Built by Industry, for Industry

The commercial system of record for construction estimating.

From first‑principles build‑up to defensible estimate — and on through whole‑of‑life forecasting. Now augmented with AI that turns drawings and models into traceable estimates in days, not weeks.

5,000+ estimators $50B+ annual estimate volume 100% client retention
Tender Top Sheet
TRACEABLE
DC‑01Direct cost — resources$0
OH‑02Site overheads$0
RK‑03Risk & contingency$0
MU‑04Margin & mark‑up$0
Submitted tender price$0
9‑level build‑up multi‑user cashflow + escalation cost‑coded to WBS
0+
Years in the field
0+
Active estimators
$0B+
Annual estimate volume
0%
Client retention
0+
Enterprise clients
One connected platform

Three capabilities. One commercial truth.

Cats carries a project from the tender that wins the work, through the monthly cost review that closes it out — with the same data, governance and rate libraries the whole way. No silos. No re‑keying.

Cats Estimating

Build the foundation. Win the tender.

A true multi‑user estimating system: hundreds of estimators creating and modifying live tenders at once, on a single source of truth, with the security and audit trail estimating managers actually ask for.

  • 9‑level complex resource build‑up
    Labour, plant, materials and subcontract assembled bottom‑up with the depth complex estimates demand.
  • Single source of truth, real‑time
    Full multi‑user capability locks out conflicts when two users edit the same item — consistent rates and costs for everyone.
  • Superior cashflow, escalation & mark‑up
    Granular multi‑scenario cashflow modelling and a superior mark‑up process for unbalancing the estimate.
  • Dynamic Excel, cost coding & reporting
    Intelligent live links to Excel, cells linked to tender quantities, cost‑coded to WBS, interrogable in Power BI.
  • 2D take‑off, BIM & embodied carbon
    Measured‑quantities module for digital take‑off and BIM integration, with embodied‑carbon calculations built in.
  • Governance & auditability
    Multi‑level security, automated backups and archiving, with full traceability of assumptions and approvals.
Every estimate level, one environmentACCURACY
L1Order of MagnitudeConceptual feasibility−25% / +75%
L2Schematic / ConceptualBudget & financing−15% / +50%
L3Design DevelopmentGo / No‑Go decisions−10% / +30%
L4Construction DocumentOwner risk decisions−5% / +15%
L5Definitive EstimateContracted value−3% / +10%
As the design develops, the expected error band narrows — from a rough order‑of‑magnitude figure to a definitive, contract‑ready price.

One system. Every level of certainty.

A construction estimate isn't a single number — it matures with the design. Industry practice recognises five estimate classes: from an early order‑of‑magnitude figure used to test feasibility, through to the definitive estimate that becomes a contracted price. Each class carries a different expected accuracy and demands a different depth of build‑up.

No tool‑hopping

Most teams sketch early estimates in spreadsheets, then rebuild them in a different system once the design firms up — losing structure and history at every handover. Cats runs all five levels in one environment.

History carries forward

The build‑up, rate libraries and assumptions from one level flow straight into the next instead of being keyed in again — so each stage starts from the last, not from scratch.

Defensible at every stage

Every level keeps the same audit trail. Feasibility number or final tender, any figure traces back to the design it came from and the day it was made.

“Cats is a true multi‑user estimating system that allows real‑time analytics of live tenders. The pragmatic and solid security settings are industry leading. They are designed for what Estimating Managers want.”

Richard Scott — Group General Manager, John Holland Group
Cats Forecasting

Win the tender. Forecast the project.

Built for the monthly Cost‑to‑Complete review cycle. The same bottom‑up rigour that won the job now keeps the forecast defensible — every month, all the way to handover.

Traceability

Nothing assumed in the dark

Every quantity, rate, assumption and calculation method recorded in‑system, with a full audit trail across every revision.

Accountability

PMs own their cost codes

Multi‑layered, register‑based security keeps the right eyes on the right data — clear ownership of every line.

Reliability

Defensible by construction

Bottom‑up methodology and a frozen library of rates per forecast keep results consistent and reproducible.

