Electrical estimating services
Our electrical estimator service prepares complete electrical estimates and quantity takeoffs for electrical and general contractors bidding in Ontario. Every system in the tender documents is counted, marked on the drawings and priced for material and labour in Accubid Pro, then delivered in 24–48 hours with a supplier list and RFIs.
Services and project types
The systems are the same; what changes is how the work is built, phased and priced.
- Estimate defenceWhen the general contractor questions your price, we justify it with you, line by line. Few estimators offer it.
- Commercial and institutionalOffices, retail, schools, colleges, hospitals and long-term care, including renovations of occupied buildings.
- IndustrialPlants, warehouses and process expansions: 600 V distribution, motor feeds, controls, cable tray and heat tracing.
- Multi-unit residentialCondominiums, apartments, townhouse blocks and retirement residences, estimated suite type by suite type.
- Fire alarm and low voltageFire alarm, voice and data, security, CCTV, access control and AV, as part of a full estimate or on their own.
Accurate electrical estimating, system by system
Each system is estimated as its own section of the estimate, with its own labour hours and its own colour on the marked-up drawings. You can check it, adjust it, or drop it from your price if another trade carries it.
Lighting fixtures and controls
Fixtures counted by type from the lighting schedule, including emergency lighting, exit signs and site lighting. Occupancy and daylight sensors, dimming, low voltage lighting control panels and the wiring between them. Mounting heights and ceiling types are read from the architectural drawings, because a fixture in a T-bar ceiling and the same fixture on a 6 m pendant are different labour.
Distribution and feeders
Service entrance, switchboards, transformers, panelboards, splitters and disconnects, plus every feeder measured by length with its conduit or cable type, conductor size and terminations. Utility requirements, metering and grounding are listed so nothing between the utility and the panels is left out.
Branch wiring and wiring devices
Receptacles, switches, junction boxes, floor boxes and power poles, with branch circuits and home runs measured from the panel schedules and circuit numbers on the drawings. Where circuiting is not shown, we apply the method stated in the estimate and raise an RFI.
Fire alarm
Initiating and signalling devices, modules, panels, annunciators and wiring, with verification carried as a separate line. See fire alarm and low voltage estimating.
Voice, data and audio/visual
Outlets and cable counts, average cable runs, cable tray and supports, racks, terminations and testing, and AV rough-in.
Security and CCTV
Cameras, card readers, door contacts, request-to-exit devices, electrified hardware connections, intrusion devices and their cabling.
Mechanical control wiring and heat tracing
Power connections to mechanical equipment from the mechanical schedules, starters, disconnects, control wiring where it is in the electrical scope, and heat trace circuits. See industrial electrical estimating.
What every estimate includes
Built in Accubid Pro and delivered by email before your closing. For what a complete estimate should contain, see what is included in an electrical estimate.
| Deliverable | What it contains | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate summary | Material, labour hours and direct cost for each system, with totals | PDF, Excel |
| Estimate detail | Every item with quantity, material price and labour units, grouped by system | PDF, Excel |
| Marked-up drawings | Every counted item and measured run highlighted in its system colour | |
| Supplier material list | Major equipment and packages, with prices requested from your own suppliers | Excel |
| RFIs | Discrepancies, missing information and items that need clarification | PDF, Word |
| Clarifications and exclusions | What the price is based on and what it leaves out, ready for your bid letter | PDF, Word |
Full estimate or takeoff only
Most contractors want the full priced estimate. If you price in-house, we deliver the quantities only, from $49.
Also available: estimate defence with the general contractor, and monthly plans for contractors who bid often.
| Included | Full estimate | Takeoff only |
|---|---|---|
| Quantities by system | Yes | Yes |
| Marked-up drawings | Yes | Yes |
| Material pricing | Yes | No |
| Labour hours | Yes | No |
| Supplier material list | Yes | Yes |
| RFIs | Yes | Yes |
Who uses the service
Mostly electrical contractors estimating more work than their team can price. Sometimes the general contractor or owner on the other side of the table.
- Electrical contractors with more tenders than estimators
- Send the jobs your team cannot get to, and bid more work without hiring for the peaks.
- Electrical contractors before a large closing
- Use our estimate as an independent check against your own number.
- General contractors and developers
- Get an electrical budget early, or check the electrical subcontractor prices you receive.
Questions about the service
Which electrical systems do you estimate?
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.
Do you take off conduit and wire?
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.
Can you do a quantity takeoff only, without pricing?
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.
Are you a freelance electrical estimator?
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.
Who are your clients?
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.
What if another contractor asks you to estimate the same project?
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.
Send the drawings. Get a fixed price within one working hour.
Tell us your bid closing. If we cannot meet it, we say so before any work starts. And if the general contractor later questions your price, we defend it with you.