FastPIPE

Avantages

Ease of use and customization. The recap sheets allow you to make the adjustments unique to you and your company or market as needed. The ability to quickly alter productions by adjusting rate per hour or overall hours from the summary screen. Incorporation of standard assemblies and ability to clone redundancies within plans. It seems that at nearly every opportunity, capturing efficiencies was of high value for this product. Easily sorting takeoffs across multiple categories has been a game changer for us.

Inconvénients

Lack of advanced training and/or manuals for advanced usage. Having to recalculate and reload the excel workbook for every breakout. Significant data entry required to get productions and material pricing accurate.

Avantages

I like being able to add and remove colors for different assemblies and job items to my liking.

Inconvénients

It is working just fine now as it is with adjustment with as I am estimating projects.

Avantages

Easy to use. simple layout of the spread sheet.

Inconvénients

Not enough different types of piping systems

Avantages

Takeoffs are saved, uses excel as a final output, which allows us to customize a great deal.

Inconvénients

Don't move fitting buttons during software updates! Allow for more customization of fitting button locations.

It would be nice to customize the job list(bidding) screen. Be able have maybe a checkbox to confirm a project has plans, or a takeoff has been completed.

Avantages

FastPipe is the most user friendly and flexible estimating program out there. I have used all of the different estimating software systems, over the past 25 years, and FastPipe is always my first choice. Mark and his team never forgot the KISS principal for estimating, keep it simple. I don't want or need the program to do everything for me, but I do need to know everything that is going into my takeoff. The onscreen takeoff and the ease of creating nested assemblies has taken FastPipe to the next level.

Inconvénients

I would like a couple more reporting options, but over the years they have eliminated all the main issues I had with the program.

Avantages

I like the ability to change almost everything. I like that it was able to be customized to our needs as a company even in the little things.

Inconvénients

At times it can be cumbersome when switching materials from one spec to the other.

Avantages

IT was very easy to start right out of the box. Their support staff quickly helps you get up and running with custom features.

Inconvénients

Would be nice to have more localized costing, the parameters they have do allow for it, I just don't know how easy it is to implement.

Avantages

It's hard to say what I like best about this estimating software, it was described from FastEst that you can build and modify the software to fit your company and estimating style building you own personable library of Job Items, Assemblies, Specs, PFV coloring, end of job reporting mods and the take-off screen lay-out is very well thought out also. Very friendly to the end user setting up and the easiness of using every day. It is one estimating software I truly enjoy coming to work everyday opening up and using all day long.

Inconvénients

With the progression of on screen take-off it has come a long way from previous other brand of estimating software I have used in the past. I wish I could share something that really stood out about some area of the FastPipe software & reporting but I really can't. This is my 3rd year using this software in our company.

Avantages

Very easy to use, very easy to train others to use. Great product support team that goes above and beyond with help.

Inconvénients

Could include more items in the catalogue that cover specialty piping. ie: lab, clean room, pharmaceutical specialties.

Avantages

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

Inconvénients

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.

Avantages

Very easy to learn and navigate, Fast takeoffs

Inconvénients

1. Can not update original drawings with addendum drawings.
2. Can not preform area square foot measurements on the drawing.
3. Its hard to quickly take off multiple items.

Avantages

My knowledge of estimating software was minimal when I was placed in the estimating position just over a year ago. FastPIPE was super easy to learn and use because it is very intuitive.

Inconvénients

It would be great if there were more images for the assemblies that I might choose to create. But then I would be asking for more, possibly obscure, assemblies and I realize that not every situation can be accounted for when setting up assemblies.

Avantages

I initially selected FastPIPE because of the price, but I have stuck with it because of it's ease of use and the success we've had since we started using it.

Inconvénients

The fonts are too small when selecting different sizes of pipe and fittings.

Avantages

Auto Table Pricing Updates, Customizable Bid Book Excel templates, Ease of takeoff.
Ease of use doing on scree show and tell when doing project Bid reviews with management.

Inconvénients

Inability to copy areas of takeoff into assemblies via cut and paste
Inability to build assemblies using graphical take off method.

Avantages

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.

Inconvénients

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

Avantages

1.The ease and speed at which a takeoff can be performed.
2.The ease at which changes could be made to an existing takeoff if material types changed midway through a bid.
3. The speed at which change orders can be produced.

Inconvénients

Setting up different specs can be somewhat daunting.

Avantages

FastPipe is a great estimating program with realistic labor and material costs. It is easy to use. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. FastEst is always available by phone for assistance.

Inconvénients

It is difficult to get true material costs without asking suppliers.

Avantages

versatile, easy to pick up on, and set up to work right out of the gate.

Inconvénients

the small print on symbols makes them hard to see as you get older

Avantages

FastPipe allows you to easily and accurately create estimates of any project we are working. On the back end it allows you to quickly revise your estimate based upon updated drawings or customer requests. All while being able to effectively track the changes.

Inconvénients

There is a lack of shortcut keys. All steps need to be repeatedly clicked which can be arduous when performing common tasks.

Avantages

The ability to run reports anyway you need to capture cost.

Inconvénients

The inability to enlarge revised plans when importing. Sometimes it is hard to tell which plan you have.

Avantages

Customization and downloading to Microsoft Excel.

Inconvénients

There are very minor hiccups/ glitches within the software. However I have had frequent occasions that I would like to draw directly on the drawings but can only draw straight lines. Addional shapes would be used quite often. (Circles especially)

Avantages

How easy it is to load plans, design specifications to meet the desired job, clone & copy items, upload ISO Schematics, and make everyday systems to allow for an easy takeoff. I enjoy this software program.

Inconvénients

When you clone a job in the directory you are only allowed to change the name and not the description.

Avantages

Accurate way to do take offs, great reports for ordering material and managing labor hours.

Inconvénients

Using the highlighter to do as built drawing and make corrections or provide information to my field staff needs improvement.

Avantages

Accuracy and spread sheets with excellent excel breakdowns

Inconvénients

Updates from software with customer service and IT set up thru network

Avantages

Ease of take off. Use of PDF drawings for take off. Great customer service with fast response. Able to add/create custom catalog items. Updates on pricing and revisions are constantly updated. Overlaying revised drawings is great.

Inconvénients

Can't be in catalog and others doing takeoff. Changing names on imported files is slow/clumsy.