ERP Software Built for Glaziers
Every glazing job is bespoke, every unit is fragile, and every lead that goes to voicemail is a lost job. IBIOS manages measure-to-order quoting, delivery tracking, and installation scheduling from one platform. Coming soon: AI call answering, including nights and weekends.
Why glazing is harder to manage than most trades
No two jobs are the same — and that creates four specific problems
Glazing businesses deal with a level of job complexity that most trade software ignores. Every unit is made to measure, which means there is no standard catalogue to quote from. You are building a specification from scratch every time: width, height, thermal rating, gas fill, opening configuration, hardware finish. Get one measurement wrong and an expensive bespoke unit becomes a wastage cost.
Then comes the delivery problem. Glass breaks. Units arrive chipped or cracked, or they arrive incomplete. If you do not have a line-by-line record of what arrived in good condition, raising a supplier credit is a drawn-out argument. And if you book a fitter before all units are on-site, you pay a wasted day’s labour for nothing.
Sub-contractor fitters complicate things further. They need to know the job, the spec, and the delivery status — but they should not have access to your supplier prices or your customer records. Managing that with email chains and WhatsApp means information gets missed.
And the phone never stops. Homeowners ring to ask about lead times. Builders want a quick price for a bi-fold. Miss that call, and the work goes to whoever answers.
IBIOS addresses the first three today, with AI call answering for the fourth coming soon.
How IBIOS helps glazing businesses
Six things that change how you run jobs
From the first customer enquiry to the final invoice, every step of a glazing job managed in one place.
Bespoke Unit Quotes from Supplier PDFs
Upload your glazing supplier’s price sheet or product document. Quote Studio reads it into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products, so you build the customer-facing quote without manual re-entry.
Learn more
Measure-to-Order Specification Tracking
Every glazing job is bespoke. Record unit dimensions, thermal specification (Ug value), gas fill, frame colour, and hardware on each line item. The quote reflects exactly what was measured, and the supplier order matches exactly what was quoted.
Learn more
Fragile Goods Delivery Tracking
Log which units have arrived undamaged, which are pending, and which need replacement. IBIOS records breakages and missing items line by line so you can raise a supplier claim immediately rather than discovering the gap on installation day.
Learn more
Installation Scheduling
Book fitting dates against jobs and track installer availability. When all units are confirmed on-site, IBIOS flags the job as ready to install. Fitters see their upcoming schedule without a phone call to the office.
Learn more
Sub-Contractor Fitter Management
Assign sub-contractor fitters to jobs with a restricted access role — they see job details, unit specifications, and delivery status. They cannot see your cost prices or supplier accounts. Manage all your fitters from one dashboard.
Learn more
AI Receptionist (coming soon)
Coming soon: glazing enquiries come in at all hours — homeowners calling after work, builders ringing on a Friday afternoon. IBIOS’s AI Receptionist will answer calls, capture the requirement and contact details, and log the lead before you arrive Monday morning.
Learn more
Why generic trade software misses the mark for glaziers
Most trade software is built around a product catalogue. Glazing businesses do not have a standard catalogue — IBIOS handles that reality.
Bespoke specification quoting
Quote custom units by dimension, thermal spec, and hardware — no catalogue required. AI OCR reads supplier price lists and maps them to your job specification.
Delivery damage logging
Mark each arriving unit as good, damaged, or missing. Supplier claims are supported by a timestamped delivery record, not a memory.
Installation date vs. delivery date
See where an installation booking date is earlier than the expected delivery date, before a fitter is wasted. Automatic late-delivery alerts are coming soon.
Sub-contractor access roles
Fitters see job specs and delivery status. They cannot see your pricing or supplier accounts. No spreadsheet exports required.
AI Receptionist for after-hours (coming soon)
Coming soon: glazing emergencies happen on Friday evenings, and the AI Receptionist will capture the call and log the job so you can respond before the customer finds someone else.
See pricing
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page.
Go to the pricing pageBuying guide
Choosing software for a glazing business: survey, made-to-measure orders and compliance
Written by the IBIOS team. IBIOS was built inside a working bathroom showroom in Northern Ireland, where it runs the business day to day. Last updated 18 October 2026.
How do you choose software for a glazing business?
In glazing almost everything is made to measure, so a mistake at survey is paid for weeks later at fitting. Choose software by how well it carries the measured specification, unchanged, from survey to quote to supplier order to the fitting team.
- Fabricate or buy in. If you make your own frames you need a system that drives the factory; if you buy from a fabricator you need one that runs quotes, orders and fitting. Decide which you are first.
- Survey to quote. Sizes, opening styles, glass spec and finishes captured once at survey and carried into the quote.
