Electrical Scope of Work: What GCs Need to Include When Buying Out an Electrical Sub

An electrical scope of work that's missing key items is almost impossible to catch before buyout — and very expensive to recover after. From service entrance to devices, from temporary construction power to fire alarm coordination, the gaps in electrical scopes are specific, predictable, and consistent across commercial project types. This guide covers what to include in a commercial electrical scope of work, organized by the trade-specific work, the package items subs routinely omit, and the coordination requirements between electrical and every other trade on the project.

Service and Distribution

• Electrical service entry: Specify service voltage and phase (e.g., 120/208V 3-phase 4-wire, or 347/600V 3-phase 4-wire), service entrance configuration, meter socket requirements per the local utility's standards, and whether the sub's scope begins at the utility vault or pad-mount transformer. The boundary between the utility's work and the electrical sub's scope is a persistent source of ambiguity.
• Main switchboard (MSB): Specify ampacity, number of sections, metering provisions, surge protective device (SPD) requirements per electrical code, and bus rating. Confirm whether the MSB is owner-furnished or included in the electrical scope — on some institutional projects, the owner specifies the switchboard manufacturer.
• Distribution panelboards: Provide a complete panel schedule for every panelboard — circuit count, breaker sizes, wire sizing, mounting type, and location. Subs who price from incomplete panel schedules consistently underbid or omit panels. Every panel must be explicitly named and scheduled.
• Feeders: Specify feeder conductor size, conduit type and size, and routing for all feeders to major equipment, panels, and switchboards. Confirm who provides and sets conduit sleeves through concrete slabs prior to pours — missed sleeves are one of the highest-cost electrical errors on any project.
• Grounding: Main bonding jumper, equipment grounding conductors, and grounding electrode system per electrical code. Specify ground ring requirements, concrete-encased electrode requirements, and telecommunications bonding if applicable.

Branch Circuits and Devices

• Receptacles: Specify quantity and type by area — standard duplex, GFCI where required by code (within 1.5m of water sources, all construction sites, garages, rooftops), AFCI where required by code version in effect for the project's permit, and hospital-grade for health care facilities. GFCI and AFCI requirements are a common omission on subs priced to an older edition of the electrical code.
• Lighting fixtures: Specify fixture types by area, mounting type, lamp type, and wattage. LED fixtures with daylight harvesting require commissioning — confirm this is in scope and that the sub understands what commissioning entails for the applicable energy code compliance path.
• Lighting controls: Specify control system type — standalone occupancy sensors, networked DALI or 0-10V dimming controls, or BMS-integrated. Networked lighting control systems require programming as a separate deliverable — confirm this is in the electrical sub's scope, not assumed to be by the controls sub.
• Emergency and exit lighting: Specify exit sign type (LED internally illuminated, photoluminescent), emergency lighting unit type (remote head, integral battery pack, central inverter), and required test and inspection documentation at commissioning. Emergency lighting systems are frequently underspecified.

Equipment Power

• Equipment connections: For every piece of mechanical, plumbing, or process equipment on the project, the electrical scope must specify exactly what the sub provides — power to the disconnect switch, to the motor control centre (MCC), or directly to the equipment's terminal box. "Power to equipment" without defining the termination point creates disputes on every project.
• Motor starters and VFDs: Specify whether the electrical sub supplies and installs motor starters and variable frequency drives, or whether they are supplied by the mechanical sub and installed by the electrical sub. VFDs must be ordered with BACnet or Modbus communication cards compatible with the BMS — confirm this requirement is in scope before VFDs are procured.
• HVAC interlocks: Fire alarm shutdown relays for HVAC fans — specify which trade provides the relay and which trade provides the wiring. This is a chronic gap between the electrical sub and the fire alarm sub.
• Emergency generator: If there is a standby generator, specify generator size (kW), fuel type, automatic transfer switch (ATS) configuration (open vs. closed transition), transfer time requirement, and which loads are on emergency power. Load bank testing and commissioning must be explicitly in scope.

