How to check a fixture schedule against the lighting quote
When you carry a lighting vendor's number, you carry their mistakes too. A quote that misses one fixture type, an emergency option or the pole bases looks fine until the order goes in. Work through these checks before you put the lighting number in your bid.
Lighting quotes are often prepared early, from an earlier set. If the schedule has been reissued since, the quote is pricing a different job.
Match the revision: the quote should name the drawing set, the schedule sheet and the latest addendum. If it just says 'per plans and specs', ask which revision.
Check every addendum for a reissued schedule, added fixture types or revised notes, and forward anything the vendor hasn't seen.
Look for fixtures shown only on architectural reflected ceiling plans, elevations or interior design sheets — they belong in the count even if they're not on the E-sheets.
2 · Line up types, counts and descriptions
A quote can list every type letter and still be wrong. Type A on the quote has to be the same fixture as Type A on the schedule.
Go type by type: every schedule type should appear on the quote, and every quote line should map back to a schedule type. Missing types are the most common miss.
Compare quantities against your own takeoff, not the vendor's. If the vendor's count is lower, find out why before you rely on it.
Read the full schedule description, not just the catalog number: lumen package, color temperature, CRI, voltage, mounting, finish, lens and length.
Check linear fixtures by length as well as by count. Continuous runs priced per piece instead of per foot drift quickly.
3 · Options, accessories and the small print on each line
The base fixture is rarely the whole price. Options and accessories are where quotes quietly come up short.
Emergency battery packs, emergency drivers and generator transfer devices — compare which types the schedule calls out for emergency against what the quote includes.
Dimming: driver type and dimming protocol must match the controls design, or the fixtures won't work with the specified system.
Mounting hardware: stems, aircraft cable, pole and base, recessed frames for the ceiling type, and wall or surface brackets.
Sensors integral to the fixture, remote drivers, and anything listed as 'by others' on the quote — make sure 'others' is a real party.
4 · Controls, poles and the items outside the package
Many lighting packages separate fixtures from controls, poles and site lighting. Those items still need to be priced somewhere.
Lighting controls: occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, relay panels, networked control systems, programming and startup. Is that in this quote, a separate quote, or nowhere?
Site lighting: poles, bases, arms and anchor bolts. The concrete base is often excluded from both the lighting quote and the civil scope.
Exit and emergency fixtures: sometimes on a separate schedule, sometimes excluded from the lighting package entirely.
Check whether startup, commissioning or factory programming is required by the spec and whether the quote includes it.
5 · Substitutions, lead times and exclusions
A cheaper quote built on substitutes is only cheaper if the substitutes are allowed and get approved.
If the quote lists a different manufacturer from the basis of design, check whether the spec allows substitutions and what the approval process is.
Read the vendor's exclusions and qualifications line by line, and carry anything that matters into your own qualifications letter.
Check quoted lead times against the project schedule. A long lead time can mean temporary lighting or a phased install you didn't price.
Note how long the quote is valid and whether it is subject to price escalation before order.
Close the loop in writing
Every difference you find goes back to the vendor by email: the type, what the schedule says, what the quote says, and a request for a revised number or a written confirmation. Keep that thread with the bid file. If the documents themselves are unclear, such as a type on the plans that isn't on the schedule, send an RFI to the design team using the pre-bid RFI template so every bidder prices the same fixture.
Questions estimators ask
Why check a lighting quote against the fixture schedule?
Lighting is often one of the larger material packages on an electrical bid, and the vendor's quote may be built from an earlier document set or from their own reading of the schedule. Any type, option or quantity they missed becomes your cost once you carry their number.
What gets missed most often on a lighting quote?
Fixture types added or changed by addendum, emergency options, mounting accessories, controls, and site lighting poles and bases. Fixtures shown only on architectural or interior sheets are another frequent miss.
Should I rely on the lighting vendor's quantities?
Use them as a cross-check, not as your count. Compare their quantities against your own takeoff and resolve any difference in writing before bid close.
What should I do if the quote excludes something the spec requires?
Get a separate price, carry an allowance, or exclude it in writing in your bid qualifications. Don't submit with the gap unaddressed.
A second read of the whole package, not just the lighting.
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.