Construction Estimating Service Pricing
Estimating fees are based on the trade scope, documents and requested deliverable. Share the drawing set, bid date and required format so the fee can reflect the work involved.
Confirm the quote scope before sending revised drawings.
There is no list price, and no fee is quoted before the drawings have been seen. A single-trade takeoff from a clean set and a full multi-trade estimate from a hundred-sheet set with three addenda are different jobs. The quote follows the review: the plans are read, the trades and the output are agreed, and the fee is given for that scope. If the scope changes after the quote, the quote is revised with it.
What changes the quote
- Number of trades, buildings, drawing sheets and alternates.
- Drawing completeness and number of revisions to compare.
- Grouping by floor, phase, CSI division or your bid form.
- Supplier pricing requirements and turnaround.
- The output you need: quantities only, a priced estimate, or a preliminary budget.
- How the quantities must be broken down — by trade, building, level or bid package.
- Whether vendor quotes have to be gathered, or are already in hand.
- How many addenda have to be compared.
Three different scopes, three different quotes
A quantity-only takeoff is the smallest scope: the work is measured from the drawings and handed over as quantities, with the units and drawing references shown, for your team to price with its own crews and suppliers. It costs the least because it carries no pricing work.
A priced bid estimate starts from the same measured quantities and adds labour, material and equipment costs, with the pricing basis shown. Vendor quotes are gathered where the drawings call for them, allowances are carried on separate lines, and the total can be checked line by line. It is the scope most bid teams ask for, and it is quoted as a bigger job than a takeoff.
A preliminary budget is the third scope, and it works the other way round: the design is not finished, so the estimate works from the design as it stands, with allowances shown openly for the decisions still open. It is quoted by the design stage and the trades involved.
What a quote includes
Every quote states the same four things, so it can be compared with the next one you receive: the trades and buildings covered, the drawing issue and addenda, the output, and the delivery date. If any of those four is missing, ask for it before approving the scope.
The deliverable is an editable estimate with the quantities, the drawing references, the pricing basis and the assumptions log — so your team can reconcile a quantity, update a rate, or transfer it into a bid form without starting again. Marked-up drawing sheets are available on request.
How to ask for a quote
Send the latest issued plan set with every applicable addendum, and say four things: which trades you need covered, and whether any are already priced; which output you need — quantities only, a priced estimate, or a preliminary budget; how the quantities should be grouped; and the bid deadline.
If a revised sheet replaces one from an earlier set, identify it in the request so the old quantity is not priced alongside the new one. If a vendor quote is already in hand, send it with the scope it covers, so it is not gathered twice.
What happens if the drawings change after the quote
They usually do, and the quote is built to expect it. A revised sheet is compared with the issue the quote was based on, and only the affected trades and quantities are re-priced. A single detail change is revised as one line, not as a new estimate; a full re-issue is quoted again, before the work continues.
An addendum that arrives during the work is handled the same way: what changed is listed, the affected quantities are updated, and the allowances and total are revised after the quantities. Nothing is folded silently into the original fee — if the change adds work, the quote says so; if it removes work, it says that too.
Before approving the scope
Check the delivery date, number of bid packages, treatment of addenda and the format you expect to receive.
Read the quote the way you would read an estimate: check the trades against the ones you asked for, the drawing issue against the set you sent, and the output against the format your bid team uses. A quote that promises a priced estimate but prices a takeoff is not a cheap quote — it is a different job. If anything is unclear, ask before approving it; the scope is cheapest to fix before the work starts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an estimate cost?
It depends on the scope, quoted after the plans have been reviewed — the trades, the drawing completeness, the output you need and the bid deadline. There is no list price.
Is a quantity-only takeoff cheaper than a priced estimate?
Yes, because it carries no pricing work — the quantities are measured and handed over for your team to price. A priced estimate adds labour, material and equipment costs on top of the same quantities.
What if I only need one trade priced?
Then only that trade is quoted. A single-trade takeoff is scoped on its own, and it is not priced as a share of a full estimate.
Do you charge again if an addendum arrives?
Only for the work the addendum adds. A revised sheet is compared with the issue the quote was based on, and only the affected quantities are re-priced.
Can I get a quote before sending the full plan set?
Only a rough one, and it would not be worth much. The fee follows the drawings — the trades, the sheet count, the completeness — so a quote given without the plans is a guess.
What format will I receive?
An editable estimate with the quantities, drawing references, pricing basis and assumptions log, grouped the way your bid form needs it.
Compare quotes using the same deliverable
For a trade takeoff, ask whether the quote includes quantities only, a marked-up plan, or both. For a priced bid, list the trades, alternates and whether you will provide supplier prices. Before accepting a quote, confirm what counts as a revision and whether a later drawing issue is included.