Hone your electrical bids: price the run, cover the code
An outlet is rarely just an outlet. Price the run, the permit, and the trip.
Electrical bids get thin where the code lives: the permit, the inspection trip, the circuit pulled all the way back to the panel. Here is how to bid so the code work is priced, not absorbed.
Where the margin leaks
The pricing traps that quietly cost contractors money.
Forgetting permits and inspection trips
Service changes and new circuits need a permit and an inspector visit. That is time and fees; bid it.
Under-pricing the home-run
A new circuit pulled back to a full panel is more than an outlet. Price the run, not the device.
No diagnostic charge
Troubleshooting is skilled time even when the fix is small. Bill the diagnostic.
Where the money is
The levers that actually move your take-home.
Panel upgrades and EV chargers
Big-ticket, high-demand, good margin. The jobs worth chasing.
Bundle devices on one trip
Ten outlets in one visit beats ten trips. Spread the trip cost.
Service agreements for commercial
Recurring maintenance is steady, predictable revenue.
What to track
The few numbers worth watching.
Permit and inspection time
The hidden hours on code work. Track them.
Hours per circuit
Bid versus actual on the repeatable work.
Close rate
Whether your number wins the job.
Set Anvil up for it
How to make Anvil price your trade the honest way.
Bottom-up the bid
Devices, circuits, panel, and permit, with your markup.
Save your rates
Default hourly, markup, and permit on Business.
Send a proposal for the big jobs
Panel, EV, and generator work wins on a clean quote.
Know your trade.
The cost engine is free. Put your real numbers in and see what to charge.