Updated 2026-09-09
MeasureIH vs Word, Excel, and email
What you lose when an IH proposal lives in a shared drive and an inbox.
Bottom line
Word, Excel, and email is how most IH proposals still ship. You keep familiar files and lose option selection, attributed views, and a signature you can prove. MeasureIH drafts CIH-style scope, prices from a catalog, and sends a portal with e-sign.
Why do most firms still use Word, Excel, and email?
Because it is already on the laptop. You type the scope, you keep rates in a spreadsheet, you attach a PDF. That is the usual path for air sampling, IH assessments, and related scopes. It is not a straw man. The cost is version drift, no option selection, and no record of who opened or signed. Industrial hygiene proposal software exists for that gap. How to write an industrial hygiene proposal is the outline either stack should follow.
How do the two stacks compare side by side?
| Need | Word + Excel + email | MeasureIH |
|---|---|---|
| Draft IH language | You type methods and limitations | Draft from a call, notes, or PDF/DOCX |
| Price from a catalog | Paste from Excel into Word | Catalog line items, options, and add-ons |
| Client picks options | Reply to the PDF, if they reply | Select on the portal before they sign |
| Who opened, and e-sign | Inbox guesses and a scanned page | Attributed visits, type or draw, status |
| Brand as the firm | Your letterhead, if the file is current | Logo and colors on Consultant. Firm white-label |
What happens after you send in each stack?
In email, you wait. A client portal verifies email with a 6-digit code or magic link, needs no account, and attributes visits. The client can share the link. They sign by typing or drawing. Status is draft, sent, viewed, accepted, change requested, lost, or revoked. A PDF has none of that. Generic tools in the PandaDoc, Qwilr, or Proposify style wrap a document and e-sign. They do not know analytes, sample counts, lab pass-through, or CIH limitations language. See the 2026 comparison and the product page.
What does it cost to leave the inbox?
Word is already paid for. MeasureIH is Consultant $199/mo or $1,990/yr (1 login, 10 sends) or Firm $799/mo or $7,990/yr (3 logins, 25 sends, leads, insights, projects, and team). New workspaces start on a 14-day Firm trial with 25 trial-month sends. Enterprise is custom: unlimited sends, SSO, sampling, equipment, paperwork, HR, finance, a custom sending domain, and an AI video intro. Pricing and use cases have the plan fit.
Questions people ask
- Is Word still normal for IH firms?
- Yes. Most firms write in Word, price in Excel, and send by email. The gap is what happens after send: options, who opened, and a recorded signature.
- What does MeasureIH add that Word cannot?
- Draft from a call, notes, or PDF/DOCX into CIH-style methods, limitations, and deliverables. Catalog prices the client selects. A portal with email verify, attributed visits, and typed or drawn e-sign.
- Do generic proposal tools close that gap?
- They wrap a document and e-sign. They do not know analytes, sample counts, lab pass-through, or CIH limitations language. MeasureIH is built for IH scopes.
- What does MeasureIH cost versus staying in Word?
- Word is already paid for. MeasureIH is Consultant $199/mo or $1,990/yr (1 login, 10 sends) or Firm $799/mo or $7,990/yr (3 logins, 25 sends). New workspaces start on a 14-day Firm trial.
Start a 14-day Firm trial
Draft from a call or scope doc, price from your catalog, and send a client portal. No credit card theater. Subscribe when you want to keep sending.