Always Send Your Blueprints Out for Any RFQ!

Remember to always be extremely cautious when sending your request for quotations “RFQ’s” out to your suppliers, manufacturers, and sub contractors for any project you are working on.

Now its time to discuss a situation where an electrical contractor in Ontario, Canada lost a lot of money on a fire alarm system replacement project at a prestigious university campus’s medical building. The estimating department simply just sent the fire alarm manufacturer the total device and equipment quantities in an excel spreadsheet. They did not send the manufacturer the complete electrical blueprint set provided to them by the general contractor involved with the project.

The fire alarm manufacturer was not aware of the hazardous locations and explosion proof requirements located within the basement embalming lab in the building. This was a location where quite a few of the specified devices were required to be installed and verified. The fire alarm manufacturer provided their quote to the electrical contractor based upon normal and standard site conditions of any university building located on the school’s campus.

Due to the fact of carrying the fire alarm manufacturer’s price that was $20,000 low, the contractor closed the project with a price much less than its competitors and therefore was awarded the project. The contractor did not see this error until they went to place the order for the devices and equipment and the fire alarm manufacturer asked for an additional $20,000 based upon the electrical blueprints they were provided with after the tender was awarded.

For information on understanding and analysing blueprints related to fire alarm projects and installations, please check out Orderline’s: “Fire Alarm Blueprint Reading” webinar series.

Shane Rosenberg is the creator of the estimating & blueprint reading webinar series hosted by Orderline. He has been a professional estimator in the construction industry for more than 10 years. Shane holds an electrical estimating certificate, an associate membership with the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS), as well as a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree. He has worked on a variety of different projects ranging from small renovations to larger installations of upwards of $5,000,000. Working closely with contractors to grow and expand their businesses is his passion.