FAQs

For professional and ethical reasons we will only accept a Mechanical and Electrical Estimating project off one client and once we accept a commission and an agreement is in place we will work exclusively for that client.

Our combined industry experience of Mechanical and Electrical Estimating exceeds 150 years; Just like your own staff, we take reasonable skill and care. We would also carry out our own internal checks to verify our estimate using rules of thumb and experience.

• Experienced across a wide range of industries; education, retail, leisure, commercial, industrial, and telecommunications.
• Experienced in multi-disciplined M&E-led projects with Construction Managers, Management Contractors, PFI, PPP, End users, and Main Contractors.
• Contractually aware
• We use technology to benefit your Company. Information transfer and cost modeling are possible with our software. Bids are presented as M&E in one report.
• You can be sure that you are getting value for money because your fee is determined by the value of the job. Your fee is based on value, not on how long it has taken us to prepare, and the higher the value of the job the lower the fee.
• Through our customer feedback programme, they say they would use us again and they would recommend our service to other Contractors and believe its good value for money.
• You can view your estimate information online.

The fee is based on a reduced % of the net estimate value (after your trade discounts).

We use SEC estimating software with a database of over 375,000 items, updated weekly.

The prices are direct from the manufacturer. We apply your standard discounts to arrive at a net material cost.

For none database items we seek quotations in your Company name. For sub-contractors we obtain quotes from the specified Companies and from those you wish to use.

No. We send out with enquiries, to all suppliers and subcontractors, a letter of authority that explicitly instructs them to comply with our directions. This stops your staff from being harassed for permission to release quotes.

Your Terms and Conditions, the project specification, drawings, and any other pertinent documents e.g. the Health and Safety program.

To begin with we use a benchmark rate of £30 p/h to calculate the overall net estimate value. You are then free you apply your own rate with or without our involvement. If you use your own labour rate then we can modify the report.

No problem. After an initial review of the documents, we will determine what if any external design input we need. We will discuss the design needed and what level of document you want for your tender submission before engaging a Consultant. Their fee can be paid directly by you or us.

We agree with you at the outset if you want us to represent you when raising queries or site visits.

We would expect you to win 1 in 3 of the estimates we produce for you.

However, whilst we produce an estimate of cost, price is determined by the Market, and since the competition dictates price it's important to risk assess your chances of winning before deciding to bid.

Merely being more selective can increase your strike rate by 50%. The real key is to demonstrate that your price represents the best value.

We provide the following for most estimates:

• Model Tender letter:
  

  This is a Word document that allows you the facility to import it onto your letterhead, all data to be inserted is in red to stand out like start date, duration, fixed price etc.

  We include commercial and technical qualifications, along with a list of tender documents used to compile the estimate, and drawing revision status.

• Quotes:
  

  All quotes as a zipped folder.
• Take off sheets and workbook:
  

  Take off report, take off sheets, and all estimate notes.

• The estimate:
  

  Final estimate value sheet, section summary sheet, model tender later including commercial and technical clarifications

• Enquiry Schedule:
  

  This shows the companies we have issued enquiries to and handwritten returned prices.

Yes, if you are sent a bill of quantities to price we asses the standard method of measurement, SMM6 or SMM7. We will prepare the bill of quantities using SEC estimating software. The SEC estimating software allows us to set up pages and group items together to create bill items.

Framework contracts, partnering including the PPC2000 partnering contract, all the JCT suite; JCT1980; JCT1981; JCT1988; JCT1998 and the new JCT2005.

The JCT publishes standard contracts for minor building works, an intermediate form, and a standard form. The standard form is published without bills of quantities, with bills of quantities and approximate quantities, private and local authority editions.

We have experience on named contract, domestic contracts DOM/1 and DOM/2, IFC1984 Named and domestic sub-contracts, Nominated sub contracts with and without design portions NSC/T, NSC/A, NSC/N, NSC/W, NSC/W, NSC/C.

Yes, MACE, Bovis Lend Lease, Taylor Woodrow.

Not if the drawings are provided as PDF and Paper and a site visit is not required.

However, we do charge for the following:

• Motoring travel is charged at 85p per mile
• Hotels are charged at cost (see our Terms and Conditions)