Estimating general conditions: the job costs that aren't in your takeoff
Your takeoff counts studs, board, grid and tile. But a job also needs a foreman, a trailer or gang box, lifts, dumpsters, temporary protection and cleanup. These general conditions (often called "general requirements" or "job overhead") are real costs, and they're easy to under-carry on a fast bid.
- General conditions are job-specific indirect costs; company overhead is separate.
- Most general conditions are time-driven, so price them from the schedule.
- Use a checklist on every bid so nothing gets dropped on bid day.
General conditions vs. overhead
As AIA Contract Documents: General conditions costs in construction explains, general conditions costs are the indirect costs needed to run a specific project: supervision, temporary facilities, permits, safety, waste handling and similar items. They're different from company overhead (office rent, estimators, accounting), which you recover through markup. Procore: General conditions in construction also notes that the contract's "General Conditions" document (such as AIA A201) is a set of terms, while the general conditions costs are what you price.
A subcontractor's general conditions checklist
- Supervision: foreman or superintendent time not already in your crew rates, project manager site visits.
- Equipment: scissor lifts, boom lifts, baker scaffolds, rolling tables, delivery and pickup charges.
- Material handling: hoisting, stocking floors, forklift time, union stocking rules where they apply.
- Waste: dumpsters or haul-off if not provided by the GC, scrap recycling.
- Temporary facilities: storage containers, gang boxes, small tools, temporary power cords and lighting if required.
- Protection and cleanup: floor protection, daily cleanup, final clean.
- Safety: site-specific training, PPE, fall protection, required site badging.
- Admin: submittals, mock-ups, closeout documents, as-builts, warranties.
- Travel and parking on urban jobs.
Price it from the schedule
Most general conditions are time-based. A scissor lift costs per week or month; a foreman costs per day. Estimate your duration on the job (including gaps between phases, such as framing, then board, then finish), then price each item per week. A job that stretches from 8 weeks to 12 adds half again to your time-based costs even if the scope didn't change.
Fixed vs. time-based items
| Fixed (one-time) | Time-based (per week/month) |
|---|---|
| Mobilization, permits, mock-ups, closeout docs, final clean | Supervision, lift rental, storage, dumpsters, daily cleanup |
Read the bid documents
Division 01 and the GC's scope sheet tell you what the GC provides (hoist, dumpsters, temporary power) and what you're responsible for. Note anything you're assuming in your proposal, and see our guide to bid exclusions and clarifications.
Where it goes in the estimate
Keep general conditions as their own section so you can adjust them when the schedule changes and see them clearly when you level bids or price a change order that extends time. Apply your markup after general conditions so overhead and profit cover them too.
Published October 27, 2026. We do not use affiliate links on this page; see our Affiliate Disclosure.