Fundamental Electrical Estimating Syllabus

Please scroll down to the class which interests you,
Eight Week Home Study Class
Four day Class Room Format
Six Week Webinar Class - One 2 Hour Class per Week

Our classes are 100% manual estimating - which can assist in either manual or computer electrical estimating. We believe that an estimator should understand how to structure an electrical estimate. We are attempting to teach you how to estimate manually however setting you up to utilize a computer estimating software system now or in the near future. We do not endorse any estimating software systems in this class. What we stress is to structure an estimate in a manner that assist our students in understanding the content of their estimate. We supply an excel spreadsheet that can help calculate the math, if wanted for a really basic excel format to help estimate manually. If a software system is in your firm's future, we encourage investigating various estimating software systems. Demo them until one is found that makes the most sense for your firm. Most major estimating systems are extremely accurate; the differences are typically in the subtle manner in which they are set up, the learning curve for each system, which features will you need and which will you use. What is the technical support like for each estimating system you are considering purchasing? The last item in the consideration should be price, these fluctuate radically. Inexpensive software may turn out to be very expensive in the long run; however expensive software is not always the best either, we know of some good estimating software systems that are priced significantly lower then other software that do a good job.

WE ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS, WE ADVISE OUR STUDENTS TO ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT BE SHY. THE QUESTIONS ASKED WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HELP OTHERS WHO ARE TO SHY TO ASK.

The text that is included will be referenced in class but will not be read in class or even have all the sections in the text completely reviewed. The text has the primary purpose of being a reference guide for our students after class is complete.

We will cover a vast amount of material; the homework for most students is a must to get all that can be achieved from this class. Should a student in a class room setting elect not to complete this homework we will have substitute homework for them to use during the second session. Homestudy students must complete the homework assigned

WE ALWAYS ASK THIS QUESTION, WITH ALL THE TUTITION, TIME AND LOST PRODUCTIVITY FROM WORK BEING SPENT ON STUDENTS TO ATTEND THIS CLASS WHY WOULD THOSE STUDENTS NOT INVEST THE ADDED TIME TO GET ALL THE VALUE THIS TRAINING HAS TO OFFER OUT OF THIS CLASS BY COMPLETING THE HOMEWORK? IN OUR OPINION IT IS A SMALL INVESTMENT INTO THE STUDENTS FUTURE.

Questions regarding homework or class materials are always accepted and answered, generally within twenty-four hours or less. Once the class is completed all students have an additional three months to continue asking generic questions regarding estimating to help cement the concepts learned in class.

Home Study format
Eight week class

This class is paced as an eight week course - it is a one on one course, between the student and instructor, where we talk once a week at a pre-selected time that works with both our schedules. Homework is a huge element in all of our estimating classes, in this format however the homework critical. After every conversation except our final conversation homework will be assigned. This homework needs to be completed, scanned into your computer and emailed to us five days after every scheduled conversation. It will be reviewed, marked up and returned to you via email before our next scheduled conversation.

This is a good way for new contractors / estimators to learn a method behind estimating an electrical project. It allows one on one time at a slower pace than either the class room or webinar class and has the ability for some schedule adjustment. It is not however for everyone. We do not baby sit our students, we will email you once or twice when a homework assignment is late. You will also miss the interaction of the students normally associated with a classroom class. No refunds are given once class materials are mailed.

• First week

• Introductions
• Your plan
• A talk about what jobs to bid and which to avoid
• Bid documents including specifications
• Tools and methods to use them
• Vendor relationships
• Labor burden calculation
• Company overhead calculation
• Quotable takeoff for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework

• Second week2

• Review of week #1 homework
• Feeder takeoff for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework

• Third week

• Review of week #2 homework
• Branch takeoff for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework

• Fourth week

• Review of week #3 homework
• Device takeoff for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework
• We will discuss the importance of special systems as they relate to your estimate

• Fifth week

• Review of week #4 homework
• The explosion of all the assemblies that have made up our previous assignments. We will discuss how to explode and your homework will be to finish them all.

• Sixth week

• Review of week #5 homework
• Now that your explosions are complete it is now time to insert commodity material prices and labor units, we will discuss how to do this. Material prices and labor units are supplied for this practice estimate only.

