What does Electrical Bid Desk cost?

Setup is $7,500 and the monthly run is $1,500 a month. The sample run on one past bid is $1,500. For comparison, the median cost estimator at a specialty trade contractor earns $80,330 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Does it replace my estimator?

No. It drafts the takeoff, levels the quotes and scores the invitation so your estimator spends time checking and pricing instead of counting. Your estimator signs every number and your chief estimator makes every bid/no-bid call.

What do you need from us for a sample run?

One bid you already submitted, won or lost: the plan set, the specs, the supplier quotes you received and your final takeoff. We compare our draft against your takeoff and hand you the variance list with sheet references.

Where do our plan sets and bid history go?

They are processed on our own hardware, never used to train models, and they stay yours. Everything the desk produces belongs to you, and your files are returned or deleted when you ask.

Does it work with the estimating software we already run?

It sits beside it. Outputs come as spreadsheets and PDFs your estimator can key or import into the system you use today, whether that is a dedicated estimating package or a spreadsheet. Only 20 percent of commercial specialty contractors run on a single platform (ServiceTitan 2026 Commercial Specialty Contractor Report).

Is this only for data center bids?

No. It works on any electrical plan set. Data center packages are where it matters most, because electrical distribution is 32 to 38 percent of GMP on those bids (Archdesk, 2026-04-16).

Electricians on scissor lifts pulling feeder cable along overhead cable trays in a data hall under construction, with cable reels on the floor

For electrical contractors nationwide

Electrical Bid Desk: Electrical Estimating and Bid Leveling. Your Estimator Signs Every Number.

Thursday, 4pm. A general contractor sends the invitation to bid for a data hall. The electrical set is the thickest package in the drawings: single lines, panel schedules, the switchgear spec, the generator spec. Both of your estimators are already on other bids, and neither is free before this one is due. So you pass, or you send a number nobody had time to check.

On 2026 data center bids, electrical distribution is 32 to 38 percent of the GMP (Archdesk, 2026-04-16). That is the largest priced scope on the job, and it is the one your estimating backlog makes you skip.

Electrical Bid Desk runs the Four-Sheet Bid Run on each invitation to bid: Count the takeoff, Level the quotes, Score the bid/no-bid, Pack the proposal. Every sheet has a pass/fail acceptance test. $7,500 setup, then $1,500 a month.

Request a sample run See what a sample run returns

Nationwide, delivered remotely
Your estimator signs every number
Plan sets never used to train models
Sample run: $1,500

Updated 25 September 2026

The data center electrical scope

The numbers behind the estimating backlog

32 to 38%

of GMP is electrical distribution on 2026 data center bids

Archdesk, 2026-04-16

About 22 months

lead time for medium voltage switchgear on 2026 orders

Archdesk, 2026-04-16

$80,330

median annual wage, cost estimators at specialty trade contractors

BLS, May 2025

15.9 GW

of data center capacity under construction in the United States

BloombergNEF, 2026-03-24

Read the data center electrical estimating guide

What it costs when it slips

The bid you pass on is the biggest scope on the job

Electrical distribution is 32 to 38 percent of GMP on 2026 data center bids (Archdesk, 2026-04-16).
Invitations arrive faster than estimators free up, so you pass on bids or send a takeoff nobody checked.
The next estimator costs a median $80,330 a year at specialty trade contractors (BLS, May 2025).

The Bid Desk

The Four-Sheet Bid Run: Count, Level, Score, Pack

Electrical Bid Desk drafts electrical takeoffs, levels supplier and sub-tier quotes, scores bid/no-bid and assembles proposals for electrical contractors in the United States, so the estimators you already have can bid more jobs. Your estimator checks and signs every number.

Built for electrical contractors, Divisions 26, 27 and 28, including data center and mission critical bids. All four sheets run on one spine: the five checks below and the check log you keep. Out of scope: the run never submits a bid and never signs a number.

Count: Takeoff Draft

Sheet 01 of 04

Fixtures, devices, conduit, wire, feeders and gear counted from the plan set, every line tied to a sheet number and a spec section.

Result: Your estimator starts each bid by checking a drafted count instead of counting from blank sheets.
Goes in: The plan set and specs from the invitation to bid, plus your labor units.
Comes out: A line-by-line quantity sheet your estimator can key or import, grouped by system: lighting, power, feeders, gear, fire alarm, low voltage.
Signed by: Your estimator, who owns every quantity and every price.

