Quantities broken out by system
We build electrical estimates the way New York contractors actually price and file work: quantities broken out by system, not handed back as a single lump sum.
EstimatingBuddies delivers electrical cost estimating, quantity takeoff, and bid preparation for contractors across New York State and all five NYC boroughs — scoped against the NYC Electrical Code, DOB filing requirements, and FDNY life-safety rules, not just a generic national estimate.
One-line reference
SERVICE TO BRANCH CIRCUITS
UTILITY
Utility source
MAIN SVC
Main service
RISER
Riser feeder
UNIT PNL
Unit panel
LTG
Lighting
FA
Fire alarm
LOW-V
Low voltage
NY
rev. NY
One-line reference — service to branch circuits.
All 5 NYC boroughs + NY State
Coverage
2–4 business days
Standard turnaround
Bluebeam, PlanSwift, PDF, CAD
Formats
Why New York contractors use us
An estimate built off a national average doesn't survive contact with a DOB plan examiner or a Con Edison interconnection review. New York electrical scope has its own code amendments, its own filing paperwork, and its own labor market.
We build electrical estimates the way New York contractors actually price and file work: quantities broken out by system, not handed back as a single lump sum.
Pricing is benchmarked to the five boroughs and greater New York, rather than a national average that falls apart at buyout.
DOB filings, FDNY fire alarm requirements, and Local Law 97 and 88 lighting compliance are flagged as their own line, not buried in a lump sum.
New York electrical scope has its own code amendments, its own filing paperwork, and its own labor market — and a takeoff that ignores that costs you at buyout, not just at bid.
01 — Services
The services New York and NYC contractors search for most, and what each one actually delivers.
SVC-01
Full labor and material pricing for the electrical scope on a set of drawings, benchmarked to current New York and NYC labor and supplier rates rather than a national average.
SVC-02
Conductor, conduit, device, panel, and fixture counts taken directly off the drawings - the raw quantities behind every number in the estimate, available as its own deliverable.
SVC-03
A priced, formatted estimate ready for bid day, with scope clarifications, exclusions, and alternates written the way a New York GC or CM expects to see them.
SVC-04
Fire alarm, security and access control, CCTV, and structured cabling priced and quantified separately from line-voltage electrical scope.
SVC-05
Switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, transformers, and feeders sized and quantified for service upgrades, new construction, and high-rise vertical distribution.
SVC-06
Fixture, circuiting, and controls takeoff priced against Local Law 88 upgrade requirements on existing buildings and current code on new construction.
SVC-07
Electrical scope cross-checked against mechanical and plumbing takeoffs on the same set, catching shaft, ceiling, and riser conflicts before bid day.
SVC-08
Generator, ATS, and UPS scope quantified separately, sized against life-safety and standby power requirements for the occupancy type.
02 — Trade-specific takeoff
The systems New York estimating requests reference most often, priced as discrete line items.
SWG
Switchgear lineups, ratings, and quantities for service and distribution upgrades.
PNL
Panel schedules, circuit counts, and mounting type taken off floor by floor.
XFMR
Dry-type and pad-mount transformer sizing and quantities by service.
FDR
Feeder conductor and raceway sizing from service entrance to distribution.
BRN
Branch circuit conductor and device counts by area and circuit type.
CND
EMT, rigid, and cable tray quantities with fittings and supports.
GND
Grounding electrode and bonding scope quantified against code minimums.
FA
Devices, panels, and circuiting priced against FDNY system-type requirements.
03 — Project types
Commercial, residential, industrial, and institutional work — including MTA and LIRR-spec jobs and prevailing wage projects.
04 — New York-specific
Four things that change an electrical bid in New York and don't show up on a generic national takeoff.
Code
Scope and equipment are checked against the NYC Electrical Code — the NEC as amended and adopted for New York City — not just base NFPA 70.
Filing
Estimates for DOB-filed work are structured to align with PW1 and electrical sign-off documentation, so scope maps cleanly to what your filing rep submits.
Life safety
Fire alarm and life-safety low-voltage scope is noted against FDNY certificate-of-fitness and system-type requirements where the project triggers them.
Energy law
Lighting retrofit and submetering scope tied to LL97 emissions compliance and LL88 lighting upgrades is priced separately from new-construction work on existing buildings.
06 — Process
Six steps from the electrical set you send to a priced estimate your buyout process can use.
01
PDF, CAD, or Revit export, plus any addenda, spec sections, or DOB filing notes that affect scope.
