Estimating, Shop Drawings and Permit Drawings for Subcontractors

Estimating, Shop Drawings and Permit Drawings for Subcontractors for subcontractors acts as your off-site estimating and drafting department for any trade: takeoffs, priced estimates, scope-sheet responses, shop drawings, submittals and permit drawings.

Subcontractors win work on speed and accuracy, and bid season rarely leaves enough hours. Bid Sharp prepares trade-specific takeoffs and estimates, responds to GC scope sheets and produces shop drawings and submittal packages for masonry, tile, solar, concrete, electrical, MEP, drywall, roofing and more.

Send the drawings and specification sections for your trade and we deliver quantities, pricing and drawings in the format your general contractor expects.

Trade takeoffs and estimates

We measure and price your scope from the drawings and specifications: masonry, tile, concrete, electrical, MEP, roofing, drywall, sitework and every other CSI division.

Responding to GC scope sheets and solicitations

We read the general contractor's scope sheet, the bid form and the specification section, list inclusions, exclusions and qualifications and price alternates and unit prices so your proposal is complete and easy to level.

Shop drawings and submittals

After award, we prepare shop drawings and submittal packages — masonry, tile layouts, steel, rebar, millwork and more — and handle resubmittals after architect or engineer comments.

Permit drawings and solar plan sets

We prepare permit drawings and solar permit plan sets for installers and specialty contractors.

What you receive

• Trade takeoff with marked-up plans
• Priced estimate and proposal inputs
• Scope-sheet responses with inclusions and exclusions
• Shop drawings and submittal packages
• Permit drawings and solar plan sets

Technical scope and terminology we work with

• Scope sheets, inclusions, exclusions and qualifications
• Bid leveling, alternates, allowances and unit prices
• Shop drawings, submittals and resubmittals
• Prevailing wage, certified payroll and burden
• CSI specification sections for your trade
• Addenda, RFIs and pre-bid questions

Who this service is for

Specialty subcontractors in masonry, tile, solar, concrete, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, drywall, sitework and finishes.

How it works

1. Send drawings and your spec sections.
2. We confirm scope, price and turnaround.
3. We deliver quantities, pricing or drawings.
4. We update for addenda and comments.

Software, standards and file formats

We work in PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu for takeoff, Excel with RSMeans-style cost data for pricing, Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project for scheduling, and AutoCAD-compatible formats for drawings. Files are delivered as Excel, PDF and DWG, organized by CSI MasterFormat.

When to use this service

Use estimating, shop drawings and permit drawings for subcontractors when a bid date is close, when your team is stretched across projects, when you need an independent check of your own numbers or drawings, or when you want consistent deliverables in the same format every time. Tell us the due date when you request a quote so the schedule can be planned around it.

Engagement options

• One project: order estimating, shop drawings and permit drawings for subcontractors for a single bid or job and receive a firm price and turnaround before we start.
• Several trades or divisions: combine this service with related scopes so quantities, drawings and pricing agree.
• Bid-season capacity: send multiple projects with their due dates and we schedule the work to hit each one.
• Ongoing support: repeat-volume contractors can agree standard formats, cost codes and turnaround so every delivery drops straight into their process.

Quality control, confidentiality and communication

Every deliverable is reviewed by a second team member before it reaches you, and assumptions, inclusions and exclusions are written down so they can be checked. If information is missing we send a short list of questions rather than guessing, and we tell you which assumption we used when a question cannot be answered in time. Your plans, specifications and files are used only to prepare your project work and are not shared publicly; see our privacy policy.

Related services, guides and pages

• Construction estimating and quantity takeoff
• Pre-bid, solicitation response and post-bid support
• Shop drawings, structural drafting and permit drawings
• Public bid estimating, pricing, samples, FAQ and bidding glossary

Trades subcontractors send us most

• Masonry and masonry shop drawings
• Tile and tile layouts
• Solar permit sets and estimates
• Concrete, steel and framing
• MEP: HVAC, plumbing, electrical and fire protection
• Roofing, drywall, finishes and sitework

Responding to general contractor bid requests

GCs send invitations to bid with plans, specification sections and a scope sheet. A strong response is complete, easy to level and clearly qualified: priced base scope, alternates, unit prices, inclusions and exclusions, schedule, bond and insurance, and prevailing-wage assumptions. We prepare the pricing and the inclusion/exclusion list so your proposal can be compared fairly and wins on scope clarity as well as price.

After you win the job

Awarded subcontractors must provide submittals, shop drawings, schedules, insurance and closeout documents. We prepare shop drawings and submittals, support RFIs and resubmittals and help build your schedule of values. See also post-bid support.