Acceptance test: passes only if every line cites a sheet number and a spec section; a line missing either is pulled before delivery. The sample run also reports the share of your final line items the draft contained and lists every line it missed.

Full guide: Electrical takeoff Governed by check 1 Next: Quote Leveling Sheet

Level: Quote Leveling Sheet

Sheet 02 of 04

Switchgear, generator, fire alarm and low voltage quotes side by side against one scope, with every exclusion and lead time flagged.

Result: No quote exclusion or stated lead time reaches your number unseen.
Goes in: The supplier and sub-tier quote PDFs you received for this bid.
Comes out: One sheet with each quote leveled to the same scope, exclusions listed per quote, and stated lead times next to the price.
Signed by: Your estimator, who picks the quote that goes into the number.

Acceptance test: passes only if every exclusion and every stated lead time in every quote PDF appears on the sheet; one missing item fails the sheet and it is re-run.

Full guide: Bid leveling Governed by check 2 Next: Bid/No-Bid Score

Score: Bid/No-Bid Score

Sheet 03 of 04

One page per invitation: your margin history on similar work, crew availability, schedule, gear lead time and the GC's payment record.

Result: Your chief estimator decides bid or pass from one page of sourced inputs instead of from memory.
Goes in: Your past bids and results, your crew calendar, the bid schedule and the gear lead times from the leveling sheet.
Comes out: One page per invitation with each input, its source and how it moved the score.
Decided by: Your chief estimator. The score informs the call and never makes it.

Acceptance test: passes only if every input names its source; an input without one is removed, never guessed.

Full guide: Bid/no-bid Governed by check 3 Next: Proposal Pack

Pack: Proposal Pack

Sheet 04 of 04

Inclusions, exclusions, clarifications, alternates and a schedule of values in your own proposal format.

Result: Your proposal goes out in your own format with every exclusion from the leveling sheet carried over.
Goes in: Your proposal template, the signed takeoff and the leveled quotes.
Comes out: A proposal draft in your format, with every exclusion carried over from the leveling sheet.
Signed by: Your estimator. Your project manager owns scope clarifications with the GC.

Acceptance test: passes only if every exclusion on the leveling sheet appears in the proposal and the check log shows your estimator signed before release.

Full guide: Proposal assembly Governed by check 5 Next: The five checks

An estimator seen from behind at a job-trailer desk, marking up electrical drawings beside a laptop spreadsheet

What stays with you

What your people still own

Your estimator owns every number and signs every proposal.
Your chief estimator makes every bid/no-bid call. The score informs it and never makes it.
Your project manager owns scope clarifications with the general contractor.
Your labor units, cost history and supplier list stay yours, and so does everything the desk produces.

The rulebook

Five checks, written into a log you keep

Every takeoff line cites a sheet number and a spec section.
Every quote exclusion and every stated lead time appears on the leveling sheet.
Every bid/no-bid input names where it came from.
Every line your estimator changes is recorded with the before and after value.
No proposal leaves without your estimator's sign-off in the log.

When a check fails, the line is corrected and re-run on that same bid before your next bid is due, and the cause is written into the check log you keep. Named owner of mistakes: Mike Rodgers.

What buyers pay today

The estimator you would hire next

Hiring the next estimator: the median annual wage for cost estimators at specialty trade contractors is $80,330, and the top 10 percent of all cost estimators earn more than $130,820 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/cost-estimators.htm, May 2025 data, read 2026-09-25). That median is $6,694 a month before benefits, payroll tax and months of ramp (80,330 divided by 12). Specialty trade contractors employ 33 percent of all cost estimators (same source). Electrical Bid Desk is $1,500 a month after a $7,500 setup, and it adds bid capacity to the estimators you already have. Your own numbers decide it: bids you passed on last quarter, times your hit rate, times the margin on an average award. We publish no typical contractor figure. The sample run gives you a real before and after on one of your own bids.

The offer and the price

Electrical Bid Desk

Count: Takeoff Draft for every invitation you forward, each line tied to a sheet and spec section
Level: Quote Leveling Sheet with every exclusion and lead time flagged
Score: Bid/No-Bid Score with every input sourced
Pack: Proposal Pack in your own format, released only after your estimator signs
The spine, a check log you keep: every line your estimator changed, before and after
Plan sets and bid history kept on our own hardware, never used to train models, and yours to keep

$7,500 setup, then $1,500 a month.

Setup loads your labor units, cost history, supplier list and proposal template, and runs two live bids side by side with your estimator before the desk goes live. Sample run price: $1,500.

