Replacing a chiller forty floors up on a street with no place to park a crane: that is a San Francisco mechanical bid.
Speak with an Estimator NowJoshua Farley, CEO and President, Redline Electric.
San Francisco mechanical work is a logistics exam with piping attached. The towers downtown run plants that have aged past their welcome, and replacing them means rigging equipment through streets, shafts and rooftops that were never designed to cooperate. The hospitals run steam systems that cannot go down while you work on them. The conversion wave loads whole buildings of new mechanical scope onto century-old structure. Any estimator can count the equipment on these jobs. The bids that win also counted the getting-it-there, and that is the part this city uses to separate professionals from donors.
Tell us a little about your project. An estimator will get back to you fast.
No estimate is ever shared with another contractor. Every project is on a first come first serve basis.
Plant replacement scope counted whole: the equipment, the piping, and the demolition, rigging access and phasing the documents call for. Steam and hydronic renewals in occupied institutional buildings, priced with the shutdown realities on the drawings. Conversion mechanical from riser to rooftop. Every count traceable, because the owners here ask. On Complete, your equipment quotes run through your vendors as your company and get verified against the schedule before the pricing lands. Links to the mechanical hub (live slug).
The downtown towers hold a generation of central plants reaching replacement age at the same time, and every one is a complicated, occupied, high-value project. The hospital and university campuses renew steam and hydronic systems on cycles that never pause. The conversions keep manufacturing new mechanical scope out of old office space, and the public layer runs prevailing wage work across the city. Compact market, enormous difficulty, excellent margins for the shops that bid the difficulty honestly.
We also estimate for contractors in Oakland, Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Berkeley, and the communities around San Francisco.
The city's Department of Building Inspection sets the rhythm and your schedule respects it. The license classification under your number, C-4 on the steam and boiler scope especially, is part of how GCs read your bid. Public work carries DIR registration and certified payroll from line one. And the rule this city enforces harder than any code: rigging, access, street logistics and protection are real line items on mechanical work here. A bid that leaves them out is not lower. It is just wrong.
Assist Take-Off gets you labor hours and material cost with system pricing on non-quoted items. Modified Complete is your custom pick from the full list. Astra Complete handles everything: plan chase, hours quote, vendor equipment quotes in your name, the bid built and submitted, the results pursued after. 98 out of 100 contractors go Complete, and on jobs where the logistics are half the money, complete is the only honest way to bid.
Where you select exactly the services you need from the Complete package list.
For contractors who only need certain tasks or portions of the estimate completed. Detailed material counts from your plans, ready for your pricing.
Full-package with a detailed estimate and us representing your company to the GC. From complete bids and detailed material counts to executing a high-level proposal that gives you the best chance of winning.
“Mark has done a great job estimating our projects. If you are in a jam or need help with your estimating, then give them a call. We continue to use them because they bring us results.”
Kevin Skelton
President of KPS Plumbing Company
“Provided accurate HVAC estimation. We tested them on several projects and they were well within range of our own. I would highly recommend using them in future projects.”
Andrew Radder
“Astra has been a great help to our company. They can turn around projects fast and the estimates are very detailed and accurate. I would recommend Astra to any contractor who is looking for a professional estimating service. We continue to use Astra on an as needed basis and have been extremely pleased with their work. Try them out and I am sure you will find that it is well worth it.”
Lou Tadiello
Two Seasons Heating & Cooling
“Astra helped us get a project for over 8 Million dollars. I would definitely recommend them!”
Robert Nickerson
N&T Mechanical Contractors
“From the very first job, we have always made money with the jobs that you have estimated for us.”
“At the beginning I was skeptical. I didn't think it would work... I can honestly say, from the very first job, we have always made money with the jobs that you have estimated for us... When we were trying to bid jobs in-house, we were probably twenty to one. So winning one in four makes it well worthwhile... I can take what would have been twenty, thirty, forty hours and turn it into a two to three hour review and submit a bid... There is no way I could hire a mechanical estimator, a plumbing estimator, and an HVAC or electrical estimator and be able to afford it at the stage we are right now... There is no way that we could be where we are today without what you guys have done. And now I would not be without it.”
