Client Challenge
The general contractor had 48 hours to submit a complete electrical bid on a 180,000 sq ft Class A office building. Their in-house team was already at capacity on two larger projects, and the bid documents included 847 pages of plans and specs across 12 divisions. They needed an electrical estimate that covered all power, lighting, low-voltage, and fire alarm systems — with enough detail to survive owner scrutiny and sub-bid review.
Our Approach
We assigned a dedicated electrical estimator with commercial office experience. The estimator performed a full CSI Division 26, 27, and 28 quantity takeoff using PlanSwift and Bluebeam, calibrated labor hours to local union rates, and sourced material pricing from three regional electrical distributors. The estimate included a color-coded marked-up plan set, editable Excel file with line-item detail by CSI division, and a one-page PDF summary for the bid package.
Results
Delivered in 42 hours — 6 hours ahead of deadline. The GC submitted the bid and won the 4.2M contract. Post-award, the electrical sub-contractor confirmed the estimate was within 2.1% of final project cost. The GC repeated the engagement on two follow-on projects in the same portfolio.
"Apex caught scope items our in-house team would have missed — the low-voltage and fire alarm takeoffs were especially detailed. We won the bid and stayed within budget."
— Commercial General Contractor, Midwest Region
Key Metrics
Related Services
Electrical Estimating Services
Accurate construction cost estimating for residential, commercial, and industrial projects.
Commercial Electrical Estimating
Office buildings, retail centers, hotels, restaurants, schools, and warehouses.
Electrical Takeoff Services
Detailed material takeoffs using PlanSwift, Bluebeam, and Accubid.