Built for the callout business. Quotes, parts orders and payments in one place.
IBIOS is software for plumbers and heating engineers in the UK. It manages emergency callouts, parts orders from trade merchants, and installation scheduling for UK plumbers and heating engineers. Coming soon: an AI Receptionist that will handle calls you cannot take.
Why generic job management software falls short for plumbing trade
Plumbing and heating work is not a standard retail transaction. You have emergency callouts at any hour. You source parts from multiple trade merchants (BSS, Screwfix, Wolseley), each with different account pricing. A boiler installation involves a gas safety certificate number, a boiler serial number, a Benchmark reference, and the engineer’s Gas Safe registration. Those certificates come from your certificate app: IBIOS does not produce them, but it keeps the job, quote, parts and payments they belong to.
The phone is the front door of a plumbing business. Missing a callout call at 10pm because you are at another job means the customer calls the next name on Google. Coming soon: an IBIOS AI receptionist that will take the callout, capture the symptom, and text you the details — without waking you.
Payment for a plumbing job is often chased after the work is done. The customer is happy on the day, but a week later the invoice is sitting unread. Pay by Link, emailed or pasted into your own message when the job is complete, lets the customer pay by card on the day.
Common problems. Specific solutions.
Missed emergency callout calls at unsociable hours
Coming soon: the AI Receptionist will answer when you can’t, taking the callout details, capturing the symptom, and texting your on-call engineer
Quotes from merchant pricelists taking too long
Quote Studio reads a merchant PDF into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products and applies your account discount
Parts orders from multiple merchants not linked to the job
Order Management links every parts order to the customer job record — arrival tracked against the installation or repair date
Chasing payment by phone after job completion
Pay by Link — send a payment link by email, or paste it into your own message, when the job is done. No invoice, no follow-up call needed.
Jobs, quotes and parts scattered across notebooks and inboxes
Every job, with its quote, parts orders and payments, linked to the customer record. IBIOS does not produce certificates; keep issuing those in your certificate app
No record of what the customer reported when they called
Call reports and call briefings from your existing call recordings (GoHighLevel) summarise what the customer reported. Coming soon: IBIOS call recording.
Soon
Coming soon: callout calls answered when you can’t
PDF to quote
Quote Studio reads a merchant PDF into quote lines in about 60 seconds
Built for how plumbing businesses operate
AI Receptionist for callouts (coming soon)
Coming soon: will answer emergency callout calls outside your opening hours, capture the caller’s details and the nature of the problem, and text your on-call engineer.
Merchant pricelist quoting
Upload a merchant PDF. Quote Studio reads the parts list into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products and applies your account discount.
Job history per customer
Every job for a customer, with its quote, parts and payments, in one record. IBIOS does not produce gas safety certificates; it keeps the job they belong to.
Parts order tracking
Every parts order linked to the job. Track delivery against the repair or installation date. Late-delivery alerts are coming soon.
Pay by Link on completion
Send a payment link by email, or paste it into your own message, when the job is signed off. Customer can pay by card straight away. No invoice, no phone chase.
Call reports and call briefings
Call reports and call briefings from your existing call recordings (GoHighLevel), so you know what the customer reported before you arrive on site. Coming soon: IBIOS call recording.
Buying guide
Choosing software for a plumbing business: call-outs, installs and the merchant account
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 plumbers and plumbing businesses?
First decide what most of your work looks like. A plumber doing many short repair visits a day needs something different from one doing a handful of bathroom installs a month. Pick the software for your main kind of job, then check it copes with the other.
- Your mix of work. Reactive call-outs, planned servicing, or installs with materials ordered in. Be honest about the split.
- Quotes for the bigger jobs. Installs start from a merchant quote or price list. The software should take that in rather than make you retype it.
- Materials against the job. What was ordered, from which merchant, and whether it has arrived, on the job and not on a paper docket in the van.
- Getting paid. Deposits on installs, payment on completion for repairs, each with a reference you can find later.
- Certificates and records. Gas work and some water work produce paperwork you must keep. Know which tool issues it and where the reference is stored.
- Who sees what. Apprentices and subcontractors need the job; they do not need your merchant discounts.
Is a field-service app or IBIOS the better fit for a plumber?