Art Graves
Clearwater Construction (Livonia, Michigan)
“We have bid three projects to date and have won all three totaling over $675,087.00 in revenue for my company. I have nothing but great things to say about you and your services. Your team is always professional, always fair and a great addition to my company as a second look on my projects to help me gauge where my bids should be. I highly recommend your services and I have more jobs I will be sending your way to help me bid.”
Joe Dowd
Dowd's Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning Inc
“The service was excellent. I was awarded the first job I have to Astra. They are kind, professional, and thorough. I am very happy with the service”
Judd Stephenson
LCS Electric
“We could not be happier with the decision to use your services. Our relationship over the past four plus years has continued to grow and I would recommend using Astra for your estimating. Astra is a part of our team and it has been a great experience for our company.“
Joe Nardini
Owner of Gilligan & Nardini Electrical Contractors
“Mark I could not be happier with you and your team. Since I started using your services my bid wins have doubled and I have won 2 out of 7 bids so far which have totaled $412,000.00 in revenue. It is difficult when bidding to general contractors on the open bid market, however your team makes it so easy because of their knowledge, professionalism and how helpful they always are. You guys are Johnny on the spot with whatever I need and can’t thank you enough. My last project I won will be the Best Job I have had all year long and will make some really good money on it. I wear all the hats in my business and using your estimating services removes several of those very heavy hats. I am more than satisfied and wished I would have tried you sooner.”
John McNulty
McNulty Electric, Inc.
“I've used Astra estimating on a few projects, and they've been great. Great communication, easy to work with, and they'll give you a thorough and accurate estimate. Will definitely be using them again.”
Benjamin Cooper
Cooper Electric
“Astra Estimating has been an incredible partner for our electrical company. We rely on them for larger projects that require detailed counts and accurate quoting, and they always deliver. Their team is extremely helpful, easy to work with, and consistently prompt with communication. They offer insight, solutions, and suggestions that genuinely help us approach each project more efficiently. Highly recommend Astra Estimating to any contractor looking for dependable, high-quality estimating support.”
Jeff Fino
Fino Electric
“Prompt, thorough, and a great asset and extension of our team.”
Joshua Farley
Redline Electric
“Very knowledgeable in electrical estimating & easy to work with. Great partner providing great results. Very detailed and great communication throughout the estimating process.”
T.
Astra client since 2017
“Mark, I have never in my life made so much money on a single job like the one you and your team estimated and won for my company. I will make over $1,000,000 by the end of this project… I have been using Mark and his team of estimators for over seven years now and I would recommend them to any company that is in need of an estimator. If you want measurable results that will help your company grow and win more bids effectively while also staying profitable, then I would highly recommend using them for any of your estimating needs. Give Mark and his team of estimators a try, you will be overjoyed with the results!”
Dirk Walton
Owner of Kal Electric
“I have used Astra for more than a decade from small projects to large with success. They do a great job in communicating with us thru the take off and bid process. There take offs have been as accurate as our own staff and they are accessible beyond the bidding stage to support any needs we have during the project. It is nice to have support beyond our own expertise that can bring options for success as their combined staff covers many years of experience and variety's of work .”
Dirk Walton
Owner of Kal Electric
“Astra Estimating is a great company for your electrical estimating needs! We have used them on several projects. They are prompt, communicate well, and offer support from start to the winning bid!! I Definitely recommend them!”
Arlin Nightingale
Lectra Tech
“Astra has been a great resource. They are very efficient and have quick turnaround time for us.”
Nick Berni
Gulu Electrical Contractors
“Mark, we contacted you and your team because we could not handle all the bids internally in-house. Since we started working with you we have bid 4 projects and currently working on the 5th. We have won 2, lost 1 and still we are in the running for 4th project. The very first project you bid for us we won and it totaled over $1,250,000 of new revenue for our company. The second project we bid with you and your team we won and it totaled $600,000 in new revenue. Currently your services have generated over $1,850,000 of new revenue for our company and the project we are still in the running for will be over $2,300,000. I have to say we could not be happier with you and your team of professionals, you have met and sometimes go far beyond any of our expectations. I highly recommend using your services to anyone needing help with estimating or getting out more bids.”
Gary Gulu
Owner of Gulu Electrical Contractors
“Reccommended.”
