Division 26 · Electrical
Electrical estimating priced to the last conduit run
Electrical contractors lose margin in two places: feeders that were never measured and labor units that assume a perfect day. Our electrical estimators count every raceway, conductor, device and fixture from your drawings, apply NECA-based labor units adjusted for ceiling height and site conditions, and price material against current copper and gear quotes for your zip code.
- 5.0 Google
- 4.9 Trustpilot
- 4.9 Clutch
Projects estimated
Typical turnaround
Trade categories
Takeoff accuracy
Scope of takeoff
Electrical quantities we take off
Every item is measured on calibrated drawings, color-coded by system, and referenced to its sheet.
Conduit and raceway
EMT, rigid, PVC, flex and MC cable by trade size, with fittings and supports
Measured per run on power and lighting plans
Conductors and feeders
THHN, XHHW and MC by gauge, including makeup and vertical drops
Feeder schedule and panel-to-panel routing
Panelboards and switchgear
Switchboards, distribution panels, transformers, MCCs and disconnects
One-line diagram and panel schedules
Branch circuit devices
Receptacles, switches, GFCI, dimmers, occupancy sensors and plates
Counted per room on power plans
Lighting fixtures and controls
Fixtures by type from the schedule, emergency and exit lighting, lighting control panels
Fixture schedule and reflected ceiling plan
Boxes, fittings and supports
Device, junction and pull boxes, hangers, strut and anchors
Derived per device and per raceway length
Grounding and bonding
Ground rods, bus bars, bonding jumpers and ground rings
Grounding details and riser diagrams
Service entrance and site electrical
Utility coordination, duct banks, pole bases and site lighting
Site electrical and civil sheets
Fire alarm and life safety
Devices, notification appliances, FACP and SLC wiring
Division 28 fire alarm plans and riser
Low-voltage rough-in
Data, AV, security and access control pathways and backboxes
Technology plans and Division 27 specs
Generator and emergency power
Standby generator, ATS, load bank testing and fuel systems
Emergency one-line and equipment schedules
Labor hours by task
NECA units adjusted for height, phase and occupied conditions
Applied per item, summarized by area
Overview
What an electrical estimator actually measures
An electrical estimate is a count of every component that carries, controls or consumes power on the project, multiplied by the labor it takes to install each one in the field. The quantities come straight from the power, lighting, one-line and panel schedule sheets: linear feet of conduit by type and trade size, conductor footage by gauge, every box, device, fixture and piece of distribution equipment.
What separates a bid-winning electrical estimate from a spreadsheet of guesses is the labor side. We apply NECA labor units for each installation condition, then adjust for ceiling height, occupied-space work, tilt-up versus steel structure, and the number of mobilizations the schedule will force on your crews. Material is priced on the day we build the estimate, with copper and switchgear quoted against current supplier pricing rather than a stale database.
The result is a Division 26 estimate you can defend line by line: feeder schedules tied to the one-line, branch circuits traced on the floor plans, and a bill of materials your purchasing agent can send to the supply house without re-counting.
Estimate types
What type of electrical estimating can you get?
Match the estimate to where your project is. Every option is priced as a flat fee before work begins.
- 01
Hard-bid electrical estimate
Complete Division 26 pricing from construction documents, with feeders, branch circuits, gear, devices, lighting and labor organized by area and system for bid day.
Best for Plan-and-spec competitive bids
Precision±4–5%Turnaround48 hours - 02
Design-build electrical budget
Watts-per-square-foot and assembly-based pricing from schematic drawings, refined at each design milestone as panel schedules and fixture counts firm up.
Best for Design-build and negotiated work
Precision±10%Turnaround24–48 hours - 03
Electrical takeoff only
Measured conduit, wire, device and fixture quantities with a bill of materials, for contractors who apply their own labor units and vendor pricing.
Best for Shops with in-house pricing
PrecisionQuantities onlyTurnaround24 hours - 04
Service and tenant improvement pricing
Fast, assembly-driven pricing for panel upgrades, tenant fit-outs and lighting retrofits where speed matters more than a 200-line workbook.
Best for TI and service contractors
Precision±5%TurnaroundSame day to 24 hours - 05
Change-order and T&M validation
Independent quantities and labor for added scope, tied to the original contract set so owner approvals do not stall.
Best for Active projects
Precision±3%TurnaroundSame day
Process
How our estimating process works
Four steps from upload to a bid-ready estimate, with a senior estimator signing off before anything leaves our desk.
- 1
Step 1
Upload plans and scope
Send your drawings, specifications and bid invitation through the secure upload form. We confirm scope, deadline and a fixed price within two business hours.
- 2
Step 2
Digital quantity takeoff
Estimators measure every item from calibrated plans in Bluebeam and PlanSwift, color-coding each layer so quantities can be traced back to the drawing.
