Plan Reading, Estimating, and Bidding
What this domain tests
This domain tests whether you can read a landscape and irrigation plan accurately, build a defensible takeoff and price, and submit a responsive bid on Florida public or private work.
Reading the drawings
- Read the title block, north arrow, and graphic scale first. PDFs get resized, so scale one known dimension and never scale a sheet marked NTS.
- Architect's scales are fractional (1/4 in = 1 ft); engineer's scales are decimal (1 in = 20 ft). Contours carry an interval, spot elevations and benchmarks set grades, and dashed lines show existing conditions.
- The plant schedule gives symbol, botanical name, size, spacing, and quantity. Specifications govern quality; drawings govern quantity.
- Log every addendum before the bid closes; an unacknowledged addendum can make the bid nonresponsive.
Building the number
- Takeoff quantity times unit cost, plus labor hours times burdened rate, equipment, materials, subcontractors, overhead, and profit.
- Labor burden (FICA, workers' comp, liability, benefits) typically adds 30-45% to the base wage; bidding at the bare wage rate is a reliable way to lose money.
- Conversions to keep straight: 1 cu yd = 27 cu ft; 3 inches of mulch covers 108 sq ft per cubic yard; 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft; a sod pallet covers 400-500 sq ft.
- Add waste: 5-10% on plants, more on cut pavers.
- Florida public work brings bid bonds, performance and payment bonds under s. 255.05, F.S., retainage, liquidated damages, and a 72-hour window to protest an intended award.
Worked example
600 ft of 4-ft-wide bed is 2,400 sq ft. At 3 inches deep, mulch volume is 2,400 x 0.25 = 600 cu ft, or 22.2 cu yd; adding 8% waste gives 24 cu yd. At $28 per delivered cubic yard that is $672. Labor at 0.5 crew-hour per cubic yard is 12 hours at a $38 burdened rate, or $456. Direct cost is $1,128; with 15% overhead and profit the price is about $1,297, or roughly $0.54 per square foot of bed.
Traps
- Scaling from a resized PDF or a sheet marked NTS.
- Using the wage rate as the labor cost and ignoring burden.
- Missing addenda or the 72-hour protest deadline on public work.
- Under-ordering because waste and compaction were ignored.
- Bidding without written exclusions for clearing, grading, irrigation, or utility conflicts.