$4.2M Class-A Office Buildout Electrical Estimate
How BuildMetric delivered a highly accurate electrical takeoff for a 120,000 sq ft commercial office buildout in just 4 days, helping our client win the bid with a 15% margin.
The Challenge
Texas Commercial Electric, a mid-sized electrical contractor based in Dallas, was invited to bid on a massive 120,000 sq ft Class-A office buildout. The project featured highly complex lighting control systems, a massive 4000A switchgear package, and extensive low-voltage data requirements.
The general contractor demanded the bid in exactly 7 days. With their in-house estimating team fully booked on other projects, Texas Commercial Electric risked missing the bid deadline entirely.
The BuildMetric Solution
They reached out to BuildMetric on a Monday morning. Within 2 hours, our senior electrical estimating team reviewed the bid documents, issued a flat-fee proposal, and began the takeoff process.
1. Rapid Technology Deployment
Our team utilized Bluebeam Revu and PlanSwift to digitize the 200+ pages of electrical drawings. We set up custom toolsets specifically for the office's specified lighting fixtures, ensuring zero manual counting errors.
2. Comprehensive BOQ Generation
We didn't just provide a lump-sum number. We generated a line-item Bill of Quantities (BOQ) that separated material costs, labor hours, and equipment needs across all CSI Division 26 subsections.
3. Localized Pricing Adjustments
Since the project was in Dallas, we cross-referenced national pricing databases with local Dallas supplier quotes for heavy copper runs and switchgear. We also applied local labor rates and adjusted productivity units for the 4th-floor installation requirements.
The Results
By Thursday evening—just 4 days after receiving the plans—BuildMetric delivered a comprehensive, bid-ready estimate.
The client's chief estimator spent Friday reviewing our work. Because our BOQ was cleanly organized and heavily documented with marked-up drawings, his review took less than 3 hours.
Texas Commercial Electric submitted the bid on Friday afternoon. They won the project two weeks later, securing a highly profitable $4.2M contract with a protected 15% margin.
"BuildMetric didn't just give us a number. They gave us the entire roadmap for the project. The marked-up drawings alone saved our project managers a week of prep time when construction actually started." — VP of Estimating, Texas Commercial Electric