Most bad millwork numbers start with a thin bid package. The estimator fills the gaps with assumptions, every shop assumes something different, and the bids you get back can't be compared. Then the real scope shows up in submittals and someone eats the difference.
This is the list we wish came with every invitation to bid. None of it is exotic. It is the information a shop needs to count parts, pick materials and plan labor, and most of it already exists somewhere in your project files.
The full drawing set, with more than the millwork sheets
Send the architectural set, including floor plans, interior elevations, sections and the enlarged details. A casework elevation tells us what the cabinets look like. The floor plan tells us how many there are, which way they turn, and what wall they hang on. Reflected ceiling plans matter too when tall cabinets or soffits run up to a ceiling line.
Include the MEP sheets that touch the woodwork. Sinks, outlets in backsplashes, data at reception desks and under-counter equipment all change the cutouts and the cabinet construction. If the drawings are still moving, tell us which revision we are pricing and when the next one lands.
The spec sections that govern the work
Send every section that names our work, not only the one with "woodwork" in the title. On a typical commercial job that can include:
- 06 40 23 Interior Architectural Woodwork for trim, panels, millwork items and the general woodwork requirements.
- 06 41 13 and 06 41 16 for wood-veneer-faced and plastic-laminate-clad architectural cabinets.
- 06 42 16 or 06 42 19 if there is flush wood or laminate-faced paneling.
- 12 36 61.16 Solid Surfacing Countertops or 12 36 23.13 Plastic-Laminate-Clad Countertops when tops are specified separately.
- 12 35 70 Healthcare Casework or the 12 35 53 laboratory casework sections on medical and lab jobs.
The split between Division 06 and Division 12 matters more than people think. AWI's architectural casework standard covers the 06 41 xx sections and specifically excludes products specified under Division 12. If the same cabinets show up in both places, we will ask which one governs. An industry article in Construction Canada made the same point: when drawings and specs disagree, the architect, the GC and the millwork firm all pay for it during bidding and construction.
Section numbers vary between offices and MasterFormat editions, so treat the list above as a checklist, not a rule. Send whatever your spec book actually uses.
Finish and hardware schedules
A finish schedule with laminate, veneer, solid surface and paint selections lets us price real materials instead of an allowance. Manufacturer, color name or number, and finish texture are all worth stating. If a selection is still open, say so, and tell us whether to carry an allowance or a "standard color range" assumption.
Hardware is the other big swing item. Hinges, slides, pulls, locks, grommets and support brackets can move a casework number noticeably on a large job. A hardware schedule, or at least a named basis-of-design product for each type, keeps everyone bidding the same thing. Call out locks and keying if they are ours.
Call out the AWI grade, and where it changes
Name the grade in the spec: Economy, Custom or Premium. If the contract references AWI's standards and names no grade, the standard defaults to Custom. That default is reasonable for most commercial interiors, but it is better to say it than to rely on it.
If the grade changes by room, show where. A Premium reception desk and Custom casework everywhere else is a common split, and the earlier joint woodwork standard put storage, janitor and utility room cabinets at Economy unless the documents said otherwise. One university design standard asks for shop drawings to show the location of different grades, species and finishes, which is a good habit to start in the bid documents. Our AWI grades explainer covers what actually changes between them.
If your owner requires a specific certification program or labels on the shop drawings, put that in the bid documents. It affects who can bid and what the submittals cost.
Blocking, backing and electrical coordination
In-wall blocking is not part of the casework. AWI's casework standard leaves structural components, including in-wall blocking, backing, furring and brackets, outside its scope, and the earlier standard put fastening and blocking evaluation on the design professional. In practice, somebody has to draw it and somebody has to install it before drywall closes.
Tell us who owns blocking. If it is the framing contractor, we will provide blocking locations on our shop drawings for them to follow. The same goes for electrical: outlets in backsplashes, power at reception desks, lighting inside display casework and data at workstations all need boxes in the right place. A note on who coordinates those rough-ins saves a lot of patching later.
Schedule: bid date and install window
Give us the bid date, the expected award date and the install window. Woodwork gets built while the building gets built, so production planning depends on when we can field-measure and when the rooms will be ready. Laminate makers' own guide specs call for verifying field measurements before fabrication and conditioning the laminate and substrate together in the same environment for 48 hours first. Those steps take time, and they only work if the schedule allows for them.
If the install has to happen in phases, or around an occupied floor, say so. Phasing changes trip counts, crew size and freight.
Site access and freight
This is the section most bid packages skip, and it drives real cost.
- Address and building type, and whether there is a loading dock.
- Freight elevator: size, door height and whether we have to book it.
- Delivery hours, union or prevailing wage requirements, and badging or escort rules.
- Where we can stage material, and how far it is from the truck to the rooms.
- Any restrictions on noise or work hours.
A long reception top that cannot fit in the elevator gets built in sections. Better to know that before the shop drawings, not after the truck arrives.
Alternates and substitutions
List the alternates you want priced, each as its own line. Typical ones are a laminate in place of veneer, a different countertop material, or an add or deduct for a room. If you will accept substitutions on hardware or materials, say how to submit them. Then everyone is pricing the base bid the same way, and your alternates are true apples-to-apples numbers.
A short checklist to copy
- Full architectural set with MEP sheets, revision noted
- All spec sections that name woodwork, casework or countertops
- Finish schedule and hardware schedule, or basis-of-design products
- AWI grade, plus any room-by-room changes and certification requirements
- Who owns blocking and electrical rough-in
- Bid date, award date, install window and phasing
- Site address, dock, freight elevator, hours and staging
- Alternates and the substitution process
We estimate commercial architectural millwork, casework, store fixtures and countertops out of Barberton, Ohio, and we ship and install nationally. We put together a complete bid package, with shop drawings and coordination with the other trades. If you have a package ready, or half ready, request a quote or call (330) 753-0693 and tell us what is still open.