In addition to the material and labor required for an electrical installation, all projects require other work that costs money, and some projects require more than others. To accommodate these project expenses, the following checklist should be used on each project after determining the total materials and labor for the job:

1. Service truck time should be determined, as well as the number of service trucks multiplied by their hourly rental rate.

2. Premium labor cost must be added. This is the price of labor per hour for time spent working in excess of the normal work week. The normal work week is 40 hours in most of the country but is as little as 32 hours per week in some locations. The premium cost is normally 50 percent of the labor rate of straight-time work, but in some locations it can be as much as 200 to 300 percent of the base rate for straight-time work.

3. Excessive guarantee-warranty costs must be determined and added to the estimate.

4. Rental rates for lifting equipment such as scaffolds, sissors lifts, JLG lifts, etc., must be determined and added to the estimate.

5. Hoisting costs for crane rental, forklift trucks, etc., must be determined and added to the estimate. Often a general contractor will provide the hoisting equipment, but sometimes the general contractor will "backcharge" the electrical contractor for its use and for the cost of the equipment operator.

6. Travel costs must be determined and added. These costs may consist of travel...