State bid reference · TX

Texas: sitework estimating — bid and specification guide

Build a Texas sitework bid around the contract owner, TxDOT specification edition where incorporated, and the project SWP3. A TxDOT highway bid and a private Houston development need different document registers; a Texas address alone does not make every TxDOT item applicable.

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. Map the bid schedule before measuring excavation

Source context: TxDOT publishes the 2024 specification book alongside statewide, districtwide and project-specific provisions. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: Record the edition named in the proposal, each applicable provision, the excavation pay item and its measurement basis. Keep clearing, stripping, excavation, embankment and disposal separate until the contract establishes what is incidental.

Clarification to request: Does a special provision change the measurement or payment of unsuitable excavation, hauling or embankment?

2. Separate SWP3 quantities from operating duration

Source context: TCEQ administers TXR150000 and provides construction-site notices, SWP3 guidance and electronic reporting information. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: Measure BMP installations from the erosion sheets, then record maintenance, inspection responsibility, stabilization and removal as separate scope questions. Ask the operator to establish permit coverage and check current agency notices before fixing the mobilization date.

Clarification to request: Who carries the SWP3 implementation and recurring maintenance scope, and how many phases are included?

3. Treat county drainage and state highway work as separate boundaries

Source context: The TxDOT resource includes local-government specifications and special provisions as a separate resource. Read the agency resource.

Estimating application: For a mixed private-site and frontage-road package, identify the owner of each pavement, culvert and outfall. Put municipal or county details in the same register as the TxDOT sheets instead of assigning one statewide standard to the whole site.

Clarification to request: Which approved drawing and authority govern each connection outside the property line?

A private pad with a TxDOT frontage connection

Illustrative scope review, not a completed Texas project or a local price example.

Measure the on-site pad and parking using the approved civil sections.
Assign the frontage connection to its contract detail and bid item; check traffic-control and restoration limits.
List drainage tie-ins and SWP3 maintenance responsibilities before combining subcontractor totals.

The estimate retains three traceable scope boundaries rather than treating the entire job as a TxDOT earthwork item.

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 Texas 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