Available Now

After nearly a year of consideration and talk with many contractors. We have decided to make available our files to contractors that want them in their current individual set-up. contact us and we will see what files you want and sell them to you. The cost for all of our files is $235.00, it is our belief that few people need all of our files so please contact us and we will attempt to get you what you need as inexpensively as possible.

The reason for this change is that we are in the process of setting up an interactive system for all the files to work interactively. We are in the design stages and do not have a date when the first modules will be available.

We will let you know from time to time how our progress is coming, email us at electrical-estimating@jde-associates.com and we will contact you in an attempt to get you the best information that we have to assist you.

Action log

An action log used properly can help reduce the chaos in your life, work on the items that will affect your firm the most. This is a Microsoft Excel 2003 template with instructions.

Bid Log Template

This bid log will help keep your open bids and the value of outstanding proposals apparent to your firm. This is a Microsoft Excel 2003 template with instructions. By using this each prospective job is placed on this log and a job number is assigned at that time. Link your proposal to it and have instant access to your proposal should a general contractor or owner want to talk about a recent proposal. Link you’re Correspondence, Purchase Orders, Submittals and RFI's and you will have the same instant access to this information. This is a handy tool to have, one that will save you significant time.  The three files that I consider the most important are the Action Log, the Bid Log or the Pay Matrix.

Cap Sheet Review

Many contractors review their estimates before sending out a proposal. In today’s market so many items need to be considered that it is easy to overlook something of importance. This is a Word 2003 template that is ready to use or be altered to your needs to make sure that you have checked the entire project before submitting a bid.

Microsoft Excel 2003 estimate template

This template has thirty takeoff sheets that already have the math programmed for you. Complete the header, then insert the material being estimated, its price, its multiplier, a labor unit and a labor multiplier and the spreadsheet will calculate the material costs and hours. A recap sheet will allow estimate to be broke down into manageable sections and will total the project hours and material costs.

These totals will transfer to a cap sheet where you can add you fixture, switchgear or fire alarm quote (we can set this up to accept any quotes). Add a tax rate to finish off the materials cost. A labor burden calculator is included on a separate sheet within the spreadsheet. These labor costs transfer to the cap sheet and you can determine the composite crew makeup. A section is available to add management time (often referred as non-productive time), a separate section for direct job cost and equipment rental. Add you overhead and profit percentages and your estimate is ready to be reviewed. As a cross check after the cap sheet is finished you can add your total square footage to get a square foot cost.

This spreadsheet works great for contractors that are bidding smaller projects and have yet to find a computer estimating system that works for their firm. You will need to insert labor units and material costs for everything. We strongly suggest this be used for a short amount of time.  The benefit to a fully functional computer estimating system is hard to beat.

Pay Matrix

Understanding your Labor Burden and Overhead costs are nearly as important as having an accurate takeoff. This Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet will help you understand those costs. It is Not indented to replace an accountant, but handy to have to show your accountant in an organized format.

Pre-bid Evaluation

Many contractors evaluate a project mentally when an opportunity becomes available. The evaluation is intended to be completed and then inserted into the bid file. Begin to build historical information on what projects are best suited for your firm and which is a waste of time. In the middle of a project when you wonder why you ever got involved with this job, you can look back to this and alter the evaluation so that in similar future situations you can evaluate prospective projects more accurately. This is a Microsoft Excel 2003 template with instructions.

This has sixteen questions that have been important to my projects. Each question has four possible answers, extremely desirable, desirable, undesirable and extremely undesirable. Answer each question add up the sixteen answers and you can see what your odds of success are for this project.

Take off sheets

These takeoff sheets are set up to help with either manual estimating or while using computer estimating software. Nine different sheets that include, Fixtures, fixtures spreadsheet, Switchgear, Feeders, Branch conduit (or cable), Branch spreadsheet, Devices, Motor Hookup, and Miscellaneous sheets are included in Microsoft 2003 Word or Excel format so you can customize them for your needs.

Residential worksheet

This Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet is designed to reduce paperwork in the office while giving your field a list of devices in every room that is scheduled to be completed.  The beauty is that you have one worksheet to fill out and it will generate three worksheets, one for rough, one for trim, and one for quality control.  Reduce the number of warranty trips you make to a completed project.  Each row (or room) has a spot for an initial so that the employee that completed the work can sign off that the work is complete.   A spot for problems is also available to let the office know of problems in that room.  A helpful tool to avoid those expensive return trips.  This is set up for residential projects, but works well in tenant finishes as well.

RFI Template

This Microsoft Word 2003 file is designed to reduce the number of verbal commitments, when a question arises I generally will pick up and call to get an answer to the question, while I am on the phone I am typing out an RFI to either ask the question in writing or to confirm the answer that was given to me verbally.

Scope Letter Template

This Microsoft Word 2003 file is designed to make your scope letters a little easier to complete while protecting your firms interest. This template has been used successfully for a number of years but does protect your interest.

It is strongly suggested that you spend time reviewing this and have your legal consel review it to make sure it in fact protects you in your state.

Time Sheet Template

This Microsoft Excel 2003 file is designed to have a time sheet that will track you man hours by the tasks that the hours were expended. It is extremely difficult to know what labor units worked and which did not if labor is not tracked. A separate area is included where an employee indicates whether or not they have been injured during the work week, this will not protect you if an injury shows up later - it will however protect you from failing to report a injury in a timely manner.