Commercial electric work is done by contracting companies.

Getting the job requires the contracting company to submit a bid to the hiring company for the amount that it will do the work. The bid is submitted in the form of price per square foot. Determining the price per square foot is a simple mathematical calculation, but this requires some footwork to get all the numbers in place.

Things You Will Need

  • Blueprint

  • Bidding instructions

  • Local building codes

  • Electrical Estimator's Manual

Obtain a copy of the blueprint for the electrical project. Review the blueprint to evaluate which supplies and how much labour is required.

Read through the general notes attached to the blueprint. These notes include bidding specifications such as permitted work times and whether or not employees are present during the work. These notes can add a significant amount of time and cost to the project.

Find out what type of permits and fees are associated with the work. Depending on the area, these fees could add thousands of dollars to the total cost.

Use the "Electrical Estimator's Manual" to calculate the cost of supplies.

Calculate the total cost of labour by figuring out the amount of hours needed for the job and multiplying it by the wage paid to electrical workers by your firm. Add any additional labour that is needed for the job. Often for commercial jobs its necessary to hire specialists to do certain work.

Add together the total cost of supplies, labour, permits, overhead costs and profit margin. Divide the total by the number of square feet. The result is the price per square foot.

Compare the price to projects of similar size and scope that your company and others completed in the recent past. If the numbers are vastly different, go through the pricing again to make sure the amount is correct.