Excel bid sheet
Materials, labor hours, equipment, and waste allowances, itemized with the sheet reference and CSI code. Built to paste into your proposal, or mapped into your own spreadsheet.
Estimating
Takeoffs and estimates you can check line by line.
Our most-used service in full: what you can order, how it is priced, and what comes back.
Order the depth your job needs
Quantities only, and you apply your own rates. Or quantities priced out with material, labor, equipment, and waste. Or the whole thing with your markup applied, ready to submit. Tell us which, or send the plans and we will recommend it.
Three deliverables on every project
Each estimate ships with the proof behind it, so you can verify the work before a bid goes out under your company's name.
Color-coded PDF markups
Your drawings returned with each scope traced in its own color. When the sheet lists 168 LF of partitions, the PDF shows exactly which walls make up that number.
RFI log
Gaps and conflicts found in the documents, tied to a sheet and room, with the assumption we priced. You see them early enough to ask the design team before bids close.
Sample RFI log
Sample project: urgent care clinic, shown on our home page
| RFI | Sheet and location | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFI-01 | A-501, Room 105 | The lab ceiling isn't on the finish schedule, and exam rooms 102 to 104 call for ACT. Should the lab get washable vinyl-faced tile? Priced as standard 2' × 4' ACT. | Open |
| RFI-02 | S-101, detail 2/S-301 | General notes show the perimeter footing 12" deep, and detail 2 shows 16". Which governs? Priced at 12" per the notes. | Open |
| RFI-03 | A-601, door 6 | No hardware set is listed for the lab-to-staff door. Priced as a passage set with a closer. | Answered |
Measured the way your trade bids
Each trade gets its own takeoff in the units it is bought and bid in. A full-project estimate is those trade totals added together.
Sitework & excavation
CSI Divisions 31 Earthwork, 32 Exterior Improvements, 33 Utilities
The first crews on site. We measure clearing, earthwork, trenches, and buried utilities from your civil sheets.
Quantities we take off
- Excavation and fill balances in cubic yards
- Trench and utility line lengths in linear feet
- Asphalt and site concrete paving in square feet
- Fine grading, aggregate base, and backfill
Vocabulary
Cut and fill, mass excavation, grading, utility trenching, haul-off
Hand off the earthwork math and put those hours into chasing more site packages.
Concrete
CSI Division 03
Footings, slabs, walls, and elevated decks. Concrete is a costly scope, so a small quantity miss becomes a big dollar miss.
Quantities we take off
- Concrete volume in cubic yards, split by element and strength
- Reinforcing steel by bar size and weight
- Form contact area in square feet
- Post-tensioning, embeds, and finish work
Vocabulary
Rebar, formwork, PT tendons, PSI, slab on grade
Rebar weights and form areas take the most takeoff time, so we list both for each element.
Masonry
CSI Division 04
Brick, concrete block, and stone, from load-bearing CMU buildings to full veneer elevations.
Quantities we take off
- Unit counts for brick and CMU, by size
- Mortar and grout quantities
- Reinforcing in grouted cells and bond beams
- Scaffold runs in linear feet
Vocabulary
CMU, mortar, grout, bond beams, control joints
A block-heavy job can mean thousands of units. We count them so you don't have to.
Structural steel
CSI Division 05
The structural frame of commercial buildings, measured member by member.
Quantities we take off
- Tonnage by member type
- Bolts and connection hardware
- Weld lengths in linear inches
- Deck, stairs, and miscellaneous metals
Vocabulary
W-shapes, columns, joists, deck, erection drawings
Every member, connection, and weld accounted for, not just the headline tonnage.
Carpentry & framing
CSI Division 06
Wood framing and finish work for homes and light commercial buildings.
Quantities we take off
- Framing lumber in board feet
- Sheathing and plywood by sheet
- Trusses, studs, headers, and blocking
- Connectors, fasteners, trim, and millwork
Vocabulary
Rough and finish carpentry, trusses, sheathing, millwork
Board-foot takeoffs are laid out to trim waste, because every extra percent of lumber comes out of margin.
Roofing & insulation
CSI Division 07
The scopes that keep weather out and heat in, on low-slope commercial roofs and steep-slope homes.
Quantities we take off
- Roof area in squares (100 SF each)
- Membrane and underlayment by roll
- Flashing and edge metal by the linear foot
- Insulation area by R-value
Vocabulary
Squares, TPO, flashing, R-value, underlayment
Low-slope TPO or steep-slope shingle, measured in the units you order in.