• Seventh conversation week #7

• Review of week #6 homework
• We will discuss the estimate total and how to complete a cap sheet to determine our best strategy. Your homework will be to complete this cap sheet

• Eighth conversation week #8

• Review of week #7 homework
• Proposals will take most of out time this week, we will discuss way to be as competitive as possible and still protect our firm
• We will finish our class with a discussion on Change Orders

We are not taking off the fire alarm on this project as it is a design and build. We will discuss methods behind fire alarm systems in class. If our students want to complete this we will assist them outside of class hours via email with this fire alarm takeoff.

Local class room format
Four - four hour classes

This class is paced as a four days course; depending on participation from our students, some of the classes may run long or short depending on how many questions are asked.

• Day One

• Introductions
• Your plan
• A talk about what jobs to bid and which to avoid
• Bid documents including specifications
• Tools and methods to use them
• Vendor relationships
• Labor burden calculation
• Company overhead calculation
• Quotable takeoff of the practice estimate will be started

• Day Two

• Feeder takeoff of the practice estimate
• Branch takeoff of the practice estimate
• Device takeoff of the practice estimate
• Discussion of special systems and the importance's these systems can have on your estimate

Homework is assigned between sessions. The homework is to complete the takeoffs started in class. These will include your quotable takeoffs (fixtures and switchgear), feeders, branch circuits, and devices. We are not taking off the fire alarm on this project as it is a design and build. We will discuss methods behind fire alarm systems in class. If our students want to complete this we will assist them outside of class hours via email with this fire alarm takeoff.

Complete the homework, scan it into your computer and email it to us by a set date for us to review and return prior to the start of the second session.

• Day Three

• We start exploding the homework from a description such as a duplex receptacle to each item that will be required to install that duplex receptacle
• Commodity material costs will be inserted (material costs are supplied for this estimate ONLY)
• Labor units will be added (labor units are supplied for this estimate ONLY)
• We then calculate the total commodity material cost and the total number of field labor hours to complete the project
• Begin the process of completing the bid with a cap sheet
• Quotes will be checked and inserted
• Tax rates will be discussed
• Composite labor crews rates and how to develop one for individual projects
• Composite crew

• Day Four

• Completion of the cap sheet

• Non productive labor
• Direct job expense
• Overhead
• Profit

• Proposal letters will be discussed
• Change order pricing will complete our class

We are not taking off the fire alarm on this project as it is a design and build. We will discuss methods behind fire alarm systems in class. If our students want to complete this we will assist them outside of class hours via email with this fire alarm takeoff.

Webinar Estimating format
Six week class

This class is paced as a six week course - one night a week it is a webinar / telephone based class that is held at predetermined times with up to fourteen students. Homework is a huge element in all of our estimating classes, however if an assignment is missed the class will continue as if all students had turned in the assignment. After every conversation except our final class homework will be assigned. This homework needs to be completed, sccanned into your computer and emailed to us five days after every scheduled scheduled. It will be reviewed, marked up and returned to you via email before our next scheduled conversation.

This is a good way for existing estimators or those with a good idea of how an estimate is completed to learn a method behind estimating a electrical project that may increase your effectiveness. We do not baby sit our students, we will email you once or twice when a homework assignment is late. You will have some of the interaction of other students normally associated with a classroom class. No refunds are given once class materials are mailed.

• First week

• Introductions
• Your plan
• A talk about what jobs to bid and which to avoid
• Bid documents including specifications
• Tools and methods to use them
• Vendor relationships
• Labor burden calculation
• Company overhead calculation
• Quotable takeoff and feeders for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework

• Second week

• Review of week #1 homework
• Branch conduit / cable and device takeoff for the practice estimate will be started, then completed as homework. We will discuss the importance of special systems as they relate to your estimate.

• Third week

• Review of week #2 homework
• The explosion of all the assemblies that have made up our previous assignments. We will discuss how to explode and your homework will be to finish them all.

• Fourth week

• Review of week #3 homework
• Now that your explosions are complete it is now time to insert commodity material prices and labor units, we will discuss how to do this. Material prices and labor units are supplied for this practice estimate only.

• Fifth week

• Review of week #4 homework
• We will discuss the estimate total and how to complete a cap sheet to determine our best strategy. Your homework will be to complete this cap sheet.

• Sixth week

• Review of week #5 homework
• Proposals will take most of out time this week, we will discuss way to be as competitive as possible and still protect our firm
• We will finish our class with a discussion on Change Orders

We are not taking off the fire alarm on this project as it is a design and build. We will discuss methods behind fire alarm systems in class. If our students want to complete this we will assist them outside of class hours via email with this fire alarm takeoff.

Out pledge to our students is that we strive to help everyone enrolled to the best of our ability.