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2 weeks ago | 
ecmag.com | Andrea Klee |Stephen Carr
Have you ever analyzed how you go about bringing a bid together? Estimators should never feel as if they are the only one responsible for preparing a bid. Successful estimators should keep in mind they are part of a team, which includes co-workers, vendors, manufacturers and many others. Even when you are the owner, chief estimator, data manager and bookkeeper at your company, you still have to work with others.
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1 month ago | 
ecmag.com | Andrea Klee |Stephen Carr
In last month’s article, I did not bring up portable gasoline/propane-fueled generators. Did you know you can install a transfer switch and inlet receptacle and wire these devices into your service panel? I found several generators that can deliver 50A of 120/240V single-phase power, including a NEMA 14-50 receptacle that will deliver 50A (6,000W) to each of the hot legs for a total of 100A of 120V power. That is more than enough to keep your home office (and the rest of the house) running.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 is a federal law that requires contractors to pay employees working on federally funded and partially federally funded projects a local prevailing wage. Thirty-two states also have their own version of the Davis-Bacon Act. Getting certifiedHow does this law impact electrical estimators? It requires that an estimator use the prevailing labor rates for the proper geographical area.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
I am so excitedbecause my new artificial intelligence (A.I.)-powered estimating software was installed today. When I purchased it, I asked about training. The salesman said I would not need any because the A.I. could answer all my questions. Upon launching the software, the A.I. introduced itself and told me its name was HAL.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
I have previously mentioned that I’ve had difficulties understanding the language used in specifications and on plans. I decided to offer you an example and analyze it. Importantly, the following note is not on the same plan sheet as the switchgear, which emphasizes the need to read the notes on each plan sheet. “In switchgear No. 3, contractor shall verify that the existing fuses are size 450E.
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
What does it mean to be an estimator?When I was first asked to take a position as an electrical estimator, I had no idea what they did, other than a guess from the title. My career at that point had consisted of seven years at an electrical wholesale house, covering positions including truck driver, warehouseman, will-call counter, price clerk and assistant purchasing agent.
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Aug 14, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
Lately, I have been hearing about manyestimators who work from multiple locations. Some work from home, some at project sites and others from wherever they happen to be. The latter applies mostly to small companies that require their estimators, often the owner, to work away from the office. We have several customers who travel to multiple states and, of course, need to get estimates and administrative work done in the evening after a day’s work on the project.
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Jul 15, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
Most estimators I talk to use software with a database. Whether it’s a paper list, an independent database that can be rented or purchased or even in the estimator’s head, it needs to be managed. A database dilemmaThe biggest problem I’ve had with digital databases is adding items. This industry seems to generate new electrical items almost daily, and the estimating programs and database publishers can’t add important new items as fast as they pop up.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
My first article about this topicwas in the May 2014 issue of Electrical Contractor. I wrote, “Many of us bring our work home. One weekend, my young daughter was watching me do a takeoff; I was counting, measuring and highlighting the plans as I went. She got very excited and, with big, round eyes, asked me, ‘Daddy, is that what you do at work? Can I help?’ At that moment, I had an epiphany: I color for a living.”Digital “coloring”Ten years later, things have changed.
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May 14, 2024 | 
ecmag.com | Stephen Carr
I have been estimating water and wastewater for over 30 years. Almost every one of those projects has specified 316 stainless steel for hardware (nuts, bolts, screws) and supporting materials. Last week, for the very first time, I read a specification that required 304 stainless steel for supports and hardware. I did not know the difference between the two, so it was time for some research.
