Electrical estimating questions and answers

The complete tender package and your bid closing date and time. That means the full drawing set for every discipline (not only the E-sheets), the specifications including Divisions 01, 26, 27 and 28, all addenda issued so far, and the bid form. We use the architectural and mechanical sheets too: ceiling types, heights and equipment connections change the price. See the tender documents checklist.

We answer calls and email Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. You can send drawings any time, 24/7; we reply within the next working hours.

You can courier or mail printed sets to us. If your drawings are digital, email them or send a download link and we print what we need ourselves at no charge.

Yes. If your price closes through a bid depository, give us that closing time as well as the general contractor's. The depository closing is usually earlier, and we schedule the estimate to it.

Most tender packages are delivered in 24 to 48 hours. Large or multi-building sets are scheduled back from your bid closing. We confirm the delivery time within one working hour of receiving the drawings, and if we cannot meet your deadline we say so then and decline the job.

We tell you within one working hour of receiving the drawings, before any work starts. We do not take a job we cannot finish on time. It has been our rule since the company was founded in 2009.

Send it as soon as it is issued. Small addenda are updated at no charge. For larger ones we confirm the time and cost first, then update the affected systems and send a revised estimate with the changes listed, so your bid reflects the final documents.

Each project gets a fixed price, quoted within one working hour after we see the drawings. The price depends on the number of sheets, which systems are in scope, the length of the specification and how soon you need it. We do not charge a percentage of your bid. See how pricing works.

Yes. We usually price the whole project at once, because contractors prefer a known cost. If an hourly rate suits your workflow better, send the drawings to [email protected] and we will estimate the hours before starting.

By cheque, direct deposit, Interac e-Transfer or PayPal. If you prefer another method, suggest it.

Because the cost of an estimate is small next to the cost of a wrong bid. Every estimate is priced by an estimator with 30+ years of experience and checked by the owner before it leaves the office. Missing one feeder or a floor of devices costs more than the difference in estimating fees.

Yes, for estimates we prepared, and few estimating services offer it. If the general contractor or owner questions your electrical price, we justify the quantities, labour and pricing line by line, drawing on 30+ years of experience. It can be done by phone, by email or in person, whichever suits you. It is a paid service; the fee depends on the format and is agreed in advance. See estimate defence.

Usually after the bid, when the general contractor calls a scope review, says your electrical price is high compared with other bidders, claims items are missing or duplicated, or asks for savings through value engineering. The same happens when an owner or cost consultant reviews a negotiated price.

You send us the general contractor's questions. We go back to the estimate and the marked-up drawings, prepare the answers item by item (quantities, labour units, site conditions, specification requirements), and then either write them up for you, go through them with the general contractor by phone, or attend the meeting in person.

A complete, priced estimate built in Accubid Pro:

• Quantity takeoff of every system in scope, broken down by system
• Quoted material and database material pricing
• Labour hours from the Accubid labour database, adjusted for site conditions
• A list of materials to send to your suppliers for quotes
• RFIs covering discrepancies, missing information and items that need clarification
• A lead letter and correspondence with the architect or engineer, if required

By email: the estimate summary and detail as PDF and Excel, the supplier material list in Excel, and colour-coded marked-up drawings in PDF so your team can check every count. See sample estimates.

Accubid Pro for pricing and labour. Takeoffs are done on screen from your PDF drawings, and every counted item is marked on the drawing so you can see what was included.

We start from the Accubid Pro labour units and adjust them for the conditions shown in the documents: installation heights, ceiling types, occupied or phased work, access, and the building type. Hours are priced at your labour rate, and every adjustment is listed so you can change it to match your crew.

Standard material is priced from the Accubid Pro database. For major items such as switchgear, lighting packages and fire alarm equipment, we request prices from your own suppliers, using the contacts you give us, so the estimate reflects the prices you will actually pay.

Yes. Feeders are measured run by run with conduit or cable type, size and conductors. Branch circuits are measured from the circuiting on the drawings, and home runs to each panel are included. Every measured run is highlighted on the marked-up drawings.

Yes. We list every discrepancy and missing item we find as an RFI, and if you want, we correspond with the architect or engineer directly on your behalf.

Yes, from $49 per project. If you price in-house, we deliver the counts and lengths by system with marked-up drawings and an Excel takeoff, without material pricing or labour.

Yes. After delivery we go through the estimate with your team by phone, by email or in person, explain any assumption and answer questions until your bid closes.

Lighting fixtures and controls, distribution and feeders, branch wiring, wiring devices, fire alarm, voice and data, security and CCTV, audio/visual, heat tracing and mechanical control wiring, and other systems shown in the documents. See electrical estimating services.

Commercial, institutional, industrial and multi-unit residential work, from tenant fit-outs to new schools, plants and mid-rise buildings, both new construction and renovations of occupied buildings.

Mainly electrical contractors who bid more work than their own estimators can handle, or who need a second check before closing. General contractors and developers also use us for electrical budgets and to check subcontractor prices.

We work the way contractors use a freelance electrical estimator: per project, only when you need us. The difference is that you get an established company, founded in 2009, whose founder has 30+ years of estimating experience, Accubid Pro, and a senior check on every estimate. If you bid often, a monthly subscription costs less per project.

Yes. We are based in Toronto and most of our work is in Ontario, but we estimate projects across Canada. Tell us the project location so we can account for local conditions and requirements.

Yes. Your documents and your estimate are used only for your bid and are not shared with anyone. We will sign your non-disclosure agreement if you need one.

We tell you before you commit. If we have already been asked to estimate the same tender by another contractor, you hear it when we send our price, and you decide whether to go ahead. Your documents, quantities and prices are never shared with anyone else.