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Posted By: sparky66wv New and Improved Bid Calculator - 06/07/01 12:46 PM
OK folks...

Here's my latest effort at Bidding Spreadsheets. This one is much more concise, and leaves fewer variables to mere assumptions.

It is designed for Residential new construction in framed houses, and is primarily an aid for wire take-off.

All yellow areas can be adjusted to fit your prices without effecting the equations. The blue and green cells have equations that can be edited if you dare to dive into them. Just unlock the protection.

It is also now designed for minimums in labor and materials, not including any extras or overhead.

Try it out!

-Virgil


Bid Calculator v1.41

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 01-08-2005).]
Posted By: electure Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 06/10/01 02:02 PM
Virgil's a darn smart guy. I've been playing with this bidder and it really works well. There is only one modification I would make to his bidding process, that being the $22 labor figure, which should at least be doubled. As a knowledgeable, thorough, conscientious, and ethical ELECTRICIAN, he's giving himself away.(Virgil, I know you're going with all the market will bear, but you're worth much more)
Posted By: sparky Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 06/12/01 10:31 AM
Kudo's Virgil !
the attention to detail is phenomenal!

[Linked Image]
Posted By: HoseB611 Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 12/22/04 03:02 AM
When I try to open the Excel file it says I am forbidden?
Posted By: BuggabooBren Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 12/22/04 04:58 PM
Me too, I get a message:


Forbidden
Remote Host: [10.11.96.101]

You do not have permission to access http://kellyelectric.electrical-contractor.net/bid_calculator/BidCalcXLS.zip
Data files must be stored on the same site they are linked from.

How does one get past this and be able to download Virgil's great work??
Posted By: Edward Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 12/22/04 05:32 PM
Yes i am getting the same error message.
Posted By: coachman Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 12/30/04 02:55 AM
Ditto on Forbidden
Posted By: Admin Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 12/30/04 07:18 PM
The file you are trying to access is on a private website. I sent an email to Virgil asking if we make it available on ECN.

Bill
Posted By: sparky66wv Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/06/05 03:06 PM
Doh!

Sorry folks, my bad, as the kids say...

I plan to tweak a few errors and update some pricing (which is editable for your use) and then make it available again. I also have been working on a motor load calculator and and chart that compares Derated THHN in EMT with Voltage Drop.

Give me a couple of weeks and I'll anounce when they are ready in a new thread!

Thanks!

-Virgil
Posted By: Admin Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/08/05 03:04 AM
Virgil sent me the following message (and files) to share with you all:
Quote
Attached are the three Calculators I've been working on.


Bid Calculator v1.41
-Residential Calculator for Dwellings- Branch Circuits only


Motor Load Calculator v1.1
-Motor Load Calculator that gives total KVA using 40% of largest Motor


THHN-EMT Calculator v1.1
-Interesting Calculator that compares the inverse proportions of derated
THHN conductors in EMT to Voltage Drop... Very Insightful information.


To the gurus:


Please help me to correct any errors I have made in the spreadsheets.
Simply pointing out errors would be great, but also ways to make the
formulas more accurate or just simpler would be also welcome.


All files are in Works format, will submit Excell formats when I can...


Thanks...


-Virgil Kelly
Kelly Electric
Posted By: Anonymous Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/10/05 05:04 PM
Wow! Virgil, you put a lot of work into that.

BTW I just chose to open the file in Excel and it opened fine.

I make my own bidding spread sheets as well. Wonder if you have considered using separate sheets for each of your rooms and then post the room info to a last page summary sheet.

You could also have a "general conditions" sheet for any oddball items ,say, temp power, travel etc.

Whatever, looks great, Kent
Posted By: highkvoltage Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/12/05 03:45 AM
Vigil. Great work. Thank you I downloaded all three. I do not do much redidential work so this should help. Again thank you very much
Posted By: sparky66wv Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/18/05 03:41 AM
kentvw, et al,

Quote
Wonder if you have considered using separate sheets for each of your rooms and then post the room info to a last page summary sheet.

Well, I have... but I've don't know how to make spreadsheets "talk" to each other, or mine databases, etc.

I'm sure there must be a way, because it would be way too useful to not be...

The info on how would revolutionize my spreadsheet experimentation!

Help me if any of you know how!!!
Posted By: kinetic Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/18/05 04:37 AM
Not sure if this would work for you but I will take a stab at it. On the bottom of Excel you have a few tabs....default is sheet1, sheet2, etc. You can customize the tabs to read bedroom 1, bedroom 2, etc. Then make one sheet summary and reference the cells from the other sheets. Hope this helps.
http://www.mvps.org/links.html#Excel

Check here if you need some help with excel. Great stuff for anything M$ in fact.

