Electrical bid exclusions and clarifications: a template with examples
Your exclusions letter is the only place your bid says what your number does not include. Written well, it turns a scope argument into a change order. Written vaguely, it gets ignored. Below are the rules that make exclusions hold up, and example wording you can adapt for each section of a typical electrical bid. Edit every line to match the actual documents.
An exclusion only protects you if the general contractor reads it, it is specific, and it doesn't contradict the bid form. Vague lines get ignored at scope review and argued about later.
Tie every exclusion to a document: sheet number, spec section or bid form line. 'Excludes site lighting' is weaker than 'Excludes site lighting poles, bases and fixtures shown on sheet C-501'.
Check the bid instructions first. Some owners and GCs reject qualified bids or treat exclusions as non-responsive. If that's the case, RFI the item instead of excluding it.
Never exclude something the bid form explicitly asks you to price. Carry it, or ask before bid day.
Keep the list short. Fifty boilerplate lines bury the five that matter, and GCs stop reading.
Read your list against your estimate: every exclusion should match something you did not carry, and every item you did not carry should be on the list or in an RFI.
2 · Utility and site work
Utility and site scope sits across civil, landscape and electrical sheets, and is often split between the owner, the utility and the trades. It is one of the most common places for an unpriced item to land on the electrical contractor.
Example: 'Utility company charges, fees and permits for permanent service are excluded and are by the owner.'
Example: 'Primary conduit and transformer pad are included per sheet E-001. Utility transformer, primary cable, metering equipment and terminations are by the utility.'
Example: 'Trenching and backfill for site conduits are included in normal soil only. Rock excavation, dewatering and concrete encasement are excluded unless shown.'
Example: 'Repair of paving, curbs and landscaping disturbed by site trenching is excluded and is by the general contractor.'
3 · Owner equipment and other trades
Equipment furnished by others still needs labor, and boundary items with mechanical, low-voltage and fire alarm trades are easy to assume someone else carries.
Example: 'Owner-furnished equipment is received, set and connected only as listed in our scope. Unloading, storage, protection and damage responsibility are excluded.'
Example: 'Power wiring to mechanical equipment is included from the panel to the line side of the disconnect. Starters, VFDs and control wiring are furnished and installed by Division 23 unless noted otherwise.'
Example: 'Division 27 and 28 scope is limited to empty conduit pathways, back boxes and 120V power as shown. Cabling, devices, terminations and testing are excluded.'
Example: 'Cutting, patching and painting are limited to our own penetrations. Firestopping of our penetrations is included.' (Only write this if it matches what the specs say.)
4 · Testing, studies and closeout
These sit in the specifications, not on the plans, so a drawing-only takeoff misses them. If you did carry them, say so. A clarification that something is included is worth as much as an exclusion.
Example: 'Testing is limited to contractor testing per our standard procedures. Third-party testing agencies are excluded.'
Example: 'Short-circuit, coordination and arc-flash studies are included only if furnished by the gear vendor in their quotation.'
Example: 'Commissioning participation is included for one round of functional testing. Retesting caused by others is excluded.'
Example: 'Attic stock and spare parts are included only as listed in the specifications.'
5 · Schedule, pricing and conditions
Your price assumes a schedule, working hours and market conditions. Write the assumptions down so changes to them are a conversation, not a loss.
Example: 'Price is based on normal working hours, Monday to Friday. Overtime, shift work and premium time are excluded unless required by the bid documents.'
Example: 'Price is based on a single continuous mobilization. Additional phasing or remobilization is excluded.'
Example: 'Price is valid for 30 days. Switchgear and transformer pricing is held for the period in the vendor's quote only.'
Example: 'Addenda 1 through 3 are acknowledged and included.' (List every addendum by number.)
Exclusion, RFI or price it?
An exclusion is the last resort, not the first. If the documents are unclear and there is time before bid day, an RFI gets every bidder pricing the same scope, which protects you better than a line in your letter. If the item is clearly required, price it, because an exclusion of required work usually gets levelled back against you with a plug number. Exclude what remains: items the documents leave to others, and assumptions your price depends on. Write your RFIs with the pre-bid RFI template, and re-check the letter whenever an addendum lands with the addendum review checklist.
Questions estimators ask
What is the difference between an exclusion and a clarification?
An exclusion states work you are not carrying. A clarification states how you interpreted the documents or what exactly you did carry, such as the limits of a scope item. Both should point to a specific sheet, spec section or bid form line.
Can a general contractor reject a bid because of exclusions?
Yes. Some bid instructions require an unqualified bid, and some GCs level scope by treating excluded items as missing and adding a plug number. Read the instructions to bidders first, and use an RFI before bid day for anything you would rather have answered than excluded.
Should I use a standard exclusions list on every bid?
A standard list is a good starting point, but edit it for each job. Delete lines that don't apply, and add lines tied to that project's documents. A short, specific list gets read; a long generic one gets skipped.
How do I know what to exclude?
Exclude what the documents leave unclear and you chose not to price. Keep a gap list while you read the specs and drawings, and turn each item into a priced line, an RFI or an exclusion. Bidprobe reads the whole bid package and flags scope gaps, spec conflicts, missed addendum items and exclusions to consider.
Find the gaps before you write the letter.
Bidprobe reads the whole bid package and flags scope gaps, spec conflicts, missed addendum items and exclusions. Most reviews come back in 5 to 15 minutes, and your first bid check is free with no card.