Broken out by system and CSI division
The number is built the way your project manager will actually use it — separated by system and by CSI division, not handed back as a single lump sum.
EstimatingBuddies provides electrical estimating services in California for contractors bidding commercial, residential, industrial, and public works projects — full quantity takeoff, material takeoff, and priced electrical cost estimates, delivered against Title 24, CALGreen, and DIR prevailing wage requirements where they apply.
One-line reference
SERVICE TO BRANCH CIRCUITS
UTILITY
Utility source
MAIN SVC
Main service
PNL A
Panel A
PNL B
Panel B
LTG
Lighting
RCPT
Receptacles
LOW-V
Low voltage
EV
EV charging
CA
rev. CA
One-line reference — service to branch circuits.
Statewide California
Service area
Commercial, residential, industrial, public
Project types
PDF, CAD, Revit export
Formats accepted
Why EstimatingBuddies
Most electrical estimating companies price a set of drawings and hand back a number. We build the number the way your project manager will actually use it — broken out by system and by CSI division, with quantities you can check against the drawings and pricing you can defend at buyout.
The number is built the way your project manager will actually use it — separated by system and by CSI division, not handed back as a single lump sum.
Takeoff quantities stay visible, so your team can trace counts back to the electrical set before the number goes into a bid.
Labor and material are priced so the estimate holds up in a buyout meeting, not just on the day the drawings were counted.
Whether you are bidding a tenant improvement in Los Angeles, a school under DSA review in the Central Valley, or a prevailing-wage public works job in the Bay Area, the takeoff follows how California electrical contractors actually estimate.
01 - Services
Order a full estimate or a single service - quantity takeoff, pricing, or bid packaging - depending on where you are in the buyout process.
01
Labor and material pricing for the full electrical scope, sourced against current supplier and labor rates for your market.
02
Conductor, conduit, device, and fixture counts taken directly off drawings - the raw quantities your buyout is built on.
03
A priced, formatted estimate ready to drop into a bid, including scope clarifications and exclusions for your proposal.
04
Early, drawing-light pricing for pre-construction and design development, so budgets hold as the design firms up.
05
Delta pricing against approved scope, formatted to match how your GC or owner reviews and approves change orders.
06
Electrical scope cross-checked against mechanical and plumbing takeoffs on the same set, to catch shared-space conflicts early.
02 — Systems
Line-voltage and low-voltage scope are quantified as distinct trades, so you can self-perform, subcontract, or bid each one on its own.
PWR-01
Switchboards, panelboards, transformers, feeders, and service entrance sizing.
LTG-02
Fixture counts, circuiting, and controls priced against Title 24 lighting power density limits.
WIR-03
Conductor and raceway quantities by type — EMT, PVC, rigid, cable tray — with grounding and bonding included.
LOV-04
Fire alarm, security and access control, CCTV, and structured cabling scoped and priced independently.
EVC-05
Charger counts, dedicated circuits, and make-ready conduit for commercial and residential EV charging scope.
SOL-06
Interconnection, conduit runs, and panel provisions for solar-ready and photovoltaic-integrated projects.
03 — Project types
Commercial, residential, industrial, and public work — each estimated around the systems and bid conditions that show up on that type of California job.
04 — California-specific
Four things that change an electrical bid in California and don't show up on a generic national takeoff.
Energy code
Lighting power density, mandatory lighting controls, and demand response provisions are checked against the scope during takeoff, not left for a plan check comment.
Green building
EV-charging readiness and solar-ready electrical rough-in required under CALGreen are quantified as their own line items on applicable projects.
Labor
Public works and school estimates are priced against current DIR prevailing wage determinations, formatted to match your certified payroll process.
Public projects
Estimates for DSA-reviewed school and public agency work are structured to match the bid documentation those approval processes require.
05 — Process
Six steps from the electrical set you send to a priced estimate your buyout process can use.
01
Send the electrical set — PDF, CAD, or Revit export — along with any addenda or spec sections that affect scope.
02
We confirm systems in scope, bid date, deliverable format, and any California-specific requirements before takeoff starts.
03
Quantities are taken off by system, then priced against current labor and material rates for your county.
04
A second estimator checks quantities against the drawings and flags any assumptions before delivery.