- 3
Step 3
Pricing and labor
Quantities are priced with location-adjusted material costs, crew productivity rates and equipment, then marked up to your overhead and profit targets.
- 4
Step 4
Senior review and delivery
A second estimator audits quantities and pricing, documents assumptions and exclusions, and delivers your Excel workbook, PDF summary and marked-up plans.
Why LEEDS
Why contractors switch to LEEDS
An estimating desk that behaves like an extension of your team, not a software subscription.
- Estimators who came up through electrical shops and read one-lines, panel schedules and riser diagrams fluently.
- NECA labor units adjusted for ceiling height, occupied work, structure type and mobilizations, not a flat hours-per-foot guess.
- Copper, aluminum and switchgear priced against current supplier quotes on the day the estimate is built.
- Every raceway and circuit color-coded on the plans so your foreman can verify quantities before the bid goes out.
- Feeder schedules reconciled to the one-line, so nothing between the utility and the last panel is missed.
- Fire alarm, low-voltage and site electrical captured as separate alternates when the bid form asks for them.
What's included in your estimate package
Every deliverable is formatted so it can go straight into a proposal, a purchase order or an owner report.
Estimate workbook
Marked-up plans
Material procurement list
Labor hours by task
Estimate workbook XLSX
Quantities, unit costs, labor hours and totals organized by CSI division, with subtotals, markups and a bid summary tab.
Marked-up plans PDF
Color-coded takeoff drawings showing exactly where every measured quantity came from.
Material procurement list XLSX
Consolidated material quantities with waste factors applied, ready to send to suppliers for quotes.
Labor hours by task XLSX
Crew-based labor hours and productivity rates so you can check the schedule against the estimate.
Assumptions and exclusions log PDF
Every clarification, allowance and exclusion documented so your proposal scope is defensible.
Bid summary sheet PDF
A proposal-ready one-page summary with overhead, profit, bonds and contingency applied.
On site and on the drawings
The work behind every electrical estimating
Tap any image to open it full screen.
Reviews
What contractors say after their first bid with us
What general contractors, subcontractors and developers say after bidding with our numbers.
“The conduit and wire takeoff matched what my foreman pulled from the drawings almost to the foot. Labor hours were realistic for our crews. It is the first outsourced estimate I did not have to redo.”
Dana Okafor
Owner, Okafor Electric · Houston, TX
“We were turning down bids because our two in-house estimators were buried. LEEDS gave us division-by-division numbers in 48 hours that leveled cleanly against our sub quotes. We bid 40% more work last quarter and our hit rate went up, not down.”
Marcus Whitfield
Chief Estimator, Whitfield Commercial Builders · Charlotte, NC
“Change-order pricing came back the same day with quantities tied to the original contract set. The owner approved without a single question.”
Rob Castellano
Senior PM, Castellano Construction Management · Newark, NJ
CSI divisions
CSI MasterFormat divisions we cover
Estimates are organized by division so they drop straight into your cost codes and schedule of values.
Highlighted divisions are the primary scope on this page.
FAQ
Electrical Estimating FAQs
Straight answers on scope, turnaround, pricing and deliverables.
Do you price electrical labor with NECA units or a flat rate per foot?
We apply NECA Manual of Labor Units for each installation condition and then adjust for ceiling height, occupied space, structure type and the mobilizations your schedule implies. Flat rates per foot hide exactly the conditions that cause overruns, so we avoid them unless you ask for a quick budget number.
How do you handle copper price volatility?
Conductor and bus pricing is pulled from current supplier quotes on the day we build the estimate, and the workbook separates copper-indexed items so you can re-price them in minutes if the bid is held open or the market moves before award.
Can you estimate from incomplete electrical drawings?
Yes. For schematic or design-development sets we build an assembly-based budget using watts per square foot, device density and fixture allowances, then document every assumption so the estimate can be refined as panel schedules and fixture types are finalized.
Do you include fire alarm, data and security in the electrical estimate?
We capture Division 27 and 28 scope whenever it appears on the drawings, and we break it out as separate alternates or a separate workbook tab so you can include or exclude it to match the bid form and your subcontracting plan.
Will the bill of materials match what my purchasing agent needs?
Yes. Material quantities are consolidated by catalog description, rounded to purchasable lengths and box counts, and exported in a format you can send straight to the supply house for quotes.
What is the typical turnaround on an electrical estimate?
Most tenant improvement and mid-size commercial sets are delivered within 48 hours. Service upgrades and small TI jobs are often same day. Large ground-up projects are scheduled individually, and we confirm the delivery date before starting.
Related
Related estimating services
Most projects need more than one trade. Bundle them into a single upload and we price the whole scope together.
Blog
Insights from the estimating desk
Practical guidance on bidding, takeoffs and protecting margin.
Ready for a electrical estimating quote?
Upload your plans and get a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Most estimates are delivered in 24–48 hours.