Estimating Electrical Construction explains how to create a reliable estimate for residential, commercial or light industrial construction from essential preliminaries to submitting the final bid.

Every aspect of electrical estimating is covered-from plan take-off, to labor units, to material pricing, to assembly of the bid summary. Includes practical examples and sample forms to use on your jobs. Explains the electrical estimating process: types of bids and elements of each, what to look for on the job walk, how to deal with suppliers and use pricing sheets, how to modify labor units, and how to avoid the most common electrical estimating mistakes.

A complete estimate for a commercial building is included, starting with the scope of work, the materials and equipment to use, installation requirements, and a complete set of plans for the electrical system. Worksheets, pricing sheets, the bid summary sheet, telephoned quotations and the spreadsheets are all provided so you can compare your work with what an experienced professional electrical estimator would do.

Includes detailed instructions for:

• Selecting projects.
• Completing an estimate manually.
• Smart bidding.
• Doing the material takeoff.
• Using estimating software.
• Pricing for profit.
• Calculating material costs.
• Figuring overhead & profit.
• Dealing with change orders.
• Using an electronic measure and PC interface.
• Including all costs.
• Handling backcharges.
• Using alternates for cost-savings.
• Settling claims and disputes.

Explains click-by-click how to use the National Estimator electrical estimating software and the National Electrical Estimator, an annual cost book with a database of thousands of common electrical items, including material costs, manhours, and labor and equipment costs. The estimating forms and checklists in this book are included with the FREE trial download of National Electrical Estimator, the estimating program used throughout this book. Load these handy forms (in Excel, Word and PDF format) onto your hard drive. Then use them on all your electrical estimates.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: What Does It Take to Be an Electrical Estimator? Chapter 2: Finding Work & Submitting Bids. Chapter 3: First Steps in Estimating. Chapter 4: The Job Walk & Pre-Bid Conference. Chapter 5: Accurate Material Takeoff. Chapter 6: The Material Cost Estimate. Chapter 7: Completing Your Estimate Manually (Labor, Equipment & Subcontractor Costs). Chapter 8: Takeoff Worksheets with a Computer. Chapter 9: Figuring Costs with the National Electrical Estimator. Chapter 10: Overhead & Profit. Chapter 11: Other Costs to Consider. Chapter 12: Completing Your Estimates & Bids Manually. Chapter 13: Completing Your Estimates & Bids Electronically using National Estimator & Job Cost Wizard. Chapter 14: Cost Recording. Chapter 15: Smart Bidding. Chapter 16: Pricing Strategies & Selling Your Bid. Chapter 17: Change Orders. Chapter 18: Claims & Disputes. Index.

About the Author
Mark Tyler is the son of Edward Tyler, the electrical estimator who wrote the first edition of this book over 30 years ago. Ed’s estimating tools were primarily pencil, paper, and a calculator. Mark teaches the same principles. But his tools are very different: an electronic measuring device with PC interface, estimating software, and a database of thousands of electrical labor, material and equipment costs. Like most electrical estimators, Mark started as an electrician, progressed to estimator, and is now senior estimator/project manager for a large electrical contractor in the northwest.