Data Center Estimating Services

We deliver most data center takeoffs in 24–48 hours after receiving complete plans and specs. Rush service is available if you have a bid deadline. The turnaround depends on the completeness of the documents and the complexity of the systems. If we need to wait for missing information, we will notify you immediately. Our team works in parallel on electrical and mechanical scopes to meet the deadline.

We count plug-in units per cabinet row, not per busway run. This matches how they are purchased and installed. We cross-check the count against the power plan and panel schedule. Each plug-in unit is listed as a separate line item with its amperage rating. We also include end taps and tap boxes as distinct items. This prevents undercounting when a run serves multiple rows.

We need the electrical single-line diagram showing UPS modules, battery strings, and bypass isolation. The UPS schedule gives kVA ratings, quantity, and runtime requirements. We also need the spec section 26 33 00 for battery type, racks, and spill containment. If the UPS is owner-furnished, we note that and exclude it from the takeoff. Without the single-line, we cannot separate UPS equipment from distribution.

Yes, we include day tanks, fuel piping, leak detection, and secondary containment when shown or specified. Generator exhaust stacks, silencers, and remote radiators are also included if they appear on mechanical or architectural sheets. We note any items that require coordination with the utility or local permitting. Fuel polishing and testing are listed as separate scopes so you can decide whether to include them.

We take off the specific cooling system shown on the mechanical schematics. For chilled water, we measure pipe, valves, pumps, and cooling towers. For air-cooled CRAH, we count units, refrigerant piping, and condensate drains. For liquid cooling, we include CDUs, facility water loops, and leak detection. We do not substitute a generic tonnage allowance. The takeoff reflects the actual design and its redundancy.

We measure the raised access floor by the square foot of usable white space, not the building footprint. We add cutouts, ramps, and equipment ramps at the boundary. Perforated tile counts come from the airflow plan. We also note pedestal type and stringer requirements. This ensures the floor material and installation labor are accurately captured, including special details often missed in square-foot estimates.

Yes, we can separate the takeoff by phase if you provide the phasing plans. We identify temporary power and cooling requirements for cutovers. We also list testing and commissioning scopes, such as integrated systems testing and load bank testing, as separate line items. This helps you price each phase accurately and understand the cost impact of phasing.

We use Bluebeam Revu for PDF markups, PlanSwift for quantity takeoff, and RSMeans data for ZIP-code-adjusted material and labor pricing. This combination allows us to measure accurately from your plans and apply current market rates. The final deliverable is an Excel workbook organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with a PDF mark-up set showing where each quantity was measured.

We include code-driven items such as battery room ventilation, spill containment, and fire suppression based on the spec and applicable codes. We reference NFPA 1, IFC Chapter 52, and NFPA 75. Because adopted editions vary, we confirm with the local building department when needed. These items are often missed because they are not on the electrical plans, so we add them from the spec.

Our pricing is project-specific and depends on the scope, complexity, and turnaround time. We do not publish a starting price because each data center is unique. Contact us with your plans and we will provide a quote. We offer competitive rates for repeat clients and volume projects. The cost is typically a fraction of the value of accurate quantities.

Yes, we can separate shell-and-core from fit-out scopes. This allows you to price phased delivery or compare different contract structures. We clearly label each line item with its scope. For example, structural steel and concrete slabs are typically shell-and-core, while UPS and CRAH units are fit-out. This separation helps you allocate costs correctly.

Every takeoff is reviewed by a second estimator before delivery. We cross-check equipment counts between the single-line and schedules, and verify linear measurements against plan scales. We also maintain a checklist of common scope gaps, such as busway plug-in units and battery racks. If we find discrepancies, we note them as assumptions. This quality control process catches errors before they reach you.

Yes. Outsourced data center estimating works best when we take a defined bid package — Division 26 power, Division 23 cooling, or the full shell and core — and return a quantity takeoff with unit price columns your team can price directly. We work from IFC drawings, issue RFI questions on unclear scope, and deliver on-screen takeoff files in Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, or Excel so your estimator keeps control of the final number.

Shell and core covers the building envelope, structural slab, utility yard, and main electrical and mechanical rooms. Fit-out covers the white space: raised floor, busway drops, cabinet whips, CRAH units, hot aisle containment or cold aisle containment, BMS and EPMS points, and DCIM cabling. We take them off separately because the crew mix, labor productivity, and turnover sequence are different, and because fit-out often runs on a faster schedule with more long lead items.

Yes. We split electrical and mechanical into separate bid packages when you need them. The electrical takeoff covers Division 26 and Division 27: switchgear, UPS modules, busway with plug-in units, panelboards, feeders, grounding, and fiber optic backbone. The mechanical takeoff covers Division 23 and Division 21: chiller plant, CRAH units, pumps, piping, valves, and fire suppression. Each package carries its own unit price columns, labor hours, and escalation assumptions.

We take off the actual mechanical scope instead of a rule-of-thumb tonnage. That means chiller plant capacity and redundancy, chilled water piping sizes and runs, CRAH unit counts and locations, pumps, valves, economizer piping, and Division 23 HVAC ductwork and controls. We also check the design cooling load against the ASHRAE psychrometric assumptions shown on the mechanical schedules. The result is a mechanical takeoff your estimator can price line by line rather than a lump sum that hides the real cost drivers.