Full Electrical Estimates

Who This Service Is For

A full electrical estimate may be appropriate when you:

  • Need help preparing a construction bid

  • Do not have enough internal estimating capacity

  • Want a project estimated without hiring a full-time estimator

  • Need quantities, labor, and costs developed together

  • Want an organized estimate that can be reviewed before bidding

  • Need field-informed scope notes, assumptions, and risk identification

This service is designed for drawing-based residential, commercial, and other agreed electrical construction projects.

What Is Reviewed

Depending on the project and accepted proposal, the review may include:

  • Electrical drawings and schedules

  • Relevant architectural and mechanical drawings

  • Project specifications

  • Addenda and issued revisions

  • Bid instructions and proposal requirements

  • Electrical service and distribution

  • Feeders and branch circuits

  • Lighting and lighting controls

  • Devices and equipment connections

  • Grounding and bonding

  • Raceway, conductors, boxes, fittings, and supports

  • Applicable demolition and renovation work

  • Alternate pricing and allowances

  • Potential scope gaps or conflicts

Relevant non-electrical documents are reviewed only as necessary to understand the electrical scope.

What Your Estimate May Include

The exact deliverables are established in your written proposal. A full estimate may include:

  • Electrical quantity takeoff

  • Labor-hour development

  • Material pricing and cost development

  • Equipment, subcontractor, or supplier quotation entries

  • Direct-cost summary

  • Scope notes and assumptions

  • Identified exclusions

  • Alternates or separate pricing

  • Request for Information questions

  • Bid-readiness review

  • Estimate summary

  • Customer-facing proposal, when specifically requested

Deliverables can be adjusted to fit the project. For example, a contractor who already has supplier quotations may need labor development and estimate organization without requiring every material price to be independently researched.

What You Must Provide

To prepare the estimate, please provide all available and relevant documents, including:

  • Current drawings

  • Project specifications

  • Addenda and revisions

  • Bid date and submission deadline

  • Clearly defined electrical scope

  • Bid form or proposal requirements

  • Known exclusions or special instructions

  • Supplier and subcontractor quotations

  • Preferred labor rates or labor units, if applicable

  • Tax, permit, bond, insurance, or prevailing-wage requirements

  • Any company-specific estimating standards

Missing or late information may affect the price, schedule, assumptions, and completeness of the estimate.

What Is Not Automatically Included

Unless specifically included in the accepted proposal, a full estimate does not automatically include:

  • Engineering or electrical system design

  • Sealed drawings or engineering calculations

  • Code-compliance certification

  • Permit preparation or submission

  • Site visits or field verification

  • Supplier or subcontractor procurement

  • Guaranteed material pricing

  • Guaranteed labor productivity

  • Guaranteed bid acceptance or project profitability

  • Contract or legal review

  • Unlimited revisions

  • Post-bid negotiations

  • Change-order estimating after the original estimate is completed

An estimate is a decision-making tool based on the documents and information available at the time. The contractor remains responsible for reviewing and approving the final bid.

Ready to Have Your Project Estimated?

Send your plans, specifications, addenda, scope information, and bid deadline. After reviewing the documents, Knecht Electrical Estimating will provide a written proposal explaining the scope, deliverables, fee, and expected completion date.

Request an Electrical Estimate