Fire Alarm and Life Safety

• Fire alarm system: Specify whether the electrical sub carries the fire alarm sub-scope or whether it's a separate direct subcontract. In most Canadian jurisdictions, fire alarm systems must be designed and installed by a factory-authorized and licensed fire alarm contractor. Confirm licensing requirements before awarding.
• System type and listing: Conventional vs. addressable. Specify ULC/UL listing requirements, zoning requirements, device schedule, and monitoring integration (ULC-S561 monitoring for most commercial projects). Specify who programs the fire alarm panel — this is frequently excluded from bids.
• Duct smoke detectors: Typically furnished by the fire alarm sub and installed in HVAC ductwork by the mechanical sub. Confirm the supply/install split in both subcontracts.

Temporary Power

• Construction power: Specify scope of temporary electrical service — service size, panel location(s) on site, circuit distribution to each level or zone, GFCI protection on all temporary circuits (required by code on all construction sites), and duration. Temporary power is one of the most frequently underscoped items in electrical bids. It must be explicitly specified or it will be treated as the GC's responsibility.
• Lighting levels: Specify minimum illumination requirements for active construction areas if they exceed the sub's standard provision for temporary lighting. Many jurisdictions have specific code requirements for construction site lighting.

• Conduit sleeves and cast-in inserts: Electrical sub is responsible for all pre-set sleeves and inserts in concrete before pours. Missed sleeves require core drilling — a significant cost and schedule impact. Require the sub to provide a sleeve coordination drawing approved by the GC before any structural pour.
• Conduit seals: Where conduit transitions from conditioned to unconditioned space, or from interior to exterior, vapour seals are required. Omitting conduit seals causes condensation and ice buildup inside conduit in cold climates.
• Arc flash hazard analysis: Required by electrical code for systems above 50V. Specify whether this is in the electrical sub's scope or owner-furnished. Provides required arc flash labels for all switchboards and panelboards — confirm labeling is in scope.
• Protective device coordination study: Required for systems with multiple levels of overcurrent protection. Ensures selective fault clearing. Often omitted — and then flagged by the AHJ or the commissioning agent at the end of the project.
• As-built drawings: Electrical sub maintains as-built drawings throughout construction and provides final CAD and PDF deliverables at closeout. Many electrical subs provide only a field-marked print — specify the format and deliverable requirements explicitly.
• Commissioning support: Electrical sub provides technicians to support mechanical and building commissioning — energizing panels, verifying connections, resetting breakers, and witnessing equipment startups. This is a real cost that is regularly excluded from base bids.
• Permits and inspections: Electrical sub obtains and pays for all permits, arranges all rough-in and final inspections, and provides all inspection certificates at closeout. Specify that the sub is responsible for re-inspection costs.

• Mechanical/HVAC: Power supply and connection to all mechanical equipment. VFD procurement coordination — VFDs must include the correct BACnet or Modbus communication card before they ship from the factory. After-the-fact additions are expensive and sometimes not possible. The electrical sub and mechanical sub must align on VFD specifications before procurement.
• Plumbing: Power for domestic water heaters (confirm voltage, phase, and ampacity), recirculation pumps, sump pumps, and electronic trap primer manifolds. Battery-powered sensor fixtures — confirm whether hardwired backup circuits are required, particularly for sensor flush valves in high-traffic areas.
• Fire protection/sprinkler: Flow switches, tamper switches, and pressure switches from the sprinkler system connect to the fire alarm panel. Confirm whether the sprinkler sub or the fire alarm sub provides these devices, and whether the electrical sub or the fire alarm sub provides the wiring connections to the panel.
• Controls/BMS: Dedicated 120V circuits to all building automation control panels. The electrical sub provides power to the control panel; the controls sub does all internal panel wiring. Confirm the terminal point — typically the main circuit breaker on the control panel. This split must be consistent across both subcontracts.
• Telecommunications: Confirm whether the electrical sub provides conduit only or conduit and cable for structured cabling systems. On projects where a separate telecom contractor pulls cable, the electrical sub's scope is conduit, boxes, and pull strings only — make this explicit.
• Civil/site: Site power distribution — confirm whether the electrical sub's scope includes site service from the utility right-of-way to the building, and whether parking lot lighting, site security lighting, and exterior electrical are included. These are frequently excluded from building electrical bids and separately priced.