Drywall & finishes
CSI Division 09
Interior build-out: metal framing, board, paint, ceilings, and floors. Margins are tight and bid counts are high.
Quantities we take off
- Gypsum board area in square feet
- Metal studs and track in linear feet
- Paint by the gallon and finish
- Tile, carpet, and resilient flooring area
- Acoustical ceiling (ACT) area
Vocabulary
Gypsum, tape and finish, ACT, metal framing, finish levels
In a trade won on volume, faster takeoffs mean more bids submitted every week.
Mechanical, electrical & plumbing
CSI Divisions 21 to 28
The densest drawings on most jobs, and the sheets most likely to change right before bids are due.
Quantities we take off
- HVAC: duct runs, equipment tonnage, fans, and diffusers
- Electrical: conduit and wire lengths, fixture counts, and gear
- Plumbing: pipe by material and size, fixtures, and water heaters
- Fire protection, low-voltage, and security systems
Vocabulary
Ductwork, tonnage, conduit, switchgear, fixture schedules
Each pipe run, conduit path, and fixture gets its own line, so late revisions are easy to trace.
Other scopes we take on: elevators, fencing, landscaping, piling, plaster, glass and glazing, flooring, paint and wallcovering, sheet metal, welding, process and site piping, and mechanical insulation.
Show all CSI divisions we estimate
Procurement and general
- 00Procurement and contracting requirements
- 01General requirements
Facility services
- 21Fire suppression
- 22Plumbing
- 23Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning
- 25Integrated automation
- 26Electrical
- 27Communications
- 28Electronic safety and security
Facility construction
- 02Existing conditions
- 03Concrete
- 04Masonry
- 05Metals
- 06Wood, plastics, and composites
- 07Thermal and moisture protection
- 08Openings
- 09Finishes
- 10Specialties
- 11Equipment
- 12Furnishings
- 13Special construction
- 14Conveying equipment
Site and infrastructure
- 31Earthwork
- 32Exterior improvements
- 33Utilities
- 34Transportation
- 35Waterway and marine construction
Process equipment
- 40Process interconnections
- 41Material processing and handling equipment
- 42Process heating, cooling, and drying equipment
- 43Process gas and liquid handling
- 44Pollution control equipment
- 45Industry-specific manufacturing equipment
- 46Water and wastewater equipment
- 48Electrical power generation
Priced for where you build and who you hire
Material and equipment costs are matched to current pricing where the project is built. Labor follows how the job will really be staffed.
Open shop
Non-union labor at market rates. Most private work is priced this way, and rates change from state to state.
Union
Rates, fringes, and work rules come from the local collective bargaining agreement, for example an IBEW local on electrical work.
Prevailing wage
Required on federally funded construction by the Davis-Bacon Act: a published base rate plus fringes for each trade and county. On some jobs, labor lands close to twice the open-shop figure.
Overtime
Federal law requires time-and-a-half once a worker passes 40 hours in a week. Compressed schedules push labor costs up quickly.
Try it: switch the labor basis below and watch the same scope change price.
Swipe left to see all columns. Item names stay in place.
| Item | Quantity | Labor | Material | Totals | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | S# | Dwg. | CSI no. | Qty. | Wastage | Qty w/ waste | Unit | Unit labor hour | Total labor hour | Labor wage / hour | Unit labor cost | Total labor cost | Unit material cost | Total material cost | Unit price (L&M) | Trade total |
Direct cost$0
Labor$0
Material$0
Sample project with illustrative rates, not a quote. Bid estimates add overhead and profit (often 10% to 20%) on top of direct cost, while quantity takeoffs leave pricing to you. Colored squares match the scopes on the sample plan.
How each column is calculated
- Qty w/ waste
- Measured quantity plus the waste allowance for offcuts and damage.
- Total labor hour
- Quantity with waste multiplied by the hours needed per unit.
- Unit labor cost
- Hours per unit multiplied by the hourly wage.
- Total labor cost
- All labor hours for the line multiplied by the hourly wage.
- Total material cost
- Quantity with waste multiplied by the material price per unit.
- Unit price (L&M)
- Labor and material cost for one unit, combined.
- Trade total
- The line's full labor plus full material cost.
- Dwg.
- Sheet number where the item is drawn, so you can find it in the markups.
- CSI no.
- MasterFormat section for the item.
Have a set of drawings to price?
Send them over. You will get a fee and a delivery date by email before any work starts.