CANDELS ESTIMATING LLC
BABCOCK RANCH, FLORIDA

After having conducted two six-month electrical estimating apprenticeship programs, we have realized that it is difficult for most students to make a 6-month commitment in time. Jobs change, priorities change and suddenly it is not feasible for a student to participate. We are now developing training modules. Please fill in your first name, last name and your email address and we will notify you about our training programs. You will receive an email request to confirm your email address and to opt-in for our training email notifications. Construction proposal letter: This document spells out a detailed picture of everything involved to submit a solid bid. A good portion of the estimating process involves completing the take-off, checking it for accuracy, making labor adjustments, applying your overhead and direct job expenses, and deciding how much, if any, profit you want to put on the job to come up with your sell, or bid, price. If your job includes fees, permits, sales tax, utility company charges, make sure that you state that in your proposal. Construction Bid Process: Our estimating process has now taken us to the point where we are ready to submit the bid. For example, if you have a good working relationship with a general contractor, you will probably give him a better price than someone with whom you have never worked. Even if you have worked with a contractor before, please be careful about submitting your price too early! By doing so, you make yourself a “target,” or that “number to beat.” If you get hounded for a number early, you may want to respond with something vague like, “I am think around $1 million; does that number look in the ballpark?” Before a job is awarded, the entity who has solicited the proposals will conduct scope reviews, typically with the three lowest bidders. During this process, the plans and specs are reviewed, and you will be asked whether or not you covered certain items in your scope of work. This process helps “level” the playing field and determine whether the low bidders actually covered the specified scope of work. In a private bid situation, you can “exclude” items from your bid, unlike the public bid opening arena. Sell your Strengths! However, if you are privy to information about that low bidder that may affect his job performance, then by all means, sell your bid with your company strengths versus your competition. As they say, “it ain’t over, ‘til it’s over.” As with most things, persistence is key. Never give up unless you know the job is really gone. Candels has a vested interest in our customers’ success. We are always looking out for you; even if that means talking you out of bidding a job! Some jobs are just too risky to undertake and we would rather talk you out of a project than see you have problems due to insufficient documentation or scheduling constraints. The Candels team is full of real people. We aren’t a faceless corporate machine or a one-man band. We are a team of real people ready to help you with all of your estimating needs. We’re here to help!