Planning guide / Commercial estimating
What drawings do we need to price an NYC office fit-out?
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For an electrical bid, send the current power, lighting and demolition plans together with their schedules, specifications and addenda. Include the architectural floor plan, reflected ceiling plan and furniture layout for the same floors. Those sheets answer different pricing questions, even when they show the same room.
If all you have is a test fit, send it with the square footage, intended use and decisions still open. Ask for a preliminary budget and have the estimator identify the assumptions that will need another look when the design advances.
What the estimator looks for in the set
- Existing conditions and demolition plans. Identify the tenant floors, electrical rooms and limits of work. Show which devices or fixtures will remain, move or be removed. Flag any circuits that must stay in service for a neighboring tenant or occupied area.
- Power plans, one-line diagrams and panel schedules. The floor plan locates receptacles and equipment connections. The diagram and schedules identify the panels and feeders serving them. Include available building records for existing distribution, with the dates and any conditions still awaiting field verification.
- Lighting plans, ceiling plans and fixture schedules. Send fixture types, controls information and ceiling details together. A fixture symbol gives the estimator a count. The schedule identifies the fixture to price, and the ceiling detail can change the mounting work. Identify fixtures the landlord or tenant will purchase directly.
- Furniture, millwork and equipment drawings. Share workstation layouts, conference table details and pantry equipment schedules where they apply. For a conference table with built-in power, bidders need to know where the feed enters the room, who supplies the table power assembly and who makes the final connection. Include the vendor detail if a model has been selected.
- Mechanical, fire alarm and technology sheets. When another trade lists equipment that needs power or a connection, include its schedule and the relevant detail. For equipment such as an access-controlled door, identify who carries power, pathways, cabling and final connections.
What the drawings may leave out
Ask building management for the work rules that apply to the floor. A demolition plan might show lights coming out above occupied desks. Whether crews can access the space during the day or only after staff leave changes how that work is priced. Include freight elevator hours, shutdown windows and any requirement to schedule work through a building vendor.
With the files, send the project address and floor, bid deadline, anticipated construction dates and contact for questions. Identify the drawing issue and each addendum. If a fixture selection or building rule is still open, tell all bidders which assumption to carry and whether you want a separate price for an alternate.
Have plans ready? Use Send us a bid set on ESE’s commercial contracting page to reach estimating. Commercial electrical installation and fit-out projects