SwiftMEP
SwiftMEP is a web-based MEP takeoff service for Canadian contractors that ingests PDF drawing sets, applies trade-specific counting rules for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection, then exports bid-ready quantities to Excel, CSV, and common estimating formats.
Picture a mechanical estimator on a Friday night who still needs duct elbows, diffusers, and linear feet of galvanized supply counted before Monday’s GC deadline. SwiftMEP is built around that moment: you upload a PDF set, pick one or more trades, confirm scale, and let the hosted workflow return categorized rows with descriptions, quantities, and units that line up with how estimators already roll up numbers in spreadsheets.
The public site stresses Canadian hosting, CAD pricing language, and pay-per-job billing instead of annual seat contracts. You pay when you submit a takeoff, processing begins after checkout succeeds, and you pull exports from a dashboard when the job finishes. That model targets smaller subcontractors and busy departments that do not want another always-on subscription sitting idle between bid seasons.
Trade coverage is split into HVAC (duct, equipment, terminals, fittings), electrical (conduit, panels, fixtures, fire alarm devices when shown), and plumbing (pipe runs, fixtures, valves, equipment from schedules). SwiftMEP also calls out fire protection as an available trade on the upload path. Export options include shop lists, Excel, CSV, and “common estimating formats when enabled on your order,” which signals flexibility for teams that still feed a legacy estimating database.
Because the service reads raster or vector PDFs rather than native Revit models, it complements BIM-heavy offices when field teams only receive flattened sheets. The maintenance URL in some bookmarks currently shows a “coming soon” notice, while the main marketing site describes live signup and login; treat the marketing homepage as the canonical product entry until the vendor aligns every path (SwiftMEP site copy, 2026).
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Pricing
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Pros and cons
Pros
- Trade-specific templates for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection reduce generic “count everything” noise.
- Per-job pricing can fit episodic bid shops that do not want another fixed annual subscription.
- Exports align with Excel-centric estimating habits so teams can defend quantities during review meetings.
Cons
- PDF-centric workflow means you still depend on sheet quality, scales, and late addenda; there is no native Revit cloud model link described on the homepage.
- Per-job fees are finalized at checkout, so you need to read the live pricing screen for each run rather than relying on a static public rate card.
- Geographic positioning is Canadian; firms outside Canada should confirm data residency, tax, and support expectations before adopting.
Key features
PDF-first intake: Upload drawing sets, choose trades, and confirm scale before processing.
Trade-aware MEP logic: Separate handling for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection scopes called out on the marketing site.
Review grid: Category, size, quantity, and unit columns mirror what estimators expect before export.
Exports: Shop lists, Microsoft Excel, CSV, and additional estimating formats when enabled for an order.
Canadian positioning: Marketing copy references CAD pricing, Canadian contractors, and hosted delivery.
Pay-per-use billing: Pricing page states there is no subscription; you pay when you run a takeoff.
Pricing
Per takeoff (checkout)
Contact sales
Vendor states pay-per-use pricing with payment at checkout after trade selection; no fixed public list price in static copy as of 2026-05-07. Confirm the live CAD total on swiftmep.ca before submitting a job.
Frequently asked questions
How much does SwiftMEP charge for a takeoff?
SwiftMEP’s pricing page states the product is pay-per-use with no subscription and that you pay when you run a takeoff, with charges finalized at checkout after you upload a PDF, choose trades, and accept terms (SwiftMEP pricing page, 2026). The same page does not publish a universal dollar rate table in the static copy, so treat the checkout total in CAD as the authoritative price for each job.
Does SwiftMEP work on Mac or only Windows?
The marketing site presents a browser-based signup and login flow without shipping a desktop installer, which implies you can operate it from any modern desktop OS with a supported browser (SwiftMEP homepage, 2026). Heavy PDF sets still benefit from a fast workstation and a stable connection because processing happens after cloud checkout rather than locally.
Which file formats can SwiftMEP import and export?
Uploads are described as PDF drawing sets. Export paths include shop lists, Excel workbooks, CSV files, and other estimating formats when enabled on a specific order (SwiftMEP homepage, 2026). There is no claim on the homepage about opening native .rvt or IFC model containers, so plan on flattened construction documents rather than live BIM containers.
Can SwiftMEP handle fire alarm or fire protection scopes?
Yes. The trade selection copy explicitly lists fire protection alongside mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, and the electrical scope section calls out detectors, horns, strobes, and related devices when drawings show them (SwiftMEP homepage, 2026). That matters for Canadian subcontractors bidding tenant improvement packages with combined MEPFA sheets.
SwiftMEP vs in-house spreadsheet takeoff: when does cloud help?
SwiftMEP pitches consistent line items, structured exports, and faster intake versus manual spreadsheet tallying that drifts when multiple estimators touch the same workbook (SwiftMEP homepage, 2026). Teams that already have disciplined internal tools may still use SwiftMEP selectively for overflow work or discipline-specific pages where the vendor’s templates save time.
Who is SwiftMEP designed for?
Marketing copy repeatedly addresses Canadian contractors who need MEP quantities from PDFs for bidding and buyout, with policies and pricing framed in CAD (SwiftMEP homepage, 2026). If your work is mostly outside Canada, read hosting, privacy, and currency details before you standardize on the service.