Project Management, Estimating, and Safety
Project Management, Estimating, and Safety is the business side of the master license: the exam expects you to build a number and keep a crew safe.
Estimating method
- Take off by system: fixtures, pipe by size and material, fittings as a percentage of pipe cost (commonly 5-10%), hangers, valves, insulation, excavation, and penetration firestopping.
- Apply labor units (hours per fixture or per 100 ft) from your own cost history, then add supervision, permits, testing, and cleanup.
- Structure the bid as direct cost, then overhead (often 10-15%), then profit. Markup applies to the subtotal: $24,000 direct with 15% overhead and 10% profit becomes 24,000 x 1.15 x 1.10 = $30,360.
- Carry a contingency on renovation work and enforce a written change-order process; oral changes are unpaid changes.
Scheduling and coordination
- Rough-in before slab pours and above-ceiling closures; coordinate sleeves and penetrations with structural and mechanical trades before the pour, not after.
- Use a critical path schedule and track submittals and long-lead items such as flushometers, grease interceptors, and water heaters.
Safety
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926 governs construction. A trench 5 ft deep or more requires a protective system (sloping, benching, shoring, or a trench box), and a competent person inspects excavations daily.
- Confined spaces need atmospheric testing, ventilation, an attendant, and a permit.
- GFCI protection on temporary power, hot-work permits for soldering and brazing, fume control, and lockout/tagout for equipment.
Worked example
A restroom remodel with six water closets and four lavatories takes off at $18,000 material and $6,000 labor, or $24,000 direct. With 15% overhead and 10% profit the bid is 24,000 x 1.15 x 1.10 = $30,360, before a 10% renovation contingency of $3,036 shown as its own line rather than buried in the price.
Traps
Forgetting fittings and hangers, marking up a subcontractor quote twice, omitting an escalation clause, and entering an unprotected trench.