The sample run output is yours to keep and stands on its own. If you start setup within 30 days, the sample run price comes off setup in full.

Request a sample run

How it works

Three steps, one owner

Sample run on a bid you already sent

Send one past bid: the plan set, the specs, the supplier quotes and your final takeoff. Within 10 business days of receiving them you get all four outputs plus a variance list against your own takeoff. Sample run price: $1,500.

Setup, $7,500

We load your labor units, cost history, supplier list and proposal template, set the five checks with your chief estimator, and run two live bids side by side with your estimator.

Monthly run, $1,500 a month

Forward an invitation to bid and get the Takeoff Draft, Quote Leveling Sheet, Bid/No-Bid Score and Proposal Pack back, with every estimator change in the check log.

See it work

What a sample run returns

Demonstration, not a client result

A sample run returns five files for one past bid. This extract was written for this page and is not taken from any client. Takeoff Draft line: 4 inch EMT, feeder F-3 from MSB-1 to UPS-A, sheet E-401, spec section 26 05 33, status drafted and waiting for estimator check. Quote Leveling Sheet row: two switchgear quotes, one excludes startup and testing, the other states a lead time with no ship date, both flagged. Bid/No-Bid Score line: gear lead time input taken from the supplier quote, not assumed. Variance list line: our count differs from your submitted takeoff on one feeder run, with both sheet references shown so your estimator can settle it.

Guides

Go deeper, one estimating job at a time

By estimating job

Electrical takeoff

Electrical Takeoff, Drafted Line by Line From Your Plan Set

Read the guide

Bid leveling

Bid Leveling for Electrical Supplier and Sub-Tier Quotes

Read the guide

Bid/no-bid

Bid/No-Bid Scoring for Electrical Contractors, With Every Input Sourced

Read the guide

Proposal assembly

Electrical Proposal Assembly: Inclusions, Exclusions and Clarifications in Your Format

Read the guide

By market

Data center electrical estimating

Data Center Electrical Estimating: Why the Backlog Hits Hardest Here

Read the guide

Checkable facts

What you can verify yourself

BLS: median annual wage for cost estimators at specialty trade contractors was $80,330 in May 2025 (bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/cost-estimators.htm, read 2026-09-25).
ServiceTitan 2026 Commercial Specialty Contractor Report, 1,000+ respondents: cost estimating (24 percent) and bid management (22 percent) are the top contractor AI uses, and 38 percent now see measurable AI results, up from 17 percent.
FMI PE Sector Brief, 2026-01-29: more than 70,000 electrical contracting firms, and only 15 to 20 national platforms.

Straight answers

What this does and does not promise

What does Electrical Bid Desk cost?: Setup is $7,500 and the monthly run is $1,500 a month. The sample run on one past bid is $1,500. For comparison, the median cost estimator at a specialty trade contractor earns $80,330 a year (BLS, May 2025).
Does it replace my estimator?: No. It drafts the takeoff, levels the quotes and scores the invitation so your estimator spends time checking and pricing instead of counting. Your estimator signs every number and your chief estimator makes every bid/no-bid call.
What do you need from us for a sample run?: One bid you already submitted, won or lost: the plan set, the specs, the supplier quotes you received and your final takeoff. We compare our draft against your takeoff and hand you the variance list with sheet references.
Where do our plan sets and bid history go?: They are processed on our own hardware, never used to train models, and they stay yours. Everything the desk produces belongs to you, and your files are returned or deleted when you ask.
Does it work with the estimating software we already run?: It sits beside it. Outputs come as spreadsheets and PDFs your estimator can key or import into the system you use today, whether that is a dedicated estimating package or a spreadsheet. Only 20 percent of commercial specialty contractors run on a single platform (ServiceTitan 2026 Commercial Specialty Contractor Report).
Is this only for data center bids?: No. It works on any electrical plan set. Data center packages are where it matters most, because electrical distribution is 32 to 38 percent of GMP on those bids (Archdesk, 2026-04-16).

Portrait of Mike Rodgers, who builds and runs Electrical Bid Desk

By the way

Who builds it

Built and run by Mike Rodgers in Denver. Mike scopes every sample run and reads every inquiry.

Start with one past bid

Request a sample run

Tell us about one bid you already submitted: the project type, roughly how big the electrical scope was, and the estimating software you run. Mike replies by email with what the sample run needs and a written scope. Sample run price: $1,500.