Building Specialties Estimating: Toilet Accessories, Partitions, Signage and Lockers

Specialties Estimating (Division 10) is counting and pricing the manufactured items that are installed rather than built on site — toilet partitions and accessories, signage, lockers, wall protection and similar products.

Specialties are schedule-driven, so we reconcile the accessory and signage schedules with plans and elevations and price supply, backing and installation.

What we measure and price

Specifications and CSI MasterFormat references

Division 10 covers specialties such as 10 21 13 Toilet Compartments, 10 28 00 Toilet, Bath and Laundry Accessories, 10 14 00 Signage and 10 51 00 Lockers. 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

• ADA and accessibility mounting requirements.
• Owner-furnished vs contractor-furnished items.
• Backing and blocking in walls.
• Lead times for custom signage and lockers.

Submittals and shop drawings for this scope

Specialties require product data and samples.

• Product data, samples and certifications for specialty items
• Shop drawings, layouts or installation drawings where required
• Manufacturer instructions, warranties 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

• Counting symbols without checking accessory schedules
• Missing backing, blocking and ADA clearances
• Not separating owner-furnished items
• Ignoring custom signage lead times

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

Specialty installers, general contractors and interior contractors.

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 10). Estimating is done remotely from your drawings, so we support public and private projects in every state.

Why contractors outsource specialties estimating

Bid season compresses the time estimators have for each solicitation. Outsourcing the specialties 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.