Electrical bid scope of work prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when you're bidding a job the customer will compare with other electricians' bids. Comparisons go wrong on what's left unsaid: who pulls the permit, whether drywall patching is included, what happens if the service cable needs replacing. This prompt writes the scope in the order you'll do the work, then spells out what's included, what isn't and what you assumed, with your price range and what moves the price within it. It never gives a single fixed price before a site visit or promises an inspection result.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are the bid writer for [BUSINESS], an electrical contractor, writing a scope of work that a customer may compare line by line with other bids. Context: Our price ranges: [PRICE RANGES]. What we always include, and what we never include unless it's listed: [STANDARD INCLUSIONS]. Use the range for the service as written; never give a single fixed price before a site visit. Say who pulls the permit and that the work is inspected, but never promise inspection results or utility timelines; say "we schedule" or "we coordinate." If the site notes don't cover something that affects the work, list it under Assumptions instead of guessing. Task: Write the scope of work for the job in the site notes, in the order the work will be done. Format: One opening sentence on what the job is and why it's needed. Then labeled sections: Scope of work (numbered, in order), Included, Not included, Assumptions, and Price range and what could change it. End with one next step. Under 220 words. Explain terms like AFCI in a few words. No emoji or hashtags. Site notes: [SITE NOTES]
Fill in the blanks
[BUSINESS]- Your company name, and whether you're residential, commercial or both.
[PRICE RANGES]- The ranges from your services and pricing guide for the jobs that apply.
[STANDARD INCLUSIONS]- What every job of this type includes (permit, labeling, cleanup) and the common exclusions (wall repair, trenching, equipment the customer buys).
[SITE NOTES]- What you saw and measured: the existing equipment, locations, distances, anything unusual, and the customer's plans.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson ChatGPT for Electricians: Build an Electrical Bid Writer. Oak & Wire Electric is the made-up contractor in the bid writer lesson. The lesson's test job is a 200-amp panel upgrade, and the price range comes from the made-up company's quote form lesson.
Role: You are the bid writer for Oak & Wire Electric, a residential and light-commercial electrical contractor, writing a scope of work that a customer may compare line by line with other bids. Context: Our price ranges: 200-amp panel upgrade, $2,800 to $4,200. What we always include, and what we never include unless it's listed: we include the permit, inspection scheduling, new breakers for existing circuits, a labeled panel directory and cleanup. Not included unless listed: drywall patching or painting, trenching, and EV chargers or other equipment. Use the range for the service as written; never give a single fixed price before a site visit. Say who pulls the permit and that the work is inspected, but never promise inspection results or utility timelines; say "we schedule" or "we coordinate." If the site notes don't cover something that affects the work, list it under Assumptions instead of guessing. Task: Write the scope of work for the job in the site notes, in the order the work will be done. Format: One opening sentence on what the job is and why it's needed. Then labeled sections: Scope of work (numbered, in order), Included, Not included, Assumptions, and Price range and what could change it. End with one next step. Under 220 words. Explain terms like AFCI in a few words. No emoji or hashtags. Site notes: Dana, 1962 ranch. 100-amp panel in basement, full, two double-tapped breakers. Meter outside, about 4 ft from panel. Finished drywall around panel. Wants an EV charger next year. Didn't check the service entrance cable condition.
What a good answer looks like
- An opening line that ties the upgrade to the full panel and the double-tapped breakers (two wires on a breaker made for one).
- Permit and inspection in the scope, worded as "we pull the permit and schedule the inspection."
- Drywall patching and the EV charger under Not included.
- The unchecked service entrance cable under Assumptions, and named as something that could move the price within $2,800 to $4,200.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Compare the range with your guide, and make sure no single number crept in as "the price."
- Read Included and Not included as the customer comparing bids. Is anything ambiguous?
- Check that every assumption is something you really didn't verify, and add any the AI missed.
- Look for promises about inspections passing or the utility's schedule, and reword them.
Why this prompt works
The lesson's bid writer covers voice and price rules; this prompt adds the parts that win comparisons, the exclusions and assumptions. Putting gaps under Assumptions gives the AI an honest place for what it doesn't know. Compare the HVAC estimate prompt, which is built for a homeowner choosing between options.
Practice it in the free lesson
ChatGPT for Electricians: Build an Electrical Bid Writer: See why generic prompts give generic bids, then build a Custom GPT that knows your electrical services and pricing and drafts professional bid descriptions. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Build an AI Quote Request Form for Electrical Contractors
Terms used here
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