General Requirements Estimating: Division 01 General Conditions and Project Costs

General Requirements Estimating (Division 01) is the pricing of general requirements and general conditions — the project-wide costs defined in Division 01 that are not tied to one trade.

Division 01 is where bids are won or lost on overhead. We read the Instructions to Bidders, supplementary conditions and Division 01 sections and price project management, superintendence, mobilization, temporary facilities and utilities, safety, testing, permits, bonds, insurance, cleanup and closeout so the bid reflects the real duration and obligations of the project.

What we measure and price

Specifications and CSI MasterFormat references

Division 01 includes sections such as 01 10 00 Summary, 01 20 00 Price and Payment Procedures, 01 30 00 Administrative Requirements, 01 40 00 Quality Requirements, 01 50 00 Temporary Facilities and Controls and 01 70 00 Execution and Closeout Requirements. These govern submittals, schedules, payment applications, allowances and substantial completion. We read the specification section alongside the drawings so that products, performance requirements, testing, warranties and allowances are priced the way the solicitation intends — not just what appears on the plan sheets.

Pre-bid review: what we check before pricing

• Scope definition: what is in your trade and what belongs to others, with inclusions and exclusions written down.
• Addenda and bulletins: every addendum is logged and its effect on quantities, alternates and unit prices is carried into the estimate.
• Requests for information (RFIs): conflicts between drawings and specifications are listed so they can be submitted before the question deadline.
• Alternates, allowances and unit prices: priced separately and tied to the bid form so the proposal is complete and responsive.
• Bid form and qualifications: required line items, bond and insurance requirements, prevailing-wage or Davis-Bacon language and any bid-day instructions are flagged.

Pricing considerations that move the number

• Project duration and phasing drive supervision, rental and temporary-facility costs.
• Liquidated damages, prevailing-wage and reporting requirements add administration time.
• Bonding capacity and insurance limits stated in the solicitation change markup.
• Owner-furnished items, allowances and unit prices affect how general conditions are carried.

Submittals and shop drawings for this scope

Division 01 sets the submittal and administrative procedures for every trade.

• Construction schedule and schedule of values
• Site-specific safety plan and logistics plan
• Submittal register and RFI log
• Quality control, testing and closeout documents

We prepare shop drawings and submittal packages for many of these scopes, and we can resubmit after architect or engineer comments.

Common estimating mistakes we help you avoid

• Pricing general conditions as a flat percentage without checking the schedule duration
• Missing owner-required reports, allowances and temporary protection
• Forgetting bonds, permits and builder's risk insurance
• Ignoring closeout, warranty and as-built obligations

What you get

• Marked-up plans showing every count and measurement
• Quantity takeoff organized by area, system and CSI section
• Material, labor, equipment and subcontract pricing (or takeoff only)
• Clear assumptions, inclusions, exclusions, alternates and unit prices
• Excel and PDF files ready to drop into your bid or post-bid scope sheets
• Support on addenda, clarifications and bid leveling after delivery

Who this is for

General contractors and construction managers preparing a complete bid, and subcontractors who must carry their own general conditions.

How it works

1. Upload your plans, specifications and addenda, or paste a plan-room link, with your bid due date.
2. We confirm scope, price and turnaround before any work starts.
3. Our estimators complete the takeoff and pricing and a second estimator reviews it.
4. You receive the files and we stay available for addenda, RFIs and post-bid clarifications.

Software and standards

We take off in digital takeoff tools such as PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu, price with RSMeans-style cost data and your own unit prices where you provide them, schedule in Oracle Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project when needed, and organize quantities by CSI MasterFormat (Division 01). Estimating is done remotely from your drawings, so we support public and private projects in every state.

Why contractors outsource general requirements estimating

Bid season compresses the time estimators have for each solicitation. Outsourcing the general requirements takeoff and pricing lets your team cover more bids, respond to addenda quickly and keep an independent check on subcontractor and supplier numbers. You keep control of the bid: you review the quantities, adjust unit costs and decide the final price.

Public, private and prevailing-wage projects

We price this scope on public solicitations (IFB, ITB and RFP responses) and private open-shop projects alike. When the solicitation includes a prevailing-wage or Davis-Bacon wage determination, we apply the stated rates and fringe benefits to the labor in each line item and allow for certified payroll administration. See public bid estimating and our prevailing wage guide.

Related services and pages

Combine this scope with quantity takeoff, bid leveling and proposal support, pre-bid and post-bid support, shop drawings and CPM scheduling. Browse every CSI division page, read the CSI MasterFormat guide or check the bidding glossary.