[This message has been edited by kinetic (edited 01-17-2005).]
Posted By: Anonymous Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/19/05 08:09 PM
sparky

It is easy as was posted by kinetic when you right click the page tab on the bottom you are given an option to add a sheet and also to rename the sheet as in bedRoom-1. The name will need to run together and not have any spaces. OK so say I have added a column of numbers and have my total for that column in D52 I can take that information and copy it to any sheet. Just go to ,Let's say, the summary sheet and type in -

='PageName'!D52

PageName will be what ever you decided to name that page.

Also, If you set up a template sheet on say page #1 You can right click in the very top right of the page and hit "copy" then go to the next page, click the top left corner right click and hit "paste.

You can create some really cool spread sheets this way. I usually send my proposals over a fax. So my first sheet is a fax cover and my second sheet is my proposal My estimate sheets are stacked up behind these and my summary is the last sheet. I only need to type in the recipients name,fax,job, etc and the info is copied to any cell I wish on any sheet.

What is great about a summary sheet is that you can set cells up to change say sales tax rates or labor rates or profit percentages one time and all the math is taken care of. Even your final price can be put on your proposal sheet automatically.

I tried to paste in the bottom part of my summary sheet but it did not show the cells in perspective. However, it might give you some ideas.

Total Material $1,445.00 Total Hours 8.00
General Conditions 1.50% $21.68 10.00% 0.8
Total Material $1,466.68 Total Hours 8.8
Tax Rate 7.20% Labor Rate $50.00
Tax Total $105.60 Labor $ $440.00
Material and Tax $1,572.28
Labor Amount $440.00
Material and Labor Total $2,012.28
Overhead and Profit Percentage 15%
Overhead and Profit Value $301.84
Sub Total Job Value $2,314.12
Permit
Fire Alarm Permit
Total Job Value $2,314

Overhead and Profit + Labor $741.84
Posted By: sparky66wv Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/19/05 11:56 PM
Hmmm...

Works don't have the tabs and I don't have Excell...

Guess I'll have to get it!

(I used to have it, but that was a lifetime ago...)
Posted By: sparky66wv Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/20/05 05:55 PM
WARNING!!!

Re: Residential Bid Calculator v1.0 through 1.41

If you are in such a high competition area that you must use #14 on receptacle circuits to make a profit, this spreadsheet is woefully inaccurate for your needs!
Posted By: kinetic Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/21/05 05:57 AM
Look for either the Small Business edition or Student Teachers editon. With Small Business you get the normal stuff plus publisher. Student and Teachers is cheap but you can't use it to upgrade in the future.
Posted By: denny3992 Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/24/05 12:41 AM
im by far not a computer guru but i need to save the calc to a disc for use on another computer and it wont open on 2nd comp any ideas for you overly smart computer type fellas?
Posted By: macmikeman Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/24/05 03:25 AM
I am by no means a computer expert, but this is the trick I used to open it. When I downloaded the program it would not open with my copy of Excel 2004 for the macintosh. By changing the three letters after the .(dot) in the name of the file toe xls it opens just fine. Maybe your version of Excel is looking for a different name after the dot also.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 01/24/05 04:44 PM
It may well be the file type. When I opened it I had to tell my PC to open it with Excell since I don't have Works on my PC.
Posted By: mustangelectric Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 02/05/05 02:27 PM
Hi,
Looking at the bid calc spreadsheet I have a few questions about some stuff I do not understand.

You have a place where you enter in the homerun footage..but you ask for two dimensions...home runf feet and then "BY". what are you asking for? A homerun is from point a to point b is it not? How could it be 50 feet by 20 feet?

The file I got was in an unknown format but excel opened it. There were several sections that do not seem to be working.

Is there a completed version avaialble?

I like the way it is setup.

-regards

Greg
Posted By: bryanm Re: New and Improved Bid Calculator - 05/26/05 08:45 PM
I think this bid calc is great but I have noticed a few problems, some of which have been noted already.

Is it just me or does it not seem to be updating wire when lights are added to the bedrooms?

I am scratching my head now trying to clear up the issue with the 14/2 not incrumenting with the lights, if someone has already solved please let me know.

Thanks,
Bryan

P.S. Thanks for the S.S. and awsome work.
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