Case Study — Educational
K-12 School Renovation Electrical Estimate — Charlotte, NC
Project Overview
Comprehensive electrical estimate for a 3-year, multi-phase K-12 school renovation project. The 120,000 sq ft campus consisted of 3 buildings (classroom building built 1962, science wing built 1978, and gymnasium built 1995). Scope included: complete electrical modernization of all three buildings, new 2000A main service with Duke Energy coordination, (8) 277/480V panelboards, (6) 208/120V transformers, full LED retrofit of 420 existing classrooms with daylight harvesting controls, new fire alarm system (addressable), intercom and clock system replacement, and gymnasium sports lighting with dimming controls. The project was divided into 8 summer construction phases to avoid disruption during the school year.
CSI MasterFormat Divisions Covered
26 05 00, 26 05 13, 26 05 33, 26 08 00, 26 09 23, 26 22 00, 26 24 00, 26 27 26, 26 51 00, 26 52 00, 27 15 00, 28 31 00
Estimating Challenges
- Building A (1962) had cloth-insulated wiring, Federal Pacific panelboards, and asbestos-containing materials in electrical rooms — the takeoff required hazard assumptions and provisional quantities for abatement-coordinated demolition
- Phase 4 required a full electrical shutdown of the existing classroom building while 120 summer school students were in the adjacent science wing — temporary feeder routing through an enclosed walkway was required
- Historical building designations on the classroom building (built 1962) meant surface-mounted conduit was not permitted in corridors — all new wiring had to be fished through existing plaster walls with minimal wall penetration
- Duke Energy required a 12-week lead for transformer replacement but the existing service could not support the new calculated load — temporary service was needed for the first 3 construction phases at ($38,000)
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:
- Identified that the telecom/data rough-in was shown in Division 27 but the power and pathway (backboxes, conduits to ceiling, J-hooks) were not quantified in either division — ($22,000) gap closed
- Caught that (8) existing panelboards being relocated to new electrical closets required feeder extensions that were not shown on the demolition plan — ($14,000)
- Flagged the gymnasium scoreboard and shot clock electrical requirements that were owner-furnished but not included in any contractor scope — ($6,800)
Labor Forecasting
Used NECA MLU renovation factors with 25% productivity reduction for work in occupied educational facilities (limited access hours 6 PM-6 AM, noise restrictions near occupied classrooms, asbestos abatement coordination). Each summer phase was budgeted as a separate labor pool with 10-hour night shifts, 6 days per week, for 10 consecutive weeks. Applied Charlotte IBEW LU 379 rates with overtime at 1.5x for hours beyond 40.
Material Escalation Strategy
Copper wire pricing was the primary concern for this project given the extensive rewiring scope. Locked in pricing with two suppliers at 30-day firm quotes — ultimately realized a 4% increase on the third phase rewiring due to copper market movement. The LED retrofit fixtures (2,400 units) were volume-priced with a single manufacturer at a fixed price for all 8 phases — this saved an estimated $28,000 compared to phased purchasing.
Budget Comparison
| Phase | Initial Estimate | Final Bid | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 — Gymnasium | $245,000 | $256,000 | +4.5% |
| Phase 2 — Building A South Wing | $312,000 | $336,000 | +7.7% |
| Phase 3 — Building A North Wing | $288,000 | $302,000 | +4.9% |
| Phase 4 — Common Areas | $174,000 | $182,000 | +4.6% |
| Phase 5 — Science Wing | $356,000 | $384,000 | +7.9% |
| Phase 6-8 — Remaining | $225,000 | $240,000 | +6.7% |
| Total | $1,510,000 | $1,600,000 | +6.0% |
Risk Mitigation
Recommended early asbestos abatement survey of all electrical rooms and ceiling plenums to establish accurate demolition assumptions. Prepared a 3-year phased material procurement schedule with bulk pricing on LED fixtures (all 2,400 units purchased at once, warehoused, and released per phase). This strategy eliminated material escalation risk for the single largest cost category. Also developed a temporary service plan that allowed the school to remain fully operational during all 8 phases.
Result
The project was awarded at $1.6M with the electrical contractor using our estimate as the basis for their bid. Zero schedule delays attributed to electrical phases across all 3 years. The bulk LED procurement saved $28,000 vs. phased purchasing. After completion, the school district awarded two additional renovation projects to the same contractor based on the successful phasing model.