Quantity times rate, kept in step
A construction cost estimate is each measured quantity multiplied by a rate, summed across every item. When the quantities and the rates sit in different files, they drift apart. In Corbel they sit in one project. Change a quantity and the estimate moves. Change a rate and the total updates.
The guide take-off vs estimating explains how the two jobs fit together.
Your rates, your assemblies
Build your rate library from the rates your firm actually uses, or start from the SA starter library. An assembly, also called a recipe, rolls up labour, material including wastage, plant, and overheads and profit into a price per unit.
You link an assembly to a condition, and every quantity on that condition prices through it. Read how assemblies turn your take-off into a priced BoQ for the detail.
Keeping rates current
Live SA rate research is on the paid plans, and it cites the source page for each rate. Rates never change on their own on the bill.
The bill also carries QS sanity checks. These are notes on what a QS would look at twice. They are never blockers.
The priced bill and tender snapshots
Build my bill drafts an ASAQS-format bill with JBCC preliminaries, markup and VAT at 15%, priced in rands. You see every line before it goes in. Freeze a tender snapshot to lock a version, then export to Excel, PDF or CSV.
If your estimates are in spreadsheets today, the guide on moving from spreadsheets to cloud take-off and estimating shows a low-risk way in.
Working with a team
Projects live in one place your team can share, with roles and a full activity history. Solo includes 5 users and Studio includes 25.
When a new drawing revision arrives, revision compare overlays it on the old one and shows what moved. The Corbel Assistant can also price unpriced items from your rate library, as a card you apply or ignore.
Price and free trial
Plans start at R690 a month, excl. VAT, in rands. Every plan has the full take-off, the bill and the Corbel Assistant. You start with a 1-month free trial, no card needed. The trial includes 1 project and 3 AI reads. See the plans and prices or read the questions we get asked most.