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Estimating and Cost Control

 
Feeling the Bid
by
Stan Shook
| December 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Years ago, I was assisting a client on a $60-plus million electrical bid. There were more than 35 electrical bid form items, each one with three or four subcontractor or vendor quotations. The mayhem this created can’t be described.

READ MORE
 
Planning to Multitask
by
Stan Shook
| October 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Bid day is the most critical moment of your estimate. It is the time when you work with numbers and calculations, which can affect the entire job, not just the single installation.

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More Than One
by
Stan Shook
| September 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Although I never recommend it, estimators are often forced to work on more than one project at a time. This is especially true in today’s highly competitive and light-on-opportunities market. It is also very common with prebid estimates, which sometimes share the same bid date.

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Segregating Your Takeoff
by
Stan Shook
| August 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Estimating software is a very powerful tool, but it is not just a database of items and assemblies that allows you to enter your takeoff faster. In fact, takeoff entry is probably the slowest feature.

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The Answer Is ...
by
Stan Shook
| June 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Last month, I discussed how, when and why you should write a request for information (RFI). Of course, this is only half the battle.

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Why, How and When
by
Stan Shook
| May 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Electrical estimators are often placed in an almost impossible position. We are given raw schematics of large, complex buildings from which we are expected to estimate the cost of the many intricate electrical and signal installations they contain.

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Never Assume
by
Stan Shook
| April 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

With any project you estimate, everything you count or don’t count is relative to the project’s costs and how much profit your company will make. Calling a project “residential” doesn’t guarantee you will make money. Therefore, do not approach residential jobs casually.

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Use Downtime Wisely
by
Stan Shook
| January 2010
| under
  • Miscellaneous

It looks like 2010 might just be the jump start we have all been waiting for; per McGraw-Hill Construction’s “Outlook 2010 Executive Conference” industry analysts are forecasting an 11 percent increase in overall U.S. construction starts, mostly in housing and public works projects.

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Controlling the Light
by
Stan Shook
| December 2009
| under
  • Lighting

Today’s lighting control systems (LCS) are more elaborate and high-tech than ever.

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Not Your Grandpa's Estimator: Estimating Software
by
Stan Shook
| November 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Are you still wondering if you should buy estimating software? I know this seems like a silly question, especially with it being 2009 and all, but I consistently hear about (and from) many electrical contractors who are still not using software.

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Designing a 3-D World
by
Stan Shook
| October 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Building information modeling (BIM) is rapidly emerging as the standard coordination and design method of the future. It won’t be long before we look back and wonder how we survived without it.

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Tightening Up
by
Stan Shook
| September 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

An estimator recently asked how to tighten up his estimates without getting too far out of his comfort zone. His zone was 20-plus years experience and knowledge that told him exactly what jobs require; this was not helping him compete in our insanely aggressive and below-cost bidding environment.

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Not Easy Being Green
by
Stan Shook
| July 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

I attended a lecture recently where the guest speaker gave a detailed overview on building Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects, and I learned a surprising thing: It’s not only about the green materials used for the construction, but also how things are built.

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Long Walk On a Short Bridge
by
Stan Shook
| May 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Two of my previous articles go well with this one. “Are Your Estimators Bored?” (March 2006) and “Never Stop Bidding Work” (March 2008). They both address this article’s topic: keeping estimators busy. So off you go to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s archives at www.ecmag.com.

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Keeping Your Money Warm and Dry
by
Stan Shook
| April 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

Weather can play a major Role in how and when a project gets built. Estimators should seriously consider this when bidding.

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What Is an Estimator Worth?
by
Stan Shook
| February 2009
| under
  • Miscellaneous

I’m continually asked what I think estimators should be paid. It’s a complicated question. I think contractors should invest a lot of money on their estimating. However, as the owner of an outsource estimating firm, I may be a bit biased.

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Clocking In
by
Stan Shook
| January 2009
| under
  • Residential

One of my junior estimators asked, “What is a clock outlet?” So I wrote her back a simple answer. Yeah right. Me? A simple answer? Ha!

READ MORE
 
Rushing Counts Can Hurt
by
Stan Shook
| November 2008
| under
  • Miscellaneous

My team members and I recently estimated the most intensive lighting design we have ever seen: a major high-rise hotel in Las Vegas. Until you start one of these projects, you have no idea what intense lighting design entails.

READ MORE
 
Construction Meets Digital Data
by
Claire Swedberg
| November 2008
| under
  • Miscellaneous

The slowing economy may be challenging the construction industry, but technology vendors say they can help electrical contractors ride it out by making their work more efficient, allowing them to accomplish more estimates, spend less staff time looking for documents, and keep up with a world that i

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Seeing the Light
by
Stan Shook
| October 2008
| under
  • Miscellaneous

F1, A, B, D3, W, EX, Y AND Z; MA1, MA2, #3 and, oh, let's see; how about “not designated?” Do these look familiar? We see hundreds of them every day, in every design, on every job. They are lighting fixture identification tags, sometimes called designations, types or markers.

READ MORE

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