05
You receive the priced estimate, takeoff detail, and scope summary in the format your buyout process uses.
06
Addenda pricing and clarifications are turned around fast enough to still make the bid deadline.
06 — Sample output
An excerpt from a commercial tenant-improvement electrical estimate, panel and branch circuit scope.
Sample excerpt — commercial TI, Southern California
PANEL AND BRANCH CIRCUIT SCOPE
Item
Description
Qty
Unit
Unit cost
Total
Panelboard
225A, 42-circuit, surface mount
2
EA
$1,840
$3,680
Feeder conductor
3/0 THHN copper, in EMT
380
LF
$14.20
$5,396
LED troffer
2x4, Title 24-compliant, w/ controls
96
EA
$132
$12,672
Lighting control
Occupancy & daylight harvesting zones
14
ZONE
$310
$4,340
Duplex receptacle
20A, incl. device & plate
142
EA
$58
$8,236
EV make-ready conduit
1" conduit stub to future charger locations
6
EA
$410
$2,460
Subtotal, excerpt shown
$36,784
07 — Tools & data
Takeoff runs in Bluebeam and PlanSwift from PDF, CAD, and Revit exports. Pricing can be delivered in Accubid, ConEst, or a formatted Excel workbook.
Bluebeam Revu
Digital takeoff & markup
PlanSwift
Quantity takeoff
Accubid
Electrical estimating
ConEst
Electrical estimating
Trimble
Takeoff & estimating
RSMeans cost data
Cost data
Current supplier quotes
Material pricing
Formatted Excel workbook
Buyout deliverable
08 — Service areas
Statewide coverage, with the highest volume of work in these regions.
Accuracy & review
Quantities, California code items, and assumptions are reviewed before the priced estimate is delivered.
Before delivery, a second estimator checks quantities against the drawings and flags any assumptions.
Title 24 lighting power density and controls, CALGreen EV-ready and solar-ready rough-in, and DIR prevailing wage are accounted for where they apply.
DD-level and design-build packages are estimated with assumptions and allowances noted, so the number can be used for budgeting before drawings are complete.
Drawings and pricing are handled under confidentiality by default, and an NDA is signed before review if your company requires one.
Why contractors use this estimate
A tenant improvement in Los Angeles, a DSA school in the Central Valley, and a prevailing-wage public works job in the Bay Area are estimated around the requirements those bids actually carry.
01
Title 24, CALGreen, and DIR prevailing wage are built into the estimate where they apply, instead of left for a later plan check.
02
Power, lighting, low voltage, EV, and solar-ready scope are quantified separately so you can self-perform, subcontract, or bid each one.
03
Takeoff quantities are priced against current labor and material rates for your county, including DIR rates on public works.
04
You receive the priced estimate, takeoff detail, and scope summary in Accubid, ConEst, or a formatted Excel workbook.
05
Addenda and scope changes after the first delivery are priced as incremental updates, turned around in time for the bid deadline.
06
Order quantity takeoff, pricing, or bid packaging on its own, or the full electrical estimate, depending on where you are in buyout.
09 — Pricing factors
Estimating time follows the drawing set, the systems in scope, and the turnaround you need.
01
Square footage and number of systems in scope drive takeoff time more than project type.
02
DD-level sets take longer to estimate than a fully coordinated construction document set.
03
Low voltage, EV infrastructure, and solar-ready scope add takeoff time beyond standard power and lighting.
04
Standard turnaround is 2–4 business days; rush requests are accommodated where capacity allows.
05
DIR-rate public works pricing requires additional labor rate research and formatting.
06
Addenda and scope changes after initial delivery are priced as incremental updates, not a full re-estimate.
Request a sample estimate
Share the drawings, bid date, and whether Title 24, CALGreen, or DIR prevailing wage applies. We'll confirm scope and turnaround before takeoff starts.
10 — FAQ
A full quantity and material takeoff broken out by system — power distribution, lighting, low voltage, and wiring/conduit — priced with labor and material, plus a scope summary you can hand straight to a bid or a buyout meeting. You can start from the home page to see the complete estimating lineup.
Most single-building commercial or residential estimates are returned in 2 to 4 business days. Larger or multi-phase public works projects typically run 5 to 8 business days depending on drawing volume. When that trade is on the plans, our roofing estimating services can price it with the same set.