Most HVAC distributors quote commercial projects the same way they did ten years ago. A project coordinator pulls data from a PDF, builds a spreadsheet, emails suppliers for pricing, waits, compiles the responses, formats a quote, and sends it out hoping the contractor hasn't already moved on. Monaro replaces that entire workflow with a single platform built specifically for how distributors actually operate.
Distributors aren't contractors. Contractors estimate full project costs including labour, ductwork routing, and installation. Distributors quote equipment supply terminal-level items pulled from mechanical drawings. The scope is different, the output format is different, and the workflow is different.
Most estimating software on the market QuoteSoft, FastDUCT, STACK was built for contractors. It assumes the user is calculating labour hours, selecting ductwork gauges, or estimating sheet metal. None of that applies to a distributor quoting diffusers, grilles, fans, and plumbing fixtures.
What distributors actually need is software that does three things well: reads the drawing, structures the equipment list, and gets a priced quote out the door fast. Everything else is noise.
Monaro was built from the ground up for this workflow. Not adapted from contractor estimating software. Not a generic CRM with a quoting module bolted on. A platform designed for the way mechanical distributors actually bid work.
Most quoting tools assume someone has already built the equipment list. Monaro starts with the raw PDF and does the takeoff automatically. That's where the real time savings happen.
The entire data model, workflow, and output format is designed around equipment supply quoting not labour estimation, not ductwork fabrication, not full project costing.
Takeoff, supplier pricing, quote formatting, submittal management, and ERP sync all in one platform. No jumping between Adobe, Excel, email, and your ERP.
Join mechanical contractors already using Monaro.ai to quote faster and win more work. Try it free no credit card required.
About mechanical quantity takeoffs and how Monaro automates them.
Most takeoff tools are built for contractors estimating full project costs. Monaro is built specifically for distributors the equipment scope, quoting workflow, and output format are all designed around how distributors supply and quote terminal mechanical equipment, not how contractors build and install it.
No. Monaro is fully automated — there is no human-in-the-loop review step. The AI reads the drawings, counts symbols, extracts schedule data, and produces a complete takeoff ready for pricing. You review the output the same way you'd review any takeoff, but the counting and extraction work is already done.
Any PDF mechanical drawing set. Monaro handles drawings from any engineering firm, produced in any CAD software, regardless of project size or complexity. Small commercial projects and large multi-floor commercial buildings are both supported.
No. Contractors estimate full project costs including labour, ductwork, and installation. Distributors are quoting the equipment supply only — terminal-level items from the mechanical drawings. The scope, output format, and workflow are different, which is why general estimating software doesn't fit the distributor workflow well.
Most project coordinators run their first takeoff the same day. There are no drawing templates to configure, no training on your specific symbols, and no IT setup required. Upload a drawing from a current project and the takeoff starts immediately.
At an average commercial HVAC equipment contract value of $50,000-$150,000, winning one additional project per month that you would have passed on due to bandwidth pays for Monaro's annual subscription many times over. The math works at two branches as well as twenty.
