Assemblies are a collection of materials and labor units that make up one unit. For example: an MC cable receptacle assembly contains the box, plaster ring, ground pigtail, wire nuts, MC cable, MC connector, MC straps, screws, receptacle, cover etc. Assemblies speed up the takeoff process by allowing the estimator to simply ‘count’ symbols on a plan or count proposed opening locations. Our prebuilt assemblies can be used as is or copied and customized. You can also build your own custom assemblies to fit your specific needs.

Labor factors are conditions that affect labor productivity. For example it takes longer to install conduit in an occupied and finished space than it does to install conduit in an unoccupied and unfinished space. Labor factor can also be used to account for additional install time needed for less experienced electricians. There is no universal labor unit that can be applied to every installation condition so it is important when you estimate you make labor factor adjustments to accommodate specific job conditions.

Overhead refers to expenses associated with running your business that can’t be linked to a product or service. Overhead includes both direct costs applied to a specific job as well as indirect costs which include operational costs required to run the business. Examples of overhead are: rent, internet, utility and software. Overhead can be added as a percentage to line item cost like labor and material totals, direct job and miscellaneous expenses. Overhead is typically applied as a percentage ahead and calculated ahead of profit. For example: Labor Cost Total x Overhead = Subtotal