.

I have been a ABSM user since 1998 and seen the software grow with the industry. Our HVAC estimating capacity has had to increase as the company grew and as the Lead HVAC estimator I have had to opportunity to change software and found ABSM to continually lead the industry. I can't imagine using anything else.

Common database that is shared by all estimators. It's very fast. Anyone can access the software as long as they have a username/ password and a licence is available. Access can be limited on a individual user level. You can build anything you come across. The functionality of the assemblies is incredible.

Labor categories are limited to shop and field in reports though user defined categories are available. i.e. Commissioning/Start-up. These categories do not receive correction factors. New users find it overwhelming. Database and takeoff is now one program so only one can be opened at a time.

I have been using AutoBid since it was a DOS program and I have enjoyed the updates as they have made the product more reliable and easier to use.

I enjoy having the ability to print reports sorted by different systems, areas, floors, and/or alternates. This means if needed I can break-out different values/areas to give a better understanding of where our costs and labor are trending.

About the only problem I have is with the sheet-metal program and that is minor: there are not as many fields as the piping program has which makes it a bit more difficult to break a bid down.

This is the software I have used extensively in my career. It is flexible enough to allow complex calculations and is easily adaptable to the expert users as it is the novice.

The formatted reports and the data export functionality with Excel and Access.

Some of the functionality of the menus is not universally the same in all portions of the software. Some works with double click, some work with scrolling the mouse others with only scroll bar usage. Can be frustrating sometimes

Very positive and it has saved me time that I can now spend in other facets of the business.

Ease of use and completeness of product.

We haven't experienced any issues that tech support couldn't handle.

Speed of takeoff and ease of everyday use! Mostly because of automatic fitting generation. You click at a 90 degree angle and you get a 90. Click perpendicular to the pipe and you get a tee or reducing tee. If the reducing tee is not manufactured, the software figures out how to make the reductions by selecting fittings that a available. If the main material (ie steel) and the branch material are different (ie copper) the software know how to handle the transition (dielectric fitting and adapters). When your not wasting time counting up 1/2" 90's etc. you can spend your time focused on the big items like value engineered alternates, shopping equipment and subs, and ways to out smart your competition. No other mechanical estimating product (and I've looked at them all) are even close when it comes to speed, accuracy and ease of use.

On-screen pdf files may not import cleanly. Something they need to work on. Some of the underlining data tables can be intimidating at first.

my overall experience has been very bad and i would not recommend this program to any company unless you have a full time tech support on your payroll with a direct phone line to trimble support.

the pros of this software is the odd time you do get it to work it is easy to use and faster than doing estimates by hand

This software is outrageously expensive and you are forced to buy multiple licenses on top of the program. The software rarely ever works every time i click on it to start estimating a job i get a new error code as to why the software wont launch. then you are faced with the dilemma of either waiting on the phone with tech support for 3 hours or just doing the estimate by hand. off the start i would waste my time with tech support who would eventually fix the issue temporarily (usually for a day or two ) then you would get a new error code. i have finally just given up and went back to doing my estimates by hand and will be canceling my licenses .

Overall experience has been very good. Its has been challenging learning the ins and outs of the system on my own and I feel like the software has WAY more to offer than what we learn in the limited training sessions.

I like that it is very easy to do a takeoff. With the info it provides it makes it so almost anybody can prepare an estimate.

For the price of the product there should be more training support available as the free sessions that come with the purchase of the product is simply not enough. After using the software for a few years I am not noticing that a lot of the products are out-dated and the systems & labor for some systems are just patched together. I would like to see an update that would update my library with newer product and proper labor.

Very detailed oriented. Being able to virtually customize it is almost worth the price. It has all the bells and whistles you want, and others you haven't thought of but they did. More geared to the mechanical contractor than the plumbing contractor but that being said, it more than handles any and all plumbing projects with ease.

Will do anything and everything you want after set up, from taking off, to sending out for quotes, to pricing.

The time that is required to fully understand it, and use it with a secure comfort level will differ, depending on the user and his familiarity with estimating programs, but it will take a while till you're able to do a quote fast and efficiently.

We have used Trimble Autobid Sheetmetal and it's predecessor, Quickpen for over 20 years. During this time we have considered other estimating systems and have always stayed with Autobid due to the improvements constantly being made and their great customer service.

Easy to use Great layout of the tools The database is easy to manage Customer service is timely and reliable Reliable software - We have minimal downtime with the software

- Integration between the estimating software and the CAD software is cumbersome. - Generating and modifying the final Rapid Reports is difficult. This is not an issue as we export to our own spreadsheets

Have had a fantastic time using it for the past 10 years. Look forward to some form of update to software as it has now been two years without one.

AutoBid SheetMetal is fantastic product to use and easy to setup which is far superior to AutoBid Mechanical.

AutoBid Mechanical is difficult to get past error messages.

My overall experience has been excellent. I have produce hundreds of millions of bidding takeoffs in the last few years.

The product is easy to use and one feature that helps is the symbal schedule.

Sometimes my multipliers change and there is no notification that it changed and I miss it on a hectic bid day.

Work as it is supposed to. Very fast to make on the fly changes from addendums. It can be customized to report data that you collect using excel sheets.

Fastest way to take off jobs for contractual work.

Can get lost in the options. Database can be cumbersome for the first time.

Great, I have used the software for over 10 years. I really like it. It does need to keep up with new technologies.

It is quick and easy to use. I really like it.

Not having the ability to upload or download files from other software tools

We have been using Trimble Autobid Mechancial & Sheetmetal (Quickpen) for over 30 years now. Would not want to be without it.

On Screen Take-off is great, easy to use, efficient, accurate.

Software updates have been lacking lately

Ease of estimating

It's very simple to use, and the more you use it the easier and "faster" it gets.

Scrolling down to the tables to set up systems.

This software is impossible to trust. The developers have known about these glitches in their software and do not share that information with their customers. These glitches are constantly coming up, and not getting fixed. Our company has lost millions of dollars of work due to this software because of major "bugs" in the software. STAY AWAY!!!!

Software is not trustworthy. Many bugs that have caused us to lose multiple jobs. When problems arise, the support team has no urgency to get them fixed.

Awesome, great program.

Keeps accurate pricing based on specifications.

Awesome program, nothing. Great experiences thru the years.

i have had a great experience

it is very easy to learn and operate the program

needs more features to be able to make it faster to do takeoff

This was easy to get started, but not very user friendly. It took me over 4 hours to figure out how to change some of the company settings.

Easy to learn basics. Familiar to someone that knows Quickpen.

Little support, uptraining or refresher videos.