Electrical · Commercial · Residential

Electrical subcontractors, and the work they bid

Electrical is usually the longest-lead trade on a job and the one most likely to hold up a certificate of occupancy, so it gets bid early and it gets bid carefully. Post a scope with your drawings and gear list and let licensed electrical contractors price it, or — if you run the crew — find open electrical scopes in your area and put your number in front of the GC the same day.

Post electrical work Bid on electrical work

Free to open an account on either side. No card required.

What gets bid

Scopes electrical bids usually cover

A posted scope can be any part of this. The more of it the drawings settle up front, the closer the bids come back to each other.

Service upgrades, distribution panels and switchgear
Branch circuits, device rough-in and trim
Lighting packages and lighting controls, including energy-code compliance
Fire alarm and low-voltage rough-in
Temporary power and site lighting
Generator, transfer switch and emergency power tie-ins

Hiring electrical crews

What to check before you award

Licence, and whose licence it is: Electrical is licensed at state level and usually pinned to a named master electrician of record. Check the licence is current and that the person holding it is actually attached to the company bidding — not a name borrowed for the application.
Who is doing the fire alarm: Plenty of electrical contractors sublet fire alarm to a specialist. That is normal, but it needs to be stated in the bid, because a fire alarm scope everyone assumed was included is a schedule problem discovered at inspection.
Gear lead times, in writing: Switchgear and panelboards have been the longest-lead item on most commercial jobs for several years running. A bid that doesn't name a lead time is a bid that hasn't checked one.

Post electrical work

Bidding electrical work

What makes a bid win this trade

Name the gear lead time: A GC comparing three electrical bids on price alone is guessing about the schedule. Stating your switchgear lead time — and whether it's quoted or confirmed — is often what wins the award over a cheaper number.
Say what's owner-furnished: Fixtures, gear and controls are frequently owner-furnished, and a bid that silently assumes either way is the bid that produces a change order. Spell it out.
Carry permits and inspections separately: Break permit fees and inspection time out as their own line rather than burying them. It reads as a bid from someone who has done this before.

Find electrical work

Where electrical scopes show up

Tenant fit-outsMultifamily rough-inService and panel upgradesWarehouse lighting retrofits

Whichever side you’re on, the record stays on the job — scope, bids, award, progress, invoices and the review at the end. See how a job runs, or what the plans cost.

Other trades

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