General Contracting Estimating Services
Forte Estimating offers specialty general contractor estimating to contractors and subcontractors bidding general contracting scope on residential, commercial and industrial work. Our estimators have extensive experience in the trade, and use sophisticated takeoff software to generate accurate estimates that are ready to be presented to your customer, with current material and labor pricing as well as support for construction quantity takeoff and general construction estimating.
We are specialty subcontractors bidding jobs directly or general contractors requiring a general contracting estimation package, our team provides the level of detail necessary to accurately price the job and help you win competitive bids.
Starting from your plans and specifications, we create a contractor estimating company package that is organized in a manner that can be submitted directly to your suppliers for material pricing, or it can be reviewed by you for your own bid.
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What Is General Contracting Estimating?
General contracting estimating involves the entire project, as seen from the perspective of the general contractor, coordinating their own work with the subcontractors and general conditions into one overall price.
This includes bringing all quantity takeoffs together for all the trades, comparing subcontractor quotes with the plan, and calculating general conditions, overheads, and fees into a final bid number.
These amounts are not just important when the bid is sent in − when the project is awarded, they’re also directly tied into material ordering and schedule planning, and an incorrect general contracting takeoff can cause issues once the job is begun.
Our General Contracting Takeoff Process
Each contractor estimating company assignment is started by a detailed review of the drawings and specifications, along with a detailed quantity takeoff, which is organized by the important categories that will help to create a precise price.
After quantities are measured, a second estimator will double-check the takeoff to minimize any measurement mistakes or scope gaps before the quantities are placed into the bid.
What's Included in Our General Contracting Estimate
You will get a detailed bid summary by trade and cost category, and a bid leveling sheet to compare subcontractor bids side by side to be able to quickly see if there are gaps in scope or bids that are significantly higher than the others before submitting.
Files are provided in spreadsheet or PDF format and can be tailored to your company’s preferred takeoff template and/or bid format (if applicable).
Key Considerations for General Contracting Estimating
A general contractor’s bid is only as good as the lowest bid from any of its subcontractors, so we identify scope gaps between trades at an early stage to fill in areas that may be overlooked when the scope is split across multiple subcontractors such as temporary protection, cleanup, or interface conditions. We also review bid leveling sheets to verify that each subcontractor’s bid includes the same scope prior to comparing apples to apples.
Residential vs. Commercial General Contracting Estimating
The number of trades and the general conditions are usually less complex in residential general contracting estimates, and more complex in commercial GC estimates, often requiring detailed coordination among dozens of subcontractors, schedules, and bonding and insurance requirements.
Why Trade Contractors Choose Forte
Forty percent of the time, specialty subcontractors are bidding on general contracting projects, and Forte has estimators who understand the trade from the field—not a drawing set. That industry-specific knowledge is what we leverage to get the scope information you might not have noticed a generalist estimator could have, avoiding you losing your margin before you put in your number.
We also provide flexible pricing for general contracting estimating: one-off job pricing, monthly retainers for subcontractors who bid this scope regularly and desire regular and predictable estimating partner.
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Contact us Now
Call us now and upload your construction project plans with all the specific details to explain the scope of work that includes construction drawings, specifications and other specific documentation.
Receive your schedule
Our expert team of BIM Estimators manages to deliver the final draft for review and consult through an email or call to consult and finalize the construction project.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are subcontractor quotes compared to drawings?
Yes, we always compare subcontractor scope with the drawings as a fundamental step in the general contracting estimate process, as we try to pick up on gaps before we get to the point of bidding.
Are you able to estimate your own work and work on other trades?
Yes, quantity takeoffs and costs can be done on any trades that your company does on its own and can be incorporated into the overall project estimate.
Are you involved in developing the general conditions section of the bid?
Yes, we can estimate general conditions costs such as supervision, temporary facilities and project overhead for your particular project’s length and complexity.
Are you able to provide a level bid amongst several subcontractor bids?
Yes, we create bid leveling sheets that categorize and gather all the subcontractor bids by scope to find out gaps or inconsistencies in pricing.
How quickly can you turn around a general contracting estimate?
Standard-sized jobs take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours and sometimes longer for larger and more complex jobs, the most general contracting estimates are finished within 3-5 business days..
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