HVAC Estimating Software Built for Precision

Mixed system types, ductwork intricacies, controls, and accessories make HVAC bids slow and error-prone. Vendor quotes arrive in different formats and key allowances (rigging, insulation, TAB, startup) get missed. TIBR standardizes estimates so your team moves faster with fewer change orders.

• Inconsistent vendor formats → hard to compare and normalize
• Missed allowances (rigging, insulation, TAB, startup) → margin risk
• Manual proposal formatting → slow responses in competitive cycles

1. Capture scope fast. Speak or paste notes for RTUs, AHUs, split systems, VRF/VRV, VAVs, ductwork, and controls.
2. AI builds the estimate. Standard sections for equipment, ductwork, piping, controls, accessories, and labor/materials.
3. Gap-checking prompts. Rigging, insulation, curb adapters, condensate, refrigerant piping/charge, controls integration, wiring, permits.
4. Clarifications, exclusions, alternates. Auto-attach language to de-risk award and support VE decisions.
5. Export & share. PDF/Word/CSV or a branded proposal link with version history.

You get a call to replace 6 rooftop units on a strip mall and add VAV boxes to an existing AHU on the second floor. You talk through the scope: "six 5-ton RTUs, demo and disposal of existing, new curb adapters, refrigerant line sets, condensate piping, disconnect relocation, and 8 VAV boxes tying into the existing AHU with new DDC controls." Within seconds the estimate is broken into sections: equipment, ductwork, piping, controls, and accessories/allowances.

Then the prompts start. Rigging and crane costs for the rooftop units? Curb adapters or are the existing curbs compatible? Roof penetration patching after the swap? Refrigerant line sets — new or reuse? Controls wiring from the VAV boxes back to the BMS? TAB for the new zones? Startup and commissioning for each RTU? Permit allowances? You confirm or dismiss each one. The controls wiring you would have forgotten — because it was on sheet M-501 and you were focused on the equipment schedule — is already in the bid.

Because you replaced 4 similar RTUs on a retail center last month, TIBR pulls that job's equipment pricing and labor rates so you're adjusting tonnage and quantities, not rebuilding from scratch. You add an alternate for VRF instead of conventional RTUs, attach your standard clarifications and exclusions, and export a branded proposal with equipment schedules and system-by-system pricing. Total time: same day, not two days of rep calls and spreadsheet formatting.

The typical HVAC bid starts with a call to your equipment rep and a 2-day wait for pricing. While you wait, you build an equipment schedule in Excel — 14 columns of model numbers, tonnage, CFM, voltage, and accessories — then price ductwork from sheet metal rates you haven't updated since last year. Controls wiring? It was on a different drawing sheet, so you forgot it. The proposal goes to the GC as a lump-sum number with a one-paragraph scope letter. Two weeks later: "Where's the rigging in your price?" It wasn't, and now it's a change order you're negotiating from a weak position.

In TIBR, that same job is structured by system from the start — equipment, ductwork, piping, controls, accessories. Equipment pricing lives in your library by manufacturer and model, so you're not waiting on the rep for numbers you already have. Prompted checklists catch rigging, curb adapters, controls wiring, TAB, startup, and permits before you submit. The proposal exports with equipment schedules, ductwork quantities, and line-by-line detail the GC can read without a follow-up call. Same job, same day — and no phone call about missing scope.

Rooftop unit replacement. The most common mid-market HVAC job — equipment, rigging, curb adapters, refrigerant line sets, controls, startup, and disposal. The challenge is that every RTU swap looks straightforward until you forget the crane cost, the curb adapter, or the controls integration. TIBR prompts for all of them before you send the number.

TI mechanical / office build-out. Ductwork modifications, new VAV boxes, thermostat relocation, diffuser changes, and TAB. The estimating risk is in the duct transitions and controls wiring that tie new zones into the existing system. TIBR separates new work from tie-in work so nothing gets lumped together and underpriced.

New construction commercial. Full mechanical scope from equipment selection through commissioning — AHUs, VAVs, ductwork, piping, controls, insulation, and TAB for the entire building. TIBR structures the estimate by system and floor so the GC gets a breakdown they can coordinate with other trades.

Service and maintenance quoting. Compressor swaps, coil replacements, refrigerant recharges, and PM contract pricing. Smaller scope, faster turnaround. TIBR handles T&M and flat-rate formats with saved rate cards so you can price a compressor changeout from the truck.

Controls and BMS upgrades. DDC retrofit, sensor replacement, programming hours, and commissioning — scope that's hard to price because it crosses the line between mechanical and controls trades. TIBR keeps controls in a dedicated section with its own labor rates, wiring quantities, and commissioning checklist so the hours don't get buried in the mechanical estimate.

TIBR structures HVAC estimates by scope section so every system area gets its own line items, labor hours, and material costs. Instead of a flat spreadsheet where equipment, ductwork, and controls blur into one lump sum, each section is priced, clarified, and checked for gaps independently.

• RTUs, AHUs & heat pumps
• Split systems & VRF/VRV
• Fan coils & terminal units
• Ductwork & fittings
• Dampers & fire/smoke controls
• Refrigerant piping & charge
• Condensate & hydronic piping
• Controls & BMS wiring
• Insulation
• Curb adapters & rigging
• Startup, TAB & commissioning
• Permits & closeout

Exported proposals are organized system by system — equipment schedules with model numbers and tonnage, ductwork quantities, piping runs, controls, and accessories — with your company branding on the cover. Clarifications, exclusions, and alternates are called out as appendices so the GC can compare your bid against other subs without guessing what's included or excluded.

Cost libraries store equipment pricing by manufacturer and model, duct rates per pound of sheet metal, refrigerant piping per foot, and labor rates by system type. When sheet metal prices change mid-quarter, update the rate once and it flows into every future estimate. Export to PDF, Word, or CSV depending on what the GC requires.

Accounting integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero are on the roadmap. See pricing for current plan details.

An RTU replacement bid that took two days of rep calls and spreadsheet formatting now goes out same-day. The time savings come from not rebuilding equipment schedules on every job and not waiting on the rep for pricing you already have in your library. Prompted checklists catch rigging, curb adapters, controls wiring, startup, TAB, and permit allowances before you submit — so the items that typically surface as change orders are already in the number.

The proposals themselves change how GCs evaluate your bid. Instead of a lump-sum number with a one-paragraph scope letter, they get system-by-system pricing with equipment schedules, ductwork quantities, and accessory breakdowns they can compare line by line. Contractors using TIBR report higher win rates not because the price is lower, but because the submission is detailed enough for the GC to evaluate and defend without a follow-up call.