Commercial Steel Estimating: A Comprehensive Guide

Book Preface

Steel estimating is an intriguing career that requires a strong constitution, a gambler’s heart, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. The steel industry is in constant movement, with ever-changing conditions and processes that both simplify and complicate the ability to understand all there is to know about the trade. Commercial Steel Estimating is designed as a comprehensive guide for anyone wanting to master the basics and know more about the steel fabrication trade. The book includes the following twelve chapters and additional notes and references:

Chapter 1, The Steel Estimator, describes in general the job requirements and the estimating process. Information is given on how work to bid is found and how an estimate is created.

Chapter 2, The Pricing Breakdown, lists the specific categories of that pricing to create a completed quote. The bid items listed there can be used in every project; they are intended to help you keep from missing any aspect of that quote. Each item is explained in detail so that you may understand why they are being used. This format may be utilized in some capacity for every quote, and serves as a good reminder for items that may otherwise not be considered.

Chapter 3, The Bid Letter, provides an example of a standard bid letter used to define the specific scope of work to be presented to your potential customer. The Bid Letter is considered a living and legal document; it is the guide for everything the quote contains—from the day the job is bid to the final closeout billing. Each qualification, inclusion, and exclusion is listed for a specific reason, These reasons are explained in detail, some of which are further defined within subsequent chapters. Items for which you find only partial details and information in the bid documents need to be specifically established, identified, and described in the bid letter. At times you may need to provide quantities and sizes to define ambiguities in the bid set information. (The subsequent chapter Reading Architectural Drawings will show you how.)