How long does an electrical takeoff and estimate take?
Short answer
For most commercial and institutional tender packages, a complete electrical takeoff and priced estimate takes 24 to 48 hours at Admiral Electrical. A small tenant fit-out can be faster; a multi-building project with hundreds of sheets is scheduled back from the bid closing. The delivery time is confirmed within one working hour of receiving the documents.
Typical turnaround by project
| Project | Typical scope | Typical delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant fit-out | Lighting, power, data on one or two floors | Within 24 hours |
| School addition or mid-size commercial | All systems, one building | 24–48 hours |
| Mid-rise residential | Suites, common areas, parking, metering | 24–48 hours |
| Large institutional or industrial | Several buildings or phases, long specifications | Scheduled to your closing |
| Takeoff only, no pricing | Quantities and marked-up drawings | Usually faster than a full estimate |
These are typical times. The exact delivery time for your package is confirmed before we start.
What makes a takeoff take longer
- The number of sheets to read, including architectural and mechanical sheets, not only the electrical ones.
- Systems in scope. Fire alarm, data and security add hundreds of small devices to count.
- Incomplete documents. Missing circuiting, schedules or details mean assumptions and RFIs.
- Addenda, especially ones that reissue drawings late in the tender.
- Existing conditions in renovations, where removals and re-feeds must be read from partial information.
Plan to the bid closing, not the hour count
What matters is having the estimate early enough to use it. Leave time for supplier quotes on the major equipment, your own review and markup, and late addenda. If your price closes through a bid depository, that closing is usually earlier than the general contractor's; plan to it.
How to get your estimate back faster
- Send the complete package at once, all disciplines and all addenda. See the tender documents checklist.
- Tell us the closing and the depository time in the first message.
- Say which systems are in your scope and which are carried by others.
- Send it as soon as you decide to bid. A package sent a week out is never rushed.
What if the deadline cannot be met?
We tell you within one working hour, before any work starts, and decline the job. We do not deliver late or cut corners to make a closing.