Electrical contracting splits into service and repair, residential remodel work (mostly tied to GC schedules), and commercial new construction with full panel-and-circuit takeoff. The bid math is different for each. The customer is different. The cash-flow timeline is different. Most electrical software optimizes for one and leaves the other two awkward. BuildCrux ships AI estimating that handles 50-sheet commercial sets in twelve minutes alongside service-call invoicing that closes on the truck.
BuildCrux is contractor management software with AI estimating verified inside expert reference ranges, including a $686K commercial TI in twelve minutes. Electricians use it for panel-and-circuit commercial bids, residential remodel sub-billing to GCs, service-call truck invoicing, and IRS-ready mileage logs.
Why electrical contracting needs three workflows
Commercial bids count panels, circuits, fixtures, and gear
A commercial electrical bid takes off panel schedules, branch circuits, lighting fixtures, receptacles, switches, conduit runs, gear sizing, and load calculations. Manual takeoff on a 40-sheet set is 8 to 14 hours. Most small electrical GCs decline these bids because the takeoff alone burns a workweek.
Sub-bidding to a GC means bidding only your scope
When you sub-bid to a GC on a commercial project, you bid only the electrical scope, not the whole building. Generic estimating tools force you to wade through every sheet to extract just the electrical. Scope-filter mode tells the AI to output only electrical line items, cleanly.
Service calls need on-truck quotes and instant invoicing
Customer wants the receptacle replaced and the panel inspected. Tech gives a price on the truck, gets a signature, does the work, sends a Stripe-linked invoice the customer pays from their phone. The whole transaction closes in an hour. Office-only software cannot do this; mobile-first software does.
Mileage and expenses leak deductions
A working electrician drives 30,000 to 45,000 business miles a year. At the 2026 IRS rate of $0.70 per mile, that is $21K to $31.5K in deductions. Reconstructed mileage logs at tax time get disallowed. Background GPS tracking captures every drive automatically.
The BuildCrux Method for Electricians
Accurate Estimating
AI takeoff on full PDF drawing sets handles panel schedules, branch circuits, fixtures, and gear in twelve minutes. Scope filter for sub-bids restricts output to electrical only. Service-call quick-quote works on mobile.
- AI takeoff on full PDF sets up to 500 MB
- Sub-bid scope filter (electrical only)
- Service-call quick-quote on mobile
Structured Planning
Phase scheduling for new construction tied to GC milestones. Daily-route scheduling for service. Long-lead items (custom switchgear, custom panels) flagged at bid time so 8 to 12-week lead times do not surprise you mid-project.
- Phase budgets inherit from estimate
- Long-lead gear flagged at bid time
- Daily-route service scheduling
Controlled Execution
Mobile-first field UI built for trucks. Background mileage tracking, photo documentation, daily logs, on-site CO creation, Stripe-linked invoicing.
- Background mileage tracking
- Photo documentation tagged to projects
- Same-day invoicing with Stripe links
Change Order Management
Customer adds a circuit mid-job. CO inherits unit costs from baseline estimate. Customer e-signs from their phone. Contract value updates automatically. No more verbal authorizations that disappear at billing time.
- CO unit costs inherit from baseline estimate
- Customer e-sign from any device
- Contract value, schedule, budget sync on approval
Financial Visibility
Per-job, per-truck, per-tech margin reporting. AR aging surfaced. QuickBooks two-way sync ends the Sunday bookkeeping ritual.
- Per-job, per-truck, per-tech margin
- AR aging with automated reminders
- QuickBooks two-way sync
Capability snapshot
| Capability | Why it matters for electricians |
|---|---|
| AI estimating from PDF plans | Commercial bids in 12 minutes vs 12 hours |
| Sub-bid scope filter | Output electrical only when bidding to a GC |
| Mobile-first field UI | Trucks, not desks |
| Background GPS mileage | $21K-$31K in deductions per truck per year |
| Stripe payment processing | Customer pays from the driveway |
| Customer portal e-sign | CO and proposal sign-off without printing |
| QuickBooks two-way sync | Books reconcile without Sunday cleanup |
| Per-truck profitability | Know which routes earn |
Get started with BuildCrux
Built for electrical service teams and commercial electrical GCs. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get StartedSub-bid scope filter for trade contractors
When you sub-bid to a GC, you only bid your scope. BuildCrux's scope filter mode tells the AI takeoff engine to extract only electrical line items, leaving structural, plumbing, HVAC, and finish work out of your output. The estimate reads cleanly, your number is defensible, and the GC sees only what they asked you to bid.
| Without scope filter | With scope filter |
|---|---|
| Output: every line item across all trades | Output: electrical only |
| You manually delete non-electrical lines | Clean output ready to send |
| Risk of leaving in non-electrical scope | No bleed across trades |
| 10 to 25 minutes of manual cleanup | Zero manual cleanup |
Case study: 8-employee electrical GC
An 8-employee electrical GC in Phoenix doing $2.8M in commercial subwork plus residential service. Was running ConEst for commercial estimating ($350/month) plus QuickBooks for billing plus a manual mileage spreadsheet. Spent 6 to 12 hours per commercial bid, won 1 in 6.
Switched to BuildCrux Office at $349/month flat. AI takeoff with scope-filter mode cut commercial bid time from 8 hours to 22 minutes. Bid volume tripled. Win rate ticked up to 24% (better strategy time, not just more bids). Net new annual commercial sub-revenue: ~$420K. Mileage capture caught 11,000 miles previously missed across 4 trucks, recovering $7,700 in 2026 deductions ($2,156 actual cash savings at 28% marginal rate). Subscription cost net the same vs prior stack.
Why electricians choose BuildCrux
BuildCrux is the only contractor management platform that ships AI estimating with sub-bid scope filtering, mobile-first field UI, background mileage tracking, and QuickBooks two-way sync at flat-tier pricing without per-user fees. Most electrical GCs break even on subscription cost after one commercial bid that AI handles instead of a 10-hour manual takeoff.
BuildCrux Feature
AI Blueprint Estimates
AI-powered estimates from your blueprints
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
Does BuildCrux handle commercial electrical estimating?+
Yes. AI takeoff reads full PDF drawing sets up to 500 MB and produces panel-and-circuit-based commercial estimates in twelve minutes. Scope filter mode restricts output to electrical only when sub-bidding to a GC.
Can I sub-bid to a GC without bidding the whole building?+
Yes. Scope filter mode tells the AI to extract only electrical line items, leaving structural, plumbing, HVAC, and finish work out of your output.
Does BuildCrux work for service electricians?+
Yes. Mobile-first field UI lets techs quote, invoice, and collect Stripe payments from the truck. Background GPS mileage runs automatically.
Is BuildCrux cheaper than ConEst, Accubid, or McCormick?+
For most small to mid electrical GCs, yes — and BuildCrux ships full project management on top of estimating. ConEst, Accubid, and McCormick go deeper on pure-electrical estimating depth but are estimating-only and do not include mobile field tools, mileage tracking, or QuickBooks two-way sync.
How does mileage tracking work for an electrical crew?+
Background GPS on each tech's phone logs every drive automatically with start, end, route polyline, distance, and project tag. Per-truck and per-tech aggregation surfaces total miles. IRS-ready CSV export at tax time.
The bottom line
Electrical contracting requires three workflows in one tool: commercial bidding, residential remodel sub-billing, and service-call execution. BuildCrux handles all three at flat-tier pricing with AI estimating that other electrical software does not ship.
