Plumbing & Electrical Bids

How do I split my plumbing and electrical bids into rough and finish?

In the Full Construction category system, Goldenseal estimating software splits electrical and plumbing work into "rough" and "finish" portions. There are a couple of reasons to do this:

  • It makes the schedule more accurate, since the work usually falls into two distinct portions, one after framing is completed, and one near the end of the project.
  • Many subcontractors bill in two separate draws because of the above.

If your subcontractors give you a single bid, you can still have an accurate schedule with Goldenseal construction estimating software, and have a single bid too!

The easiest way to do that is to use some Goldenseal Assemblies to calculate the time needed for electrical and plumbing work in the schedule, and then enter a plumbing and electrical bid in whatever form you receive it. That way you can put the actual work in whatever location fits best for the schedule.

To enter a subcontractor bid from a plumber or electrician, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Bids from the Income menu.
  2. Click the New button.
  3. Enter Subcontractor into the Type popup field.
  4. Enter a specific subcontractor into the Bidder clairvoyant field.
  5. Enter the bid amount into the Gross Price field.
  6. Type in a brief description of the bid.
  7. Click the More Info button, and enter the payment terms and other details. Click OK.
  8. Hit the Enter key to save the Bid.

Next, add the bid to the Estimate you are working on:

  1. Choose Estimates from the Income menu.
  2. Locate the estimate you are working on.
  3. Click in the breakdown list, in the position where the work will occur.
  4. Choose Table from the Edit menu, and choose Insert Row from the submenu.
  5. Enter Bid into the Cost Area column.
  6. Enter the into the Cost Item column.

If the Estimate already includes Assemblies for plumbing or electrical, follow these steps:

  1. Click in the Cost Area column for the first Assembly, and change it to Assm Sched Only.
  2. Repeat step 1 for every other Assembly that is replaced by the Bid amount.

If the Estimate does not include Assemblies for plumbing or electrical, hit the More Info button on the Bid record, and fill in the approximate number of hours the work will require. That way the work will be included in your project schedule.

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