Case Study — Industrial/Logistics
Warehouse Distribution Center Electrical Estimate — Allentown, PA
Project Overview
Complete electrical estimate for a 420,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution center including 36 dock doors, 4,000 sq ft of office mezzanine, and truck trailer parking with security lighting. Scope included: new 2500A service from PPL Electric Utilities, 1500kVA pad-mounted transformer, medium voltage primary feeder with PPL coordination, (12) 277/480V panelboards, (6) 208/120V step-down transformers, full LED high-bay lighting with daylight harvesting controls, dock equipment electrical (36 levelers, 12 vents, 8 fans), complete fire alarm system, and truck court LED area lighting on 40-foot poles.
CSI MasterFormat Divisions Covered
26 05 00, 26 05 13, 26 05 33, 26 08 00, 26 09 23, 26 12 00, 26 22 00, 26 24 00, 26 27 26, 26 32 00, 26 51 00, 26 56 00, 28 31 00, 28 33 00
Estimating Challenges
- PPL Electric Utilities required an 8-week engineering review for the medium voltage service entrance — the construction schedule showed foundation pour at week 6, requiring a utility coordination advance that was not in the original GC schedule
- Dock leveler electrical requirements changed from the RFP (120V single-phase) to the construction documents (208V three-phase) — the dock equipment submittals had not been reconciled with the electrical drawings
- The LED high-bay lighting specification called for 0-10V dimming drivers but the lighting control system specified was DALI-only — incompatibility required ($22,000) in specification-level coordination and driver replacement
- Truck court pole foundations conflicted with the stormwater detention basin grading plan — (2) pole locations had to be moved, requiring an additional 180 feet of underground feeder conduit
Change Order Prevention
During the takeoff review process, our team identified the following scope gaps that would have become change orders if not caught at the estimating stage:
- Caught that the dry-type transformers were specified with 480V primary but the PPL service was 4160V medium voltage — the medium voltage to 480V step-down was shown on the single-line but not quantified in the division 26 section — ($48,000) add
- Identified missing electrical connections for (6) warehouse exhaust fans that were in the mechanical section but had no electrical circuits on the power plan — ($9,600)
- Flagged that the fire alarm panel required a dedicated 20A circuit but the closest panel was at 97% calculated load — required a new subpanel — ($4,200)
Labor Forecasting
Applied NECA MLU industrial factors with standard Allentown IBEW LU 375 rates. Used a 50-hour work week assumption for the 14-month schedule. The 40-foot pole installation for the truck court required a crane and bucket truck with 4-man crew — applied 120% of standard pole installation productivity due to the deep frost line (42-inch minimum foundation depth).
Material Escalation Strategy
The pad-mounted transformer had a 16-week lead time with 4% escalation cap. The 40-foot light poles and LED luminaires were standard items with 4-week lead time — no escalation concern. Main switchboard lead time was 12 weeks and priced with firm quote for 30 days. The dock equipment electrical components (pre-wired disconnects, receptacles, conduit stubs) were sourced from a single supplier at a 6% volume discount.
Budget Comparison
| Line Item | Initial Estimate | Final Bid | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Voltage & Service | $390,000 | $438,000 | +12.3% |
| Distribution & Panelboards | $425,000 | $443,000 | +4.2% |
| LED Lighting & Controls | $612,000 | $657,000 | +7.4% |
| Dock Equipment Electrical | $195,000 | $221,000 | +13.3% |
| Fire Alarm & Life Safety | $142,000 | $148,000 | +4.2% |
| Labor | $1,036,000 | $1,088,000 | +5.0% |
| Total | $2,652,000 | $2,825,000 | +6.5% |
Risk Mitigation
Advised the GC to start PPL coordination immediately after award (not at permit stage) to avoid an 8-week schedule delay. This allowed the medium voltage transformer pad and primary duct bank to be included in the initial site package. Also recommended pre-ordering all 36 dock leveler electrical rough-in kits to lock in pricing before commodity steel prices increased — saved $6,600 vs. project-end pricing.
Result
The electrical subcontract was awarded at $2.8M. Our post-bid analysis showed the PPL coordination advance alone saved 7 weeks of schedule time. The dock equipment voltage discrepancy was identified at the estimate stage rather than during installation, saving approximately $18,000 in potential rework. The project was completed on schedule with $22,000 in electrical change orders (all owner-directed scope additions, not omissions).