State bid reference · PA

Pennsylvania: sitework estimating — bid and specification guide

Pennsylvania bid preparation requires separate attention to PennDOT contract specifications, Chapter 102 earth-disturbance documents and municipal stormwater requirements. An E&S plan and a post-construction stormwater plan describe different work and should not be combined into one generic erosion-control allowance.

Sitework Estimate provides remote, plan-based quantity takeoff support. This page does not establish a local office, completed local project, engineering approval or permit coverage.

Bid decisions to resolve before pricing

1. Confirm the Publication 408 version

Source context: PennDOT provides an index of Publication 408 editions and their respective effective dates. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: Record the edition named in the bid documents and reconcile its measurement and payment rules with the proposal. Keep special provisions beside the relevant workbook rows rather than assuming the newest edition governs an older contract.

Clarification to request: Which edition and project provisions establish payment for excavation, embankment and restoration?

2. Separate E&S and permanent stormwater work

Source context: DEP describes Chapter 102 as including erosion and sediment control and post-construction stormwater management. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: Maintain separate takeoff groups for temporary controls, permanent facilities, conversion work and final stabilization. Ask who owns inspections and maintenance during each phase.

Clarification to request: Is a temporary basin later converted to a permanent facility, and where is that conversion measured?

3. Establish the project permitting route before treating coverage as complete

Source context: DEP identifies general and individual permit routes and describes activity-specific Chapter 102 requirements. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: Request the actual coverage documents and accepted plan revision. For Philadelphia, reconcile the PWD review scope with state requirements rather than substituting a statewide drainage assumption.

Clarification to request: Are the Chapter 102 documents and municipal stormwater approval based on the same site layout?

A sediment basin becomes a permanent stormwater facility

Illustrative scope comparison, not a Pennsylvania design requirement.

Measure the temporary basin and controls from the construction-stage sheets.
Identify the conversion detail and regrading, media, outlet and restoration changes.
Compare the final facility quantities without counting initial excavation twice.

The workbook distinguishes initial construction, conversion and permanent completion responsibilities.

Source documents and limits

Sources checked 2026-10-16. The bid-review notes are our estimating interpretation of the linked resources. Confirm the contract edition, current amendments and project approvals before pricing.

A quantity takeoff records scope from supplied documents. It does not provide engineering design, a permit approval, a site investigation or an installation-ready machine-control model.

Documents needed for a Pennsylvania sitework takeoff

The project address establishes the review area, but the drawing set establishes the quantities. Put each of the following in a document register with its date, revision and author. Missing inputs should become a clarification or a stated allowance.

Input	What it resolves	If absent
Address, parcel and approving authority	Site limits, municipality, roadway and utility interfaces	Ask the designer to confirm jurisdiction; a postal city is insufficient.
Existing survey and proposed grading	Surface comparison, stripping and earthwork boundaries	Identify the missing surface; do not report a balanced site from plan area alone.
Geotechnical report and approved details	Undercut, material reuse, groundwater and conversion assumptions	Use a named, separate allowance pending design information; avoid county-wide soil factors.
Utility plans, profiles and sections	Pipe runs, depths, structures, bedding and restoration	List missing inverts, dimensions and connection limits for clarification.
Stormwater plans, permits and phasing	Temporary controls, permanent facilities, treatment and stabilization	Separate measurable installations from unresolved operating duration and responsibilities.
Bid schedule, specifications and addenda	Pay units, incidental work, exclusions and revisions	Keep measured quantities separate from unconfirmed payment assumptions.

Use the interactive pre-bid checklist to record scope gaps. For workbook structure and published quantity excerpts, review the sample takeoffs.

Local bid references with agency sources

These references address the named jurisdiction. Other municipalities can use different criteria and approval routes.

Choose the work package you need to measure

Use the technical service pages for measurement methods and inclusions. The local guide identifies document and jurisdiction questions; the work package defines the requested deliverable.

Send the drawings, revision list and intended bid scope for a project-specific proposal. Price, schedule and file deliverables are confirmed after document review.

Request a scoped takeoff quote