How to compare commercial electrical bids line by line

CCT 01Start from one set of documents

A bid is a price for a set of documents. If two bidders priced different documents, their totals are not comparable, however they are laid out.

• Name the document set. Drawing numbers and revisions, the specification sections, and every addendum. Ask each bidder to list what it priced.
• Run one question log. Answer bidders’ questions in writing and send every answer to every bidder as an addendum. A clarification given to one bidder on the phone is a scope difference in the results.
• Say what kind of price you want. A fixed price on a full design, a design-build proposal, or a budget price on a sketch are three different things.

On design-build, bidders are pricing their own design, so the comparison is between solutions, not just prices. The engineer versus contractor guide explains when that route makes sense and when a tendered design is better, and the design-build electrical page covers the delivery method.

CCT 02The line-by-line checklist

Put the bids side by side and fill in each line for each bidder. A blank cell is a question to ask, not a zero.

Once the table is full, adjust each bid to the same scope: add a fair value for what one bidder excluded and another included. That adjusted total is the one to compare.

CCT 03Allowances, alternates and unit rates

An allowance is a stand-in. It says “we have put this much in for something that is not yet defined”, and the final cost is reconciled later, up or down. It is not a price for that item.

Allowances distort comparisons in two ways. One bidder may carry a lower allowance for the same item, which lowers the total without lowering the eventual cost. Or one bidder may carry an allowance where another priced the work firmly. Fix both by issuing the same allowance amounts to every bidder, or by asking each bidder to price the item firmly.

Alternates let you choose options without re-tendering, such as a different lighting package or an extra EV-ready conduit run. Keep them outside the base price so the base bids stay comparable.

Unit rates matter after award. Commercial jobs change once they start. Rates for adding a device, a circuit or a metre of cable give both sides a starting point for pricing changes quickly, which keeps the schedule moving.

CCT 04Permits, engineering and ENMAX: the lines most often missed

Permit fees scale with the price. A Calgary contractor electrical permit carries a $112 processing fee ¹ plus $9.79 per $1,000 of construction value ¹, and construction value counts the whole job, labour and material, including customer-supplied material. ¹ A City re-inspection costs $327. ¹ Ask whether each bid carries the permit and who pays for re-inspections.

Drawings. Calgary requires plans and drawings for new construction or service upgrades of 600 A and higher. ² Fire alarm work needs drawings stamped by a professional engineer where the building requires professional involvement. ³ If the drawings are not complete, one bidder may have priced the engineering and another may have assumed it was done.

ENMAX. The utility’s charges are separate from the contractor’s work and come from ENMAX’s own estimate. The ones that affect a bid comparison are the operational charges: work the customer requires outside 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays costs $352 an hour ⁴, and re-energizing after a requested disconnect costs $166 an hour. ⁴ Decide who carries these, and show them as a separate line. The ENMAX connection guide covers the larger connection costs, and the commercial permits guide covers the City side.

CCT 05Schedule, access and shutdowns

The lowest price on paper can be the most expensive bid if it assumes conditions the building cannot give. Compare what each bidder assumed about:

• Working hours. Daytime access in an occupied office is not the same as nights only.
• Shutdowns. How many, how long, and at what time. ENMAX needs at least 3 business days’ notice for disconnect and reconnect work. ⁵
• City inspections. A weekend or statutory holiday inspection costs $189 an hour with a $756 minimum. ¹
• Long-lead equipment. A bidder’s quoted delivery for switchgear or transformers can decide the opening date. Ask for the supplier’s quoted lead time in writing, not an estimate from memory.
• Temporary power. On new construction, every temporary construction service in Calgary needs an HRC fused disconnect ahead of the meter. ² Confirm whose price includes it.

For a tenant improvement in a multi-tenant building, also check that the bidder has priced the landlord’s rules: approved hours, notice periods and closeout documents.

CCT 06Payment terms and Alberta’s prompt payment law

Payment terms are part of the price. Alberta’s Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act sets several of them for covered construction contracts, and a bid that proposes different terms may be proposing something the Act does not allow.

Under the Act, proper invoices go to the owner at least every 31 days, unless testing and commissioning conditions in the contract are not met. ⁶ The owner pays a proper invoice within 28 days of receiving it ⁶, or gives a notice of dispute within 14 days. ⁶ The owner retains a 10% holdback. ⁶ An agreement that the Act does not apply is void, with limited exceptions for consulting professionals. ⁶

So check that each bid’s invoice cycle, holdback and change-order process fit the Act and your contract form, and have your lawyer settle the contract terms. The prompt payment and holdback guide explains the timelines in detail.

CCT 07Levelling the bids and making the award

Before awarding:

1. Level the bids. Adjust every total to the same scope, allowances and assumptions, and write down each adjustment.
2. Interview the leading bidders. Walk through their sequence, their shutdown plan and their equipment lead times. Ask who will run the job.
3. Check credentials directly. Only master electricians can obtain electrical permits in Alberta. ⁷ Calgary permit applicants must meet 3 requirements: an Alberta Master Electrician Certificate, a City business licence and completion of the City’s qualified trade process. ² Check insurance and WCB standing with the issuers.
4. Put the levelled scope in the contract. Attach the accepted scope, exclusions, allowances, unit rates and alternates chosen, so everyone builds and invoices against the same list.

This site does not rank, recommend or certify contractors. The hiring guide covers prequalification in more detail. If the job adds load, the service capacity calculator helps check whether every bidder assumed the same service.