Use the Q&A template from the shared drive. It is formatted a certain way so that everyone has the same formatting. It's easy to cut and paste from all the different estimators if the formatting matches. It takes much longer to combine if you need to re-format every division.
Review the master estimate when writing your Q&A.
Put items in the same order as the estimate.
Check to see if items were included or excluded.
Only include allowance value when not shown as a separate line item on the estimate detail sheet. (ie, pool tile) If the allowance estimate value changes, the value in the Q&A will need to be changed and is often overlooked. The allowances will all be added to an allowance log prior to the contract.
Remove capital letters at 99% of locations. The mfg and product name are okay, but most others are not. Some items you may not typically capitalize should be (Owner and Contractor are the primary ones since they are defined in the contract)
Avoid abbreviations. Assume the person reading this document has no construction knowledge. Spell out square feet instead of SF. This also helps keep it consistent since some might use different abbreviations for the same item (SF, s.f. or sq.ft. ). Use common sense if the abbreviation is more common. Examples:
People don't say SF when reading the abbreviation, and they say square feet. Spelling it out would not make it more confusing.
Most people understand PVC is plastic and say PVC when reading it. Most people wouldn't know what polyvinyl chloride is and would wonder what you mean. A similar example would be LED lighting.
Review the estimate for the entire division of the trades you are handling. When in doubt, include descriptions for items in the divisions you handled, even if you didn't price that specific item. At a minimum, add the line item description and highlight it if you don't know why/what we include so the lead can decide what to put there or follow up with questions.
Q&A may be the last thing the Owner reads, but it's still very important. If it's the last thing they read, it's even more important since it may be their last impression of KAST when they review our estimate. If it's sloppy, they will think we do sloppy work. If it's well written and formatted, then they will think we will be organized in the way we build their project.
If you don't know what something means, find out! We are telling the Owner what WE are including or excluding. How can we include/exclude something if we don't even know what it is? "The sub included/excluded it" is not an acceptable answer.
Ask the subcontractor to review the Q&A for their specific trade prior to finalizing. Subcontractors are always willing to help out since they will also be bound to our Q&A in the Owner Contract.
Cutting and pasting screenshots (especially with markups and highlights) from the drawings and specifications can be an effective way to qualify items; a picture tells 1,000 stories.
We are the GC, and we cannot exclude something we need to do.
If the fire sprinkler sub excludes painting the pipe, talk with the estimator handling painting and let them address painting if it's required.
If the pool or irrigation sub excludes power or water from their system, check with the estimator handling those trades to make sure the scope is covered.
Ask yourself these questions:
Can we build without these things?
Who will provide them?
Spelling/grammar. Please run spell check and read it (or ask another estimator/admin to read it) before sending it to the lead.
Even if we already turned in our price and the Q&A follows later, we can cover our mistake with the Q&A. Please let the lead know if you found an error when working on your Q&A. The same thing goes if you ever see an error at any time. Pointing out mistakes helps identify them for the future to make sure we (as a collective team) don't repeat the same mistakes.
If the estimate is submitted, we would rather know prior to the contract as it may affect our negotiations.
If the contract is signed, we would rather know prior to issuing subcontracts. Hence, we know to be more aggressive with getting buyouts to make up for a known scope issue.
Budget vs. Hard Bid
Budgets (preliminary plans) need to have more information about what is included since the plans are not complete.
We don't need to go too far and discuss every screw. Think about things that could have a significant cost impact and things that people will see and touch in the building.
Suggested qualifications:
Structure type, concrete strengths
Piping materials for plumbing
Conductor type for electrical
Finishes, equipment, and fixtures or allowances for each.
Descriptions of railings, roofing, glass.
Hard bids (we may go to contract) need to indicate only what we are doing that is different from the plans and specs. If we are qualifying something, know what the plans/specs indicate and where. Don't take shortcuts, and leave items out if you are not sure. Find out. This is the most important document to protect KAST when conflicts arise. Be specific when indicating that we are including something. Could the Owner claim that it applied to the entire project? Be specific about where we are including things.
Hot issues
Site, soils, environmental
Slab moisture limitations
Create air-tight language in the Q&A specifying what the allowance actually represents
