The final pass before you sign the bid. Work top to bottom in the last 24 hours — every line is a real way electrical subs lose money after award. Free, no sign-up: read it here or take the printable PDF.
Latest revision of every drawing confirmed against the drawing list — no superseded sheets in the takeoff.
Every addendum acknowledged on the bid form AND traced into the estimate (fixtures, gear, alternates, dates).
Addendum issued in the last 48 hours? Re-check the fixture schedule, one-line, and bid form line by line.
Specifications reviewed for Division 26, 27, 28 AND Division 0/1 (bonds, wages, schedule, liquidated damages).
Bid form complete: all alternates, unit prices, and allowances priced; acknowledgments signed.
2 · Scope boundaries (where the money leaks)
Site lighting, pole bases, and site conduit: on the civil sheets? Who owns them — you or the site contractor?
Division 27/28: who runs telecom conduit, pulls cable, terminates, tests? Who powers access control and cameras?
Fire alarm: your FA sub's exclusions vs what the spec assigns to Division 26/28 — elevator recall, HVAC shutdown, monitoring, verification/acceptance testing.
Mechanical equipment: starters, VFDs, interlocks, disconnects — schedule says Div 23, one-line says you. Which governs?
Utility scope: transformer pad, grounding grid, secondary conduit, metering, utility fees — carried or excluded in writing?
Temporary power, hoisting, firestopping of your penetrations, excavation/backfill for electrical — carried or excluded?
3 · Code basis
Enforced code edition NAMED in the spec/permit? If not — code-basis RFI, and note it in your qualifications.
Local amendments / AHJ quirks checked (or flagged to verify). The state/province answer is not always the answer.
Estimate built to the enforced edition, not the newest one (AFCI/GFCI/SPD/EVSE deltas move real money both ways).
4 · Money items
Bid bond + performance/payment bonds: required? Priced or in markup — shown to be SOMEWHERE.
Prevailing wage / Davis-Bacon / union basis matches the labour rate in the estimate.
Cash allowances and owner allowances carried exactly as the bid form defines them — no double-count, no omission.
Quote validity vs bid validity: will your gear and fixture prices survive award? Escalation clause if not.
Long-lead gear (switchgear, generators, transformers): lead times checked against the schedule; early-release noted.
5 · Quotes & math
Every sub/vendor quote: exclusions read line by line against YOUR scope — their exclusion is your carry.
Labour sanity pass: conduit hrs/ft, devices, terminations against your benchmarks — anything 2x off gets a second look.
Summary math re-added cold, once, by someone (or something) that didn't build the estimate.
Qualifications and exclusions letter attached — everything ambiguous above is either carried, RFI'd, or qualified.
When the package is too big for a checklist.
Bidprobe runs this pass automatically against your actual tender documents — findings with evidence and cost ranges, in minutes. See a complete sample report. Your first review is free.