The short version
- Send the drawing index and every addendum, even if they seem obvious. Missing sheets and superseded revisions cause more errors than measuring does.
- Say what is missing. A known gap becomes a written assumption; an unknown one becomes a surprise.
- Name the scope: which divisions, where the boundaries sit, and whose template to use.
- A link to the full set beats attachments, because it keeps the revision history and nothing is left out to save space.
The core package
| Item | Why it matters | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Complete drawing set, with the index sheet | The index is how the estimator knows every sheet has arrived | Missing sheets are listed and asked for before measuring starts |
| Specifications | Materials, grades, finish levels and testing are specified, not drawn | Products are taken from the drawings and listed as assumptions |
| All addenda and bulletins issued to date | An addendum can replace sheets or change quantities outright | The estimate is valid only for the documents listed on it |
| The trades or divisions to price | Defines where the package starts and stops | Scope is confirmed in writing with the fee, before work begins |
| Bid or decision date | Sets the delivery date, and whether it is achievable | A standard turnaround is quoted |
| Project location | Drives labour rates and material pricing, and for UK work the units and currency | It is asked for, because it cannot be priced without it |
| Your estimate template, if you use one | Lets the output drop straight into your system | Delivered in the standard CSI workbook |
Trade-specific extras
- Earthwork and sitework: the topographic survey, the geotechnical report and the grading plan. Swell and shrink, unsuitable material and dewatering all depend on them. See swell, shrink and earthwork volumes.
- Structural steel: typical connection details or the connection design criteria, and whether the package is supply only or supply and erect.
- MEP: fixture, equipment and panel schedules, riser diagrams and the one-line diagram. Counts are reconciled against the schedules, so they need to be in the set.
- Fire protection: the hazard classification, and whether a hydraulic design exists or head layouts are still to come.
- Openings: the door schedule and the hardware schedule, both. Hardware is often the larger half of the package.
- Finishes: the finish schedule and room finish legend. Flooring and paint are priced room by room against it.
- Refurbishment: any existing-condition survey, photographs and the demolition drawings.
File formats
PDF is the most common format and works for everything. Vector PDFs exported from CAD measure more precisely than scans, because the linework is exact and the scale can be calibrated on dimension strings. DWG files help on sitework and wherever the scale is in doubt. RVT models are useful for checking, but a model reports what was modelled rather than what was specified, so quantities exported from one still need checking against the drawings.
When the set is incomplete
Send it anyway, and say what is missing. An incomplete set is normal at bid stage, particularly on design-build MEP and anything with a delegated design. What matters is that the gaps are known.
- Items the drawings show are measured and priced as normal.
- Items the drawings imply but do not detail are priced on a stated assumption, written into the assumptions list.
- Items that cannot be priced without more information are listed as exclusions or RFI candidates, so they can be raised before the bid rather than after award.
That is a better position than waiting for a complete set that may arrive the day before the bid, and far better than a number that looks complete and quietly is not.
Before you press send
- Check the sheet count against the drawing index.
- Confirm every sheet is at its latest revision, and include the addenda log.
- List the divisions to price and anything specifically excluded.
- Note the bid date and the time zone it is in.
- Mention any NDA that needs signing before the set is opened.
- Use a shared link for anything over about 20 MB.
You can send the set here. A fixed fee, a delivery date and a written scope usually come back the same working day. If you would like to see the output first, ask for a sample estimate in your trade, and see how the process works from there.
Written by the estimating team at QuantX Estimation. Since 2016 we have measured and priced construction work for contractors in the United States and United Kingdom, at a fixed fee agreed before we start.