02
We confirm systems in scope, bid date, borough or region, and any code or filing requirements before takeoff starts.
03
Quantities are taken off by system, then priced against current New York labor and material rates.
04
A second estimator checks quantities against the drawings and flags assumptions before delivery.
05
Priced estimate, takeoff detail, and scope summary delivered in the format your buyout process uses.
06
Revision pricing turned around fast enough to still make the bid deadline.
07 — Sample output
An excerpt from a Manhattan multifamily electrical estimate, riser and unit branch scope.
Sample excerpt — multifamily new construction, Manhattan
RISER AND UNIT BRANCH SCOPE
Item
Description
Qty
Unit
Unit cost
Total
Switchgear
2000A, 480/277V main service
1
EA
$38,400
$38,400
Riser feeder
500 kcmil copper, in rigid conduit
620
LF
$46.10
$28,582
Unit panelboard
100A, 24-circuit, per dwelling unit
64
EA
$610
$39,040
Fire alarm device
Addressable, per FDNY system type
210
EA
$96
$20,160
LED corridor fixture
LL88-compliant, w/ occupancy sensor
88
EA
$118
$10,384
Subtotal, excerpt shown
$136,566
08 — Tools & data
Takeoff runs in Bluebeam and PlanSwift. Pricing can be delivered in Accubid, ConEst, or a formatted Excel workbook, with current New York supplier quotes behind the material numbers.
Bluebeam Revu
Digital takeoff & markup
PlanSwift
Quantity takeoff
Accubid
Electrical estimating
ConEst
Electrical estimating
Current NY supplier quotes
Material pricing
Formatted Excel workbook
Buyout deliverable
05 — Service area
Electrical estimating for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, plus Long Island, Westchester, and upstate New York.
BX
MN
QN
BK
SI
Also serving
Accuracy & review
Quantities, New York code and filing items, and assumptions are reviewed before the priced estimate is delivered.
Before delivery, a second estimator checks quantities against the drawings and flags assumptions.
Scope is checked against the NYC Electrical Code, and DOB filings, FDNY fire alarm requirements, and Local Law 97 and 88 lighting scope are flagged where they apply.
DD-level and design-build sets take longer than a fully coordinated construction document set, and assumptions are flagged before the number is delivered.
Project drawings and pricing are handled confidentially by default, and we will execute your NDA before reviewing documents if your company requires one.
Why contractors use this estimate
A Manhattan multifamily, a DOB-filed tenant fit-out, and an MTA or prevailing-wage public job are estimated around the code, filing, and labor conditions those bids actually carry.
01
The NYC Electrical Code, DOB filings, FDNY fire alarm requirements, and Local Law 97 and 88 are built into the estimate where they apply.
02
Switchgear, feeders, lighting, fire alarm, and low-voltage scope are quantified separately so you can self-perform, subcontract, or bid each one.
03
Takeoff quantities are priced against current New York and NYC labor and supplier rates, including prevailing wage on public agency work.
04
You receive the priced estimate, takeoff detail, and scope summary in Accubid, ConEst, or a formatted Excel workbook.
05
Revision pricing is turned around fast enough to still make the bid deadline after addenda land.
06
Estimates for DOB-filed work are structured to align with PW1 and electrical sign-off documentation your filing representative will need.
09 — Pricing factors
Estimating time follows the drawing set, the systems in scope, borough and filing requirements, and the turnaround you need.
01
Unit count, floor count, and number of systems in scope drive takeoff time more than project type.
02
DD-level or design-build sets take longer to estimate than a fully coordinated construction document set.
03
DOB-filed and FDNY-reviewed scope requires additional formatting to match filing documentation.
04
Switchgear, riser distribution, and low-voltage life-safety scope add takeoff time beyond standard branch wiring.
05
Standard turnaround is 2–4 business days; rush requests are accommodated where capacity allows.
06
Public agency and infrastructure pricing requires additional labor rate research and formatting.
Request a sample estimate
Share the drawings, bid date, borough or region, and whether DOB filing, FDNY, or Local Law 97 and 88 applies. We'll confirm scope and turnaround before takeoff starts.
10 — FAQ
Yes. We estimate electrical scope for projects in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, as well as Long Island, Westchester, and upstate New York. Matching trade quantities are covered by our rebar estimating services.
Standard commercial and residential estimates are typically returned in 2 to 4 business days. Larger NYC high-rise or infrastructure packages usually run 5 to 9 business days depending on drawing volume. A connected scope is available through our BIM estimating services.