Validation

Variance in a glance

Side‑by‑side variance views and drill‑downs from cost code into resource make month‑on‑month review fast.

Slots into your stack → Excel — dynamic links Power BI — cost‑to‑date MS Project Primavera P6 ToBe Builder

“Cats eliminates project gaps by ensuring consistency from the initial estimate all the way to the final monthly cost review.”

Independent assessment — tier‑1 joint‑venture project
Cats AI · AI‑powered estimating

From design data to defensible estimates — automatically.

Cats AI reads your drawings and models, extracts quantities and scope against recognised standards, and pushes a clean first‑pass estimate straight into Cats — every figure traceable back to its source.

90%
Faster processing
vs manual design extraction and take‑off.
2 days
First‑pass estimate
where manual workflows take ~5 weeks.
100%
Traceable output
every quantity auditable, end to end.
STEP 01

2D / 3D input

Drawings, models, specs and schedules loaded in.

STEP 02

AI extraction

Quantities and scope pulled automatically.

STEP 03

Standards applied

WBS, Uniclass & subcontractor packaging.

STEP 04

Cost & time

First‑cut rated estimate and program.

STEP 05

Into Cats / P6

Rated estimate ready for the estimator.

LAYER 1

Cats Platform

The mature, trusted, secure commercial system of record.
all estimate levels
9‑level build‑up
cashflow · markup
LAYER 2

Intelligent Automation

A deterministic production engine — same inputs, same outputs, every time.
2D/3D ingestion
quantity extraction
P6 / MSP / Asta output
LAYER 3

Chat & Agents

The intelligence layer — review the estimate the way estimators think.
estimate review agent
risk & gap checks
natural‑language queries
Cats AI · Estimate Review
What are the key scope items?
I found 14 key scope items including earthworks, drainage, paving and structures. Quantities extracted from 23 drawings.
Are there missing quantities?
Yes — 3 items flagged: temporary works, shoring and site establishment. Recommend manual review.
What commercial risks should I check?
Key risks: unclear scope boundary at §4.2, no assumption on rock excavation, and 2 scope gaps vs spec.
Estimate Review Agent

A structured second pair of eyes

Guides estimators through scope, quantities, assumptions, exclusions and commercial risk — the same checklist, every tender.

Risk Review Agent

Catch the gap before submission

Identifies unclear scope, cost‑sensitive assumptions and potential claim exposure — captured back into Cats as governance records.

Built for
The sectors that run the biggest jobs

From tunnels and rail to mining and facilities management — Cats handles every estimate type across any discipline.

InfrastructureRoad & railCivil & building UtilitiesServices & FMMiningOil & gas
Used by
Everyone in the commercial chain

One platform, many roles — with read/write access tuned to exactly what each person needs to see.

EstimatingProject ManagementFinance & Commercial Business DevelopmentSite ManagementEngineering & DesignQuantity Surveying
Deployment, security & pricing

Built for your environment. Priced per user.

Cats arrives ready to drop into your environment — installed by your team and backed by an ISO 27001‑accredited development environment, with your data staying entirely under your control.

Your data stays yours

Centrally hosted by the client with powerful multi‑level security. IDD Tech has no access to your installation or estimate data at any stage.

ISO 27001 accredited

Seamless integration and information security backed by an accredited product‑development environment.

Specialist support

Fast, reliable response from product specialists led by estimators with 20+ years of Cats experience.

Tailored, per‑user, monthly

No barriers to start

Our team of experts will help you build Cats into your tender workflow, making onboarding fast, structured and fully supported — with no minimum spend.

PremiumChief estimators & administrators · 24/7 support
$595/user/mo
StandardEstimators · read/write · business‑hours support
$395/user/mo
Digital Take‑OffQuantity surveyors · take‑off module
$120/user/mo
ViewerReviewers & managers · read‑only
$60/user/mo
Prices ex‑GST. Enterprise pricing and upfront discounts available — we tailor a strategy to your requirements.
Ready when you are

See Cats work on your next tender.

Let's explore your highest‑value use case, run a targeted walkthrough, and define a pilot scope and timeline.

01. Identify your highest‑value use case 02. Explore a targeted demo 03. Define a pilot scope