Joseph Brown
Procharged Electric LLC
“Very accurate and on time, estimator call and go over everything and easy to get a hold of about job when in progress Thanks”
Pete McAllister
McAllister Electrical Services
“Some of the best estimators I've ever had the pleasure to work with, I have an 80 to 90% win right and all the projects they have been for me have come in under budget. Great people.”
Byron Westerfield
Westerfield Electric
“Astra is very easy to deal with and is always in constant communication with their customer. They have definitely helped us out with the bigger projects so we can get done the smaller ones and get more bids out of the office. Definitely recommend them.”
Kevin Shrader
Shrader Electric
“Before I started using your Estimating Services our win verses loss averages were not very good. We would only win about 1 in every 20 commercial project estimates in the competitive open bid market. We are now at a 56% win average from using Astra Estimating Services which is far better than the disappointing 5% we were previously getting from estimating on our own. We have been using your company for a little over a year now and we do not estimate a lot of bids simply because we don’t need to. Since we started using your company, we have won 5 jobs and only lost 9 plus we are still waiting to hear on 3 additional projects which we believe we have a good shot at winning. With the 5 projects Astra has already won, the results totaled $819,781.41 and we could not be happier with our decision to use your estimating services. If anyone is on the fence about using Astra Estimating Services, please have them personally call me so I can tell them first hand your estimating services works and it will be one of the best decisions they could make for their company.”
Rich Girard
Owner of Girard Electric
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC contractor. $1.15M+ won in three years.
Tell us a little about your project. An estimator will get back to you fast.
No estimate is ever shared with another contractor. Every project is on a first come first serve basis.
Speak with an Estimator (330) 633-7300
Have you heard of the 80/20 rule? Estimating is only 20 percent of winning a bid in the competitive open bid market. Most contractors, and most estimating firms, focus all their energy on that 20 percent. We built our whole service around the other 80: choosing the right jobs, building relationships with the GCs, tracking results, and negotiating the win. You pay for the estimating. The rest comes with it, because it is how we keep you winning, and winning is how we keep you as a customer.
When each estimate costs this much to produce, a one-in-fifteen-or-twenty win ratio is a slow leak in the side of the company. Our customers reach one in five. Some hit two in five, and every rung up the ladder converts this city's brutal bidding costs into booked, high-value work. Hard markets pay the best returns on a better ratio.
Industry Standard
Before Astra: most contractors win 1 in 15 to 1 in 20 bids. That is a 5 to 7 percent win rate.
1 in 5 = 20%
our customers typically get here quickly
2 in 5 = 40%
where we push next
3 in 5 = 60%
where bid tracking and relationships take you
Winning 1 in 5 instead of 1 in 20 does not just mean more work. It means every dollar you spend bidding buys four times the revenue.
No estimate is ever shared with another contractor. Every project is on a first come first serve basis.
When the documents show it, the number carries it. In this city the crane plan can cost more than the chiller, and pretending otherwise loses money twice.
Yes. Shutdown windows, phasing and temporary provisions shown in the documents are counted as the real costs they are.
Riser to rooftop, from the demolition forward. Conversion scope hides in the existing conditions, and the estimate is built to find it.
Because you can trace it. Every line ties back to the drawings, so your review takes minutes instead of faith.
The hardest mechanical logistics in America, and the best-paying bids for the shops that price them straight. Send the plans and get a number built for this city.
CONTACT US
For immediate help call:
(330)-633-7300
No estimate is ever shared with another contractor. Every project is on a first come first serve basis.
Ten minutes on the phone. Real answers about your bids. Pick your time below and we call you.
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I will answer any questions you have and quickly go over how our service works. I will call at the number you provided at the scheduled time.
We are a professional estimating services company located in Tallmadge, Ohio. Over the past 25+ years we have worked with large and small Electric, Plumbing and HVAC Contractors Nationwide.
We are not your average estimating company. The clients we work with understand implementing successful strategies do not happen over night. Long term solutions require time, professional instruction and a client open to discovering new solutions that get real results.
CONTACT US
For immediate help call:
(330)-633-7300
No estimate is ever shared with another contractor.
Every project is on a first come first serve basis.