Accubid Systems Bought by Trimble

Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif., a provider of building-information management (BIM) and positioning systems, has acquired the assets of privately-held Accubid Systems, Concord, Ontario, Canada. Accubid is one of the largest providers of estimating, project management and service management software and services for electrical and mechanical contractors. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Accubid's family of software products allows electrical and mechanical contractors to analyze their estimates, including CAD-based estimating and takeoff, and then export the data into project management, accounting and procurement applications. It will become part of Trimble's Building Construction Division and will continue to be led by founder Giovanni Marcelli and the existing executive team as a division of Trimble.

“For Accubid, the acquisition by Trimble provides a long-term business partner with a common culture, shared vision, a successful track record, excellent reputation for quality products, and a global footprint,” said Marcelli in a message posted on the company's website. “Accubid can leverage this organizational infrastructure to further expand our product offerings to bring more value to our clients in the MEP industry, grow in key vertical markets, and to expand our solutions on a global basis.”

Trimble, with annual sales of around $1.3 billion, has a history of innovation in GPS, laser, optical and inertial positioning technologies. Combined with wireless communications, office and field software and services, Trimble applies these technologies to improve productivity on construction projects.

Trimble is looking to Accubid as a way to expand its services to Accubid's core contractor markets, said Pat Bohle, general manager, Trimble Building Construction.

“Accubid has a deep understanding of the electrical market, and their products echo that sentiment,” said Bohle. “Being able to provide customers with a comprehensive suite of solutions that incorporate estimating, CAD and field layout for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades is key to the long-term strategy.”

The acquisition of Accubid broadens Trimble's “BIM to field” solutions for help contractors automate project estimating and management, modeling, detailing, layout and construction.

Trimble's offerings for this market include fine-grained positioning systems that “address the challenges faced in laying out field points, collecting as-built data for renovation purposes,” as well as applications to manage tool and other jobsite assets and “manage the paper-based field processes that tend to erode efficient jobsite documentation and scheduling processes,” Bohle said.

The Trimble Building Construction suite of solutions for contractors also has a logical affinity with the Meridian Systems construction management platform also owned by Trimble. “As such, we see much value in what they can offer our customer base in the future,” Bohle said.

Accubid is one of the estimating software companies that have integrated distributor pricing and streamlined online quotation functions using services from Trade Service Corp.'s SupplierXchange and ElectricSmarts' NetPricer interfaces. The integration of distributor net pricing has been popular among Accubid's customers, said Marcelli. “Contractors like getting project prices directly in their Accubid estimating system in a timely manner via SupplierXchange or NetPricer,” Marcelli said.

Within Trimble, Accubid will also have the opportunity to integrate new technologies such as tablet computers being developed and offered by Trimble. “The Trimble Tablet Rugged PC is within the division's portfolio, currently part of the Trimble AllTrak Asset Management Solution as well as the Trimble CX 3D Laser Scanner,” Bohle said. “The ruggedized nature of the product combined with the operating system and internal specifications make it ideal for a host of applications within Trimble and Accubid going forward.”