Skip to content
EDWartens UK

Free course · Electrical

Electrical Estimating: Quantity Take-off, Costing and BOQ

Turn a set of electrical drawings into a priced bill of quantities: read the drawings and specification, take off points, cables by route length, containment, boards, luminaires, earthing and lightning protection, apply labour units and wastage, build rates from material, labour, plant, overheads and margin, lay out the BOQ in Excel, compare tenders, and value variations through to the final account.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
14
Video
15 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain the types and accuracy classes of estimate and where the estimator sits in a tender; read drawings, schedules and specifications for quantities; take off final circuits by points and wiring, cables by route length with allowances, containment with fittings and supports, boards, panels and luminaires, earthing, lightning protection and small ELV items, by hand and on a PDF; convert quantities into labour hours and apply wastage; build unit rates from material, labour, plant, overheads and margin in cost units; lay out a bill of quantities to a standard method of measurement in an Excel template with checks; price and compare tenders on a like-for-like basis; use spreadsheets and AI only as checking aids; and value variations, interim valuations and the final account.

  • Explain estimate types and accuracy classes, and where the estimator sits in a tender
  • Read drawings, schedules and specifications for the items that drive quantity and cost
  • Take off final circuits by points and wiring, and cables and feeders by route length with allowances
  • Measure containment with fittings and supports, and count boards, luminaires, earthing and lightning protection
  • Measure on a PDF with a calibrated scale, and convert quantities into labour hours with wastage
  • Build unit rates from material, labour, plant, overheads and margin, priced in cost units
  • Lay out a bill of quantities to a standard method of measurement in an Excel template with checks
  • Compare tenders like for like, and value variations, interim valuations and the final account

Software

A spreadsheet: Excel, Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc (free). A free PDF viewer with measuring tools, such as PDF-XChange Editor on Windows, for digital take-off. Bluebeam Revu and PlanSwift trials are optional.

Hardware

None. A printer and coloured highlighters help with manual take-off, but everything can be done on screen.

Syllabus

14 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1What an electrical estimate is and where it fits in a tender3 lessons
  2. 2Reading drawings and specifications for quantities3 lessons
  3. 3Final circuits: points, accessories and branch wiring3 lessons
  4. 4Cables and feeders: route lengths, allowances and the cable schedule3 lessons
  5. 5Containment: conduit, trunking, cable tray and ladder3 lessons
  6. 6Distribution boards, panels and lighting fixtures3 lessons
  7. 7Earthing, lightning protection and small ELV items3 lessons
  8. 8Digital take-off: Bluebeam, PlanSwift and PDF measuring3 lessons
  9. 9Labour units, productivity and wastage3 lessons
  10. 10Building the rate: material, labour, plant, overheads and margin3 lessons
  11. 11The BOQ: structure, measurement rules and an Excel template3 lessons
  12. 12Tender pricing, bid comparison and checking the estimate4 lessons
  13. 13After award: variations, valuations and the final account2 lessons
  14. 14Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Electrical Estimating: Quantity Take-off, Costing and BOQ

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • G4S Media House

    the Electrical Estimation tutorials: what an estimate is, how the estimator works, and the power device and security device take-offs

  • Plan and Spec

    construction estimating and budgeting basics

  • MEP Academy

    the lessons on reading construction specifications, the general layout of a drawing set, labour rates with burden, and what to know before bidding commercial work

  • QSplorer

    quantity measurement tips from general notes, sections and details, the MEP checklist for electrical works, and a bid evaluation case study

  • Tim Fairley

    the complete step-by-step guide to electrical estimating, and the two lessons testing ChatGPT and AI take-off tools for estimators

  • Vision InfoSoft

    the branch circuit wiring, feeder and fixture take-off lessons

  • Dr. Chau

    the Electrical Estimation lessons on measuring wiring, panel board and lighting fixture take-off, Bluebeam tool chests, and pricing receptacle outlets with RSMeans data

  • CANICE Quantity Surveying Made Easy

    measuring electrical work with a rate build-up for cables, and preparing a project final account statement

  • Shem Sessions

    measuring cable tray, trunking and other electrical containment in Cubicost TME

  • Managing Qs

    cable tray, ladder and trunking explained for quantity surveyors

  • Conest Software Systems

    a cable tray take-off

  • Axis Electricals

    selecting down conductors for a lightning protection system

  • Triple 7 Electrical

    a Bluebeam take-off of power devices, power branch circuits and low-voltage items

  • Brainbox Notion

    the PlanSwift MEP take-off tutorial

  • MikeHoltNEC

    the electrical estimating lessons on labour units and unit prices

  • Hard Hat

    estimating electrical work and electrical labour

  • Cost Engineering Professional

    rate breakdown analysis, the step-by-step guide to preparing a BOQ, forming a BOQ in Excel, and variations in construction projects

  • Awarded Bid

    prime cost and provisional sums under NRM2

  • Metroun Quantity Surveying

    the short BOQ recap used in the final module

Questions

About this course

Who is this electrical estimating course for?
It is for electrical diploma and degree students, for whom estimating and costing is often a syllabus subject, for electricians and site engineers moving into estimating, and for MEP quantity surveyors and freelancers who price electrical packages from drawings. You should be able to read a simple electrical layout and use a spreadsheet; no estimating experience is needed.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the project and the final assessment are free, and the software it needs is free or has a free version. The certificate is optional.
Which rates and methods of measurement does it use?
The method is the same everywhere, so every amount in the notes is in cost units rather than money. Real rates come from regional price books and quotations, such as RSMeans data in North America and Spon's price books in the UK, and from supplier and subcontractor quotations in markets such as the Gulf that have no single public book. Bills follow the method of measurement they name, such as NRM2 in the UK and POMI on many Gulf and international projects. Public works departments in many countries publish schedules of rates and measurement rules of their own. The BOQ module shows how the chosen method changes what you measure.
Do I need Bluebeam, PlanSwift or estimating software?
No. A spreadsheet such as Excel for the web or LibreOffice Calc, and a free PDF viewer with measuring tools such as PDF-XChange Editor on Windows, are enough for every exercise. Bluebeam Revu and PlanSwift appear in the lessons and offer trials; commercial estimating packages follow the same take-off, labour unit and rate build-up method the course teaches.
Does it teach electrical design or cable sizing?
No. An estimate prices the design as drawn and specified: cable sizes, protection and earthing come from the designer, working to the IEC 60364 family or the national wiring rules such as BS 7671 and the NEC. For the design side, take Electrical Design Engineering: Loads, Cables, Breakers and Distribution, and Earthing and Lightning Protection Design. Local regulations and a competent designer govern the installation itself.
Can I use ChatGPT or AI to estimate?
Only as a checking aid. Module 12 shows where AI helps: summarising a long specification into its cost-changing clauses, suggesting commonly missed items and checking item descriptions and arithmetic. It is not a source of quantities or rates, and client documents never go into a public AI tool without your company's and the client's permission.
How long does the course take?
About 15 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace, of which about 10 hours is video. The optional project, pricing the electrical package of a two-storey clinic from take-off to bid review and a variation, takes about 12 hours more.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens certificate of completion, issued when you finish the modules and pass the 15-question final at 60 percent, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a quantity surveying or cost engineering qualification from RICS, AACE International or any other professional body, none of which is affiliated with EDWartens.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module