Yes, you are definitely playing in a different sandbox then. Also, even smaller projects at Universities many school systems, hospitals, industrial complexes, etc.
Give it a shot...........tell us how it works out
I am not suggesting any attempt to cheat someone. Just read what the contract documents actually say and not what you think they say. Incidentally, most of the specs I deal with are for fairly small projects as another poster suggested. If the people at the top of the food chain take their specs seriously, they can enforce them. But that costs money and for a lot of smallish projects it is not that important.
I understand what you are saying but "not that important" is risky. The specs are generally a legally binding part of the contract. While you can usually cut corners on them without anyone being concerned, a cut corner is, in fact, a criminal act. Since speeding is also a criminal act, I am not meaning to be dramatic, just make sure you understand before you violate. Kind of like when (not if) you violate code.
Most of us do Mt
Many of those specs are just stock write-ups by the architect, who hot them from an engineer.
How do you know the EC didn't offer a VE deduct to use plug-in vs bolt-in?
In my experience, this is a matter of the client. I tend to stick closely to the specs unless I a familiar with the customer structure. Even then I will often clarify in my bid, items that I know others will be bidding, like, compression vs set screw, aluminum feeders, MC vs EMT. But a lot of jobs are things like a commercial buildout for a known property management company that hires known engineers who use boilerplate specs ad don't really care how it is built. If you bid to their spec, you will not get the job. Don't forget though, take the plug in breakers. If the specs say breakers will be bolt-on then you better not bid Square D iLine, that is a violation of spec.
I guess it matters who you are bidding to and the project type. I do it both ways, but more often than not, I bid as you describe.
I did hear that it wasn't there anymore and I think I had also heard it was going to be an Amazon center but that was a few years ago.Don't think that's there anymore. Probably an Amazon distribution center now.
-Hal
This discussion jogged my memory ... When I was just learning about biding. I bid on a small shopping center. The GC called me in to congratulate me on being the low bidder, then asked. Does your bid include the lighting ? I said the specs said not to include lighting because the tenants were not decided yet. He said the others did include the lighting, that's when I left !
Last Fall I turned down a fairly large job mainly due to the owner being an egotistical big shot. When I met him for the first time he talked about everything he owned, all the projects he was doing, and that I could do all of his service work in addition to a renovation project in my town. He, his crew, and other subs were from 70 miles away. He had recently bought a 1950's two story building that had 4 stores on the main level and 4 rental apartments above that he was going to renovate. I asked him for plans, he said bid it by Code, as I walked through the site I overheard him and the HVAC guy from his area talking about mini splits in all the apartments. Code? My suspicions were that he wanted me since some of his commercial tenants who I worked for referred me and I knew the local inspectors in the town. This job would have consumed all of my time, and communication with him would be difficult, as he answered my emails with one word answers and a pdf "plan" that had no electric on it. I turned down the offer to bid it and he was pissed. I was glad I did. In the meantime I did about 10 different new customer jobs, and I retained 10 new customers, who could refer me to even more.
