Public Works Estimating Services
Public work is a different estimating discipline. The quantities come from the same drawings, but the labor basis is set by government wage determinations, the bid form is often a rigid unit-price schedule, and mistakes are public record. US Civil Genix prepares estimates for contractors and subcontractors bidding federal, state, county, municipal and school-district work — with particular depth in New Jersey and New York, where we track the applicable rules closely.
What makes a public-works estimate different
- Prevailing-wage labor pricing — every craft-hour extended at the wage-plus-fringe rate from the determination referenced in the bid documents, not a market rate
- Unit-price bid schedules — quantities mapped to the owner's bid items exactly, with unbalanced-item risk flagged where engineer's quantities look off against the drawings
- Compliance overhead — certified payroll administration, registration and monitoring costs carried in general conditions rather than forgotten
- Alternates, allowances and escalation — priced per the bid form, with multi-year wage escalation applied where the schedule crosses determination updates
- Coverage review — addenda tracked, scope mapped to bid items, and gaps or double-carries caught before submission through our bid support service
New Jersey and New York specifics we price to
In New Jersey, prevailing-wage obligations attach at $19,375 for municipal work and $2,000 for other public entities, contractors must hold a Public Works Contractor Registration certificate, and certified payrolls are filed online through the NJ Wage Hub — details, with official sources, on our New Jersey estimating page. In New York, Labor Law Article 8 applies with rate schedules from the NYS DOL — and for New York City agency work, the NYC Comptroller's separate §220 schedule; above regional thresholds, Wicks Law splits plumbing, HVAC and electrical into separate prime contracts. Context and sources on our New York estimating page and in our prevailing-wage estimating guide.
Project types
Roads, sitework and utilities (a natural fit with our sitework and civil estimating service), schools and universities, municipal buildings and public safety facilities, parks and recreation, water/wastewater structures, and agency renovation programs. Trade subcontractors bidding to primes on public work — concrete, masonry, steel, electrical — use the same service for their piece of the schedule.
Related services
Construction cost estimating · Quantity takeoffs · Bid support · Concrete · Steel · Masonry · Outsource estimating
Frequently asked questions
Do you fill out the agency's bid schedule?
We map quantities and pricing to the owner's bid items and can populate provided schedules; your company performs final review, signatures and certifications.
Which wage determination do you use?
The one referenced in your bid documents — NJDOL determinations for NJ work, NYS DOL schedules for NY state work, and the NYC Comptroller's schedule for NYC agency contracts. If the reference is missing or ambiguous, we flag it rather than guess.
Can you handle DOT-style heavy/highway bids?
Yes — unit-price roadway, drainage and structure items are quantified against the item list, with engineer's quantities cross-checked against the plans and discrepancies noted.
Do you price both union and open-shop public bids?
Prevailing wage sets the floor either way; we price to the determination and note where union agreements exceed it — the mechanics are covered in our labor-basis guide.
How do I start?
Upload the bid set — drawings, specs, bid form, wage determination reference and addenda — and we will confirm scope, price and schedule. Starting prices are on the pricing page.