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Table of Contents

• 1. What is Electrical Estimating Software?
• 2. The benefits of Electrical Estimating Software
• 3. Typical features of Electrical Estimating Software
• 4. The cost of Electrical Estimating Software
• 5. Considerations when purchasing Electrical Estimating Software

1. What is Electrical Estimating Software?

Electrical Estimating Software is a cost estimating tool designed specifically for electrical contractors across industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. The software helps estimate the cost and resources required to complete an electrical work order. It allows contractors to track multiple projects as well as the labor, materials, and skills required for them.

Most electrical estimating software tools are integrated with pricing databases to help contractors create bids using the latest market-relevant prices of labor, resources, etc. These tools also assist with technician dispatching, job scheduling and estimating, and invoicing.

2. The benefits of Electrical Estimating Software

• Improved bid accuracy: The software helps create accurate bids by estimating the material, labor, and equipment costs for projects. Using these estimates, contractors can easily determine the true expenses for any project and place their quotations accordingly.
• Detailed project bids: The software generates a bid package, which consists of a formal proposal along with a pricing estimate report. Contractors can use this package to prepare the project blueprint and make recommendations to add or remove elements that will help the project pass inspection. Detailed, well-informed, and professional bids naturally improve service delivery and client relationships.
• Less time to create and manage bids: The automation capability of the software allows electrical contractors to handle multiple bids simultaneously, helping them utilize their time efficiently. Contractors can save time by using pre-installed templates to create bids and customizing them as per project requirements. The software also provides various formatting options to make the bids look professional and clean.

3. Typical features of Electrical Estimating Software

• Cost database: Access trade-specific databases of material and labor prices for accurate bidding.
• Electrical estimating: Estimate potential as well as actual expenses incurred for any project.
• Bid management: Create and manage the bid document, describing elements such as project execution plan, material specifications, and cost estimates.
• Change order management: Track change orders submitted across projects, and update the budget to reflect the most recent costs.
• Quotes/estimates: Create and submit quotations for customer-requested services based on the estimated pricing information.
• Job management: Manage and assign jobs to field workers, and provide them a job checklist to keep track of work progress.
• Project management: Plan and coordinate the resources, costs, and time needed to execute project jobs.

4. The cost of Electrical Estimating Software

Most products in the market are priced on a “per user per month” basis and can be divided into three pricing tiers based on their starting price.

Price ranges*:

• $33 - $120
• $120 - $167
• $167+

*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offering found on vendor websites on March 11, 2022. These ranges correspond to the 25th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of pricing information gathered from vendor websites of sample products.

The above list summarizes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product that is priced higher may include additional features such as billing and invoicing, custom branding and templates, electronic payments, electronic signature, and mobile access.

5. Considerations when purchasing Electrical Estimating Software

• Integrated accounting and billing capabilities: Electrical contractors often follow a progressive billing approach so they are paid in advance for the labor and materials they hire or purchase. Manually updating such extensive bills and invoices can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Also, contractors may make wrong percentage calculations of material costs or forget to include change orders. To avoid such manual efforts in billing, contractors should select electrical estimating software that offers integrated billing and accounting capabilities.
• Flexibility: The shortlisted estimating software should offer built-in checklists to ensure contractors cover every aspect of a project. In case they need to revise the project plan, the software should allow them to do so, without having to start from scratch. Contractors should also be able to make changes and compare previous versions side by side to evaluate what will work and what cost difference each version has.
• Mobile apps: Using a mobile app, contractors can organize their team’s schedules, view team availability, and send notifications for any required updates. In addition, a mobile app allows workers to fill in the quality checklist provided by their manager. Workers can also upload pictures, if required, to report an issue on the job site.