Tool profile
ORCA AVA: cost, fit and limits
ORCA AVA is a German tendering, awarding, billing and cost management program made by ORCA Software GmbH that handles project costs by DIN 276, offer writing and contract awards, with a mobile viewer for bill-of-quantities documents.
What to know first
ORCA AVA 27 is described on ORCA Software's German pages as a program for tendering, awarding, billing and cost management with project costs by DIN 276, bills of quantities in few clicks and a mobile ORCA LV Viewer. A free test of the full feature set, including all interfaces, can be requested, and trial data can be kept after buying a license. No prices are published, and no AI is named as a product feature.
ORCA AVA at a glance
| Maker | ORCA Software GmbH, Germany |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial only |
| Entry price | Quote only |
| API access | No |
| Category | Best AI Construction Estimating Software in 2026, rank 12 of 13 |
| Website | orca-software.com |
Who ORCA AVA is best for
German architects and planners
Project costs by DIN 276 and bill-of-quantities work follow the German construction process that planners and contracting authorities use, from cost estimate to tender and award.
Offices that want to test everything first
The free test version includes the full feature set and all interfaces, and data entered during the test survives a later purchase.
Teams that need tender text libraries
The AUSSCHREIBEN.DE tender text and product database is named on the page, which supports writing specifications without starting from blank text.
ORCA AVA plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| ORCA AVA 27 | Not published | Tendering, awarding, billing and cost management, with project costs by DIN 276, offer writing and contract awards. |
| Free test version | Free | Full feature set including all interfaces. Trial data can be kept after purchasing a license, per the page. |
| Purchased license | Not published | Licensing terms and price are not shown on the pages we read, so a quote is needed after the test. |
Checked November 2026.
What ORCA AVA does
- Project costs by DIN 276
- Costs are structured by the DIN 276 standard, the German cost-grouping system, which is how many German clients and authorities expect budgets to be presented, so the same figures flow into every report.
- Bill of quantities creation
- The page says bills of quantities can be created with few clicks, with the same data reused for offers and awarding, so quantities are entered once and carried through the project file.
- Offer writing and awarding
- The program supports writing offers and awarding contracts, so the comparison of bids and the award decision sit in the same project file next to the original bill of quantities.
- ORCA LV Viewer app
- A mobile app displays bill-of-quantities documents on site, so participants can read them on a phone or tablet without the full desktop program, though editing is not described.
- AUSSCHREIBEN.DE integration
- The page names AUSSCHREIBEN.DE as a tender text and product database, which connects specification writing to a content library of tender texts and product entries, so offices need not draft every position from scratch.
How ORCA AVA handles your data
The ORCA privacy page says the company's AI tools are set up so entered data is not used for training, to the extent technically and contractually provided, in the German original. It names Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude as tools the company may use internally, not as product features. Contact inquiries are deleted up to 6 months after processing and contract data is kept for 6 or 10 years under statutory rules. The page mentions a high-security data center without naming a region, and no certifications are named. Ask about hosting for the product itself.
Where ORCA AVA falls short in practice
- No AI product feature. The opened pages name no AI as a product feature, so a buyer who wants automated takeoff or AI drafting has to look at other tools.
- No prices on the pages. No prices or license terms are published, so cost can be learned only after a test or a conversation with sales, and license type is not described.
- BIM exchange is not detailed. Interface and BIM data exchange are mentioned but not described, so firms that depend on a model-based workflow must test the interfaces with their own files and their own architects' export formats.
Works with
Alternatives to ORCA AVA
ORCA AVA: common questions
Does ORCA AVA have a free trial?
Yes. A free test of the full feature set, including all interfaces, can be requested through the Testversion anfordern link. The page says data from the trial can be kept after you buy a license, so a pilot project does not have to be re-entered.
What is DIN 276 in ORCA AVA?
DIN 276 is the German standard for grouping building costs, and ORCA AVA 27 is described as handling project costs by that standard. Planners who must present budgets to German clients or authorities in that structure will find this relevant. Firms outside Germany should check local equivalents.
Does ORCA AVA use AI for takeoff?
No AI is named as a product feature on the pages we opened. The privacy page lists AI tools the company may use internally and says they are set up so entered data is not used for training, as far as technically and contractually provided.
How long does ORCA keep my data?
The privacy page says contact inquiries are deleted up to 6 months after processing, and contract data is kept for 6 or 10 years under statutory rules. That covers personal data handled by the company, not necessarily project files inside the software, so ask about the program separately.
What does the ORCA LV Viewer do?
The ORCA LV Viewer is a mobile app for bill-of-quantities documents, so people on site or in other offices can read tender documents without the full program. The page does not say whether the viewer can edit documents or only display them.