Devices & receptacles
Receptacles, switches, data outlets, and floor boxes counted by type and room off the power and lighting plans — with boxes, plates, and rings included.
Electrical EstimatingElectrical estimates
Electrical estimates
that hold up at final inspection.
Your Buildbid agent reads the electrical drawings, panel schedules, and specs, then returns devices, fixtures, wire, and conduit — priced at your labor units, in minutes.
Devices counted, not averagedWire and conduit by runGear at your vendor quotes
What the agent takes off. Every circuit.
Quantities come off your drawings and schedules. Labor comes from your units. Nothing is filled in from a per-square-foot average.
Lighting fixtures & controls
Fixtures matched to the lighting schedule by type tag, with occupancy sensors, dimming, and lighting control panels scoped from the sequences.
Branch wire & conduit
Homerun and branch circuit lengths measured by route, with conduit type, size, fittings, and fill checked against the circuit count.
Distribution & gear
Switchboards, panelboards, transformers, and disconnects pulled from the one-line and panel schedules, priced at your gear quotes and lead times.
Feeders & service
Feeder sizes, parallel sets, and lengths taken from the riser and one-line, so the most expensive copper on the job is measured, not guessed.
Low voltage & fire alarm
Fire alarm devices, security, access control, and structured cabling separated by system, so you can self-perform or carry a sub number.
Equipment connections
Mechanical, plumbing, and owner equipment connections tied to the other trades' schedules, so no RTU or water heater ships without power.
Temporary power & testing
Temp power, grounding, testing, and startup surfaced as line items you decide on, instead of scope that shows up after the award.
What you get back
Quantity takeoff
Every device, fixture, and run with units, locations, and the sheet it came from.
Gear and fixture comparison
Schedule quantities against your vendor quotes, so substitutions and lead times are visible early.
Labor hours by system
Hours per system and per floor at your labor units, so the schedule matches the number.
Your rates, your markup
Material, labor, and sub rates you set — applied the same way on every bid.
And the summary: a bid you can defend line by line, out the door before the addendum deadline.
Where electrical bids leak money.
Four assumptions that decide whether an electrical bid makes margin. Your agent makes each one explicit, priced, and visible before you submit.
Homerun lengths
Branch circuits priced off a typical length come up short on long floors — and copper is the line item that moves.
Fixture substitutions
An approved-equal package with different drivers or controls changes labor, not just material.
Other trades' equipment
Connections to mechanical and owner equipment buried in other divisions turn into unpriced work.
Gear lead times
Switchgear quoted today may not hold. Escalation and long lead items belong in the price.
How it works
1
We build your agent
Tell us how you price electrical work — your labor units, assemblies, vendor discounts, and markups. We train a custom AI agent on your way of bidding.
2
Drop in your plans
Upload the electrical drawings, panel schedules, and specs. Your agent reads them and builds a detailed electrical takeoff.
3
Get the estimate fast
Review quantities, labor hours, and a complete line-item estimate in a fraction of the usual time — then tweak, approve, and send the bid.
How to estimate electrical bids
Electrical bids come down to accurate counts, measured runs, and honest labor units. Here is a step-by-step process for bidding electrical jobs.
- 01
Count devices and fixtures by type
Go room by room on the power and lighting plans. Count receptacles, switches, data outlets, and every fixture by its schedule tag.
- 02
Price gear from the one-line
List switchboards, panels, transformers, and disconnects from the one-line diagram and panel schedules, then get vendor quotes and lead times.
- 03
Measure feeders and branch circuits
Measure feeder lengths from the riser, and branch and homerun lengths by actual route. Size conduit and fittings to match the wire fill.
- 04
Separate low voltage and fire alarm
Break out fire alarm, security, access control, and data so you can self-perform or carry a sub price for each system.
- 05
Apply labor units
Multiply each quantity by your labor units and adjust for working height, ceiling type, and building conditions.
- 06
Check equipment connections and temp power
Cross-check mechanical and plumbing schedules for every unit that needs power, and price temporary power, testing, and startup.
How do electricians estimate labor?
Most use labor units — hours per device, per foot of conduit, or per fixture — then adjust for job conditions. Your own historical units beat published tables.
Can I price electrical work per square foot?
Per-square-foot pricing works for budgets, but competitive bids need a real takeoff. Fixture packages and feeder lengths swing the number too much.
Buildbid.ai builds a custom AI agent that does these steps on your plans, at your rates, so every electrical bid goes out faster and more consistent.
Read the full electrical estimating guide →Ready to put an AI agent
on your electrical estimates?
Send us a set of electrical drawings and how you price devices and wire today. We'll show you the takeoff and the number a custom Buildbid agent comes back with.