- Quotes from fabricator prices. Your fabricator’s quote or price list should become your quote lines without retyping.
- Orders and goods-in. Each made-to-measure item ordered against the job, and checked in against that order when it arrives.
- Fitting schedule. Fitters booked once the units are confirmed, not before.
- Compliance records. Where you work in England or Wales, the self-certification reference for each installation kept with the job.
What are the compliance rules for replacement windows and doors?
In England and Wales, replacing windows and external doors in a home is building work that must meet the Building Regulations. Installers registered with a competent person scheme such as FENSA or CERTASS can self-certify the work; otherwise it goes through local building control. The homeowner receives a certificate, and they will want it again when they sell.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building rules, and the English and Welsh self-certification schemes do not work the same way there. Check with local building control for jobs in those nations.
Whichever applies, keep the reference against the job, with the survey and the order, so you can answer a solicitor’s question years later.
Where do glazing jobs go wrong?
At the measurement and at the delivery. A unit made to the wrong size cannot be returned, and a unit that arrives damaged pushes the fit. Both are easier to manage when the specification on the supplier order is the one from the survey, and when the warehouse checks each item in against the order.
IBIOS keeps every supplier order on the job and books goods in against it. Delivery planning and late-delivery alerts are coming soon, not live yet.
Should a glazier buy fabrication software or business software?
If you fabricate, the factory system usually comes first: it prices from your profiles and drives cutting and assembly. IBIOS does not do that, and does not try to.
If you buy in from a fabricator and fit, you need business software: bookings for surveys, quotes from the fabricator’s prices, deposits, orders, goods-in and fitter access without cost prices. That is where IBIOS fits.
Fabrication system, field-service suite, spreadsheet or IBIOS?
How the usual options tend to work out for a glazing business.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Window fabrication / pricing system | Fabricators who price from profiles and run a factory. | Often heavy for an installer who buys in; customer bookings and payments may sit elsewhere. |
| Field-service / job-management suite | Repair and reglazing work with many short visits. | Made-to-measure supplier orders and goods-in can be an afterthought; check how a remake is handled. |
| Spreadsheet and diary | A small installer starting out. | Specs get copied by hand between survey, quote and order, which is where errors come from. |
| IBIOS | Installers who buy from fabricators and need surveys, quotes, deposits, orders and fitting in one job. | Early access by waiting list. Not a fabrication system. Delivery planning and the AI receptionist are coming soon, not live yet. |
What you need in place before you switch
- Your survey sheet: what you measure and record on every opening.
- Fabricator price lists or recent quotes as files.
- Your deposit and balance terms.
- Your competent person scheme details if you work in England or Wales.
- A list of fitters, and what each should and should not see.
What it costs
The expensive mistakes in glazing are remakes and wasted fitting days. Weigh software on whether it stops a survey measurement being retyped wrongly, and whether it shows you a missing unit before the fitters set off.
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page. You can start with one product, such as quoting or bookings.
Last reviewed October 2026.
What people get wrong
- Retyping survey sizes into the quote and again into the order.
- Booking fitters before every made-to-measure unit is confirmed.
- Not checking units in against the order when they arrive.
- Assuming the English and Welsh self-certification rules apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- Losing the compliance certificate reference that the homeowner will need when they sell.
- Buying fabrication software when you only install, or the reverse.
Related reading
- Supplier orders
- Warehouse goods-in
- Bookings and calendar
- Survey checklist template
- User roles and access rights
Glazing business software FAQs
Do FENSA and CERTASS apply across the UK?
No. They are competent person schemes for England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own building rules.
Is IBIOS a window fabrication system?
No. IBIOS is for the business side of installing: surveys, quotes, deposits, supplier orders, goods-in and fitting.
Can I quote from my fabricator’s PDF?
Yes. IBIOS reads the fabricator’s PDF into quote lines and matches them to your own products for you to check.
Can fitters see the job without seeing my prices?
Yes. Access rights are set per role and per person, and payment details are visible to managers and owners only.
Does IBIOS plan deliveries?
Not yet. Delivery planning is coming soon; today supplier orders and goods-in are tracked against each job.
How do I get IBIOS?
Join the waiting list. IBIOS is in early access and there is no free trial.
Fabricator, installer or both?
Tell us where your frames come from and how a job runs from survey to fit. We will tell you honestly whether IBIOS fits or whether a fabrication system should come first.
IBIOS Limited · company no. NI743167 · 10 Ballyclare Road, Doagh, Ballyclare BT39 0PE · Production is hosted in the UK.
Ready to quote bespoke glazing jobs without the retyping?
Join the waiting list for early access. Or book a demo and see how IBIOS handles bespoke unit quoting and sub-contractor scheduling.