What do we need to provide the most accurate estimate?

By Neil Shaw
Chief Estimator

In the last few years, the process of bidding a project has changed dramatically.  It wasn’t too long ago that we would receive full sets of complete plans for bidding, shipped in by the postal service or picked up at the general contractor’s office by our salesmen.  Those days are gone.  Now, we receive everything electronically and usually well before the design documents are complete.

So, what do we need to provide a reasonably accurate price from these early documents?  At a minimum we need plans that have some basic dimensions on them.  With the modern hi-tech drawing systems in use today (Autocad, Bluebeam, etc.), if the documents have any dimensions on them, we can scale off those known dimensions and verify the size of areas without dimensions quite easily.

In addition to dimensions, building cross-sections are very helpful in seeing what the architect has in mind, which generally cannot be defined from the floor plans and elevations.  With so many buildings being put on sloped sites or incorporating atriums, balconies, mezzanines, etc., it is very easy to miss the design concept without the cross-sections.

In the case of our load-bearing podium projects, the loads from above are critical in providing an accurate price.  Designers are constantly trying to get the most out of every structural element in these buildings and therefore are pushing the products to their design limits.  To know for sure we can make our components work, the loads are essential.

Finally, in the case of wall panel projects, there are a number of items needed for an accurate estimate.  What are the expected exterior and interior finishes - painted, sandblasted, troweled, etc.?  Are there special colors involved in the concrete mix?  What insulation R-value is needed?  Are the panels load-bearing or not?  Are we free to change panel widths to be more efficient?

Obviously, the more information we receive the more accurate we can be, but the above items give us the best opportunity to provide a solid price to our customers.