If most of your day is short reactive visits, a field-service or job-management suite is often the better fit: they are built around a phone app, job sheets on site, and quick invoicing after each visit. That is a fair choice and we would rather say so.
IBIOS fits better where the job is a project: a bathroom or heating install with a quote from merchant prices, a deposit, several orders and a fitting date. Many plumbing firms do both, and each IBIOS product works on its own alongside whatever you already use.
Which rules does a plumbing business have to keep records for?
Any work on gas appliances or pipework needs a Gas Safe registered engineer, in Great Britain and in Northern Ireland. Water fittings rules apply across the UK under separate regulations in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and unvented hot water systems need a competent installer under the building rules of each nation.
Certificates are usually issued through your scheme’s or your certification app. IBIOS is not a certificate issuer; what it does is keep the job, the quote, the materials and the payments together so you can find the job a certificate belongs to.
What about van stock?
Fittings carried in the van are stock you have paid for. IBIOS can hold stock in more than one location, so a van can be treated as a location alongside your store.
Barcode scanning and a scanner app are coming soon, not live yet, so for now stock moves are entered by hand.
Field-service suite, accounts package, spreadsheet or IBIOS?
How the usual options tend to work out for a plumbing business.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Field-service / job-management suite | High volumes of short reactive jobs with engineers on a phone app. | Can be thin on merchant quotes, supplier orders and stock; check before you rely on it for installs. |
| Accounts package with invoicing | Sole traders who mainly need invoices and VAT returns. | No real job record: materials, dates and notes end up in texts and notebooks. |
| Spreadsheet and diary | Starting out. | Fine until a second person needs to know where a job is. |
| IBIOS | Plumbing firms that quote installs from merchant prices, take deposits and order materials per job. | Early access by waiting list. The AI receptionist, QuickBooks and Xero sync, and barcode scanning are coming soon, not live yet. Not a certificate issuer. |
What you need in place before you switch
- Your merchant accounts and the price lists or quotes you get from each.
- Your call-out, labour and deposit terms.
- A rough count of stock in the store and in each van.
- Which tool issues your gas and other certificates, and how you will reference them on the job.
- Who in the business may see merchant discounts and payments.
What it costs
For most plumbing firms the hidden cost is unbilled materials and second trips: a fitting used and never charged, or a visit wasted because the part was not there. Compare software on whether it would catch those.
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page. Start with the one product you need and add others when they earn their place.
Last reviewed October 2026.
What people get wrong
- Choosing install software for a repair business, or the other way round.
- Keeping merchant orders on dockets that never reach the job.
- Not counting van stock, then wondering where the margin went.
- Storing certificate references somewhere nobody can search.
- Sharing merchant discount rates with everyone who has a login.
Related reading
- Order management
- Pay by link
- Job sheet template
- Purchase order template
- How IBIOS compares with field service software
Plumbing business software FAQs
Is IBIOS a field-service app for plumbers?
Not mainly. IBIOS is strongest on jobs with quotes, supplier orders and stock; if your work is mostly short reactive visits, a field-service suite may suit you better.
Does IBIOS issue gas safety certificates?
No. Keep issuing certificates through your existing tool; IBIOS keeps the job, materials and payments they relate to.
Can I quote from a merchant’s PDF?
Yes. IBIOS reads the merchant’s PDF into quote lines and matches them to your own products for you to check.
Can IBIOS track stock in my vans?
Yes. Stock can be held in more than one location, so each van can be a location; barcode scanning is coming soon.
Will IBIOS answer my phone when I am on a job?
Not yet. The AI receptionist is coming soon; today IBIOS produces call reports from recordings your phone provider already makes.
How do I get IBIOS?
Join the waiting list. IBIOS is in early access and there is no free trial.
Not sure which kind of software you need?
Tell us how your week splits between call-outs and installs. If a field-service suite is the better fit for you, we will say so.
IBIOS Limited · company no. NI743167 · 10 Ballyclare Road, Doagh, Ballyclare BT39 0PE · Production is hosted in the UK.
Quote faster. Spend less time chasing payment.
Early access by waiting list. Merchant quoting and Pay by Link — built for UK plumbing trade. Coming soon: AI answering.