Terms and Conditions

Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of ohiocostestimating.com (the “Site”) and the construction estimating services provided by Ohio Cost Estimating (“we,” “us” or “our”). By using the Site, requesting a quote or approving a proposal, you (“you” or “Client”) agree to these Terms. If you are accepting on behalf of a company, you confirm you are authorized to bind that company.

If a signed proposal, engagement letter or other written agreement between you and us conflicts with these Terms, the signed agreement controls for that project.

Our Services

We provide construction cost estimating, quantity takeoff, bid estimating, conceptual and budget estimating, value engineering, bid leveling, change order pricing, Xactimate estimating and related preconstruction services. Each engagement’s scope, deliverables, fee and delivery date are described in our written quote. Descriptions of our services on the Site, including our services and trade estimating pages, are general information and not a binding offer.

Nature of Our Estimates

Our estimates and takeoffs are professional opinions of probable cost based on the documents and information available at the time they are prepared. Because we do not control labor markets, material prices, contractor bidding, site conditions, weather, design changes or the construction process, we do not guarantee that bids, contract prices or final construction costs will match our estimate.

• Estimates reflect the drawings, specifications and addenda supplied to us and the assumptions, clarifications and exclusions stated in the estimate.
• Conceptual and budget estimates carry wider accuracy ranges than detailed estimates prepared from complete construction documents.
• Our services are not architectural, engineering, surveying, legal, tax, accounting or financial advice, and do not include code compliance review, structural design or verification of the design documents.
• You remain responsible for your bid, your pricing decisions and your contract.

See our Estimating Disclaimer for more detail.

Your Responsibilities

To receive an accurate estimate, you agree to:

• Provide complete, legible and current drawings, specifications and addenda, and tell us promptly when documents change;
• Clearly describe the scope, trades, inclusions and exclusions you want priced, along with the project location and bid date;
• Have the right to share the documents you send us; and
• Review the estimate, including its assumptions and exclusions, before relying on it.

We are not responsible for errors resulting from incomplete, inaccurate or outdated information provided to us.

Quotes, Fees and Payment

We provide a fixed-fee quote before starting work. Work begins after you accept the quote and, where requested, make any required deposit. Unless your quote states otherwise:

• Fees are due as stated on the invoice; deliverables may be released after payment is received;
• Quotes are valid for 30 days;
• Work outside the quoted scope — additional trades, alternates, major redesigns or new document sets — is quoted separately before we proceed; and
• Overdue balances may delay future work until resolved.

General pricing information is available on our pricing page; your written quote controls.

Turnaround and Delivery

Delivery dates are stated in your quote and begin when we receive complete documents and your acceptance. We work hard to meet every date, and we will tell you promptly if missing information, late addenda or other events outside our control affect the schedule. Rush delivery is available for an additional fee when capacity allows. Deliverables are typically provided as Excel workbooks and PDF takeoff drawings by email or secure file link.

Revisions and Addenda

We correct any errors in our own work at no charge when reported within a reasonable time after delivery. Updates required because of addenda, design revisions or scope changes issued after we began work are covered as described in your quote, or quoted separately if the change is significant.

Cancellation and Refunds

You may cancel an engagement in writing at any time. If you cancel before work begins, any deposit will be refunded. If you cancel after work begins, you agree to pay for work performed up to the date of cancellation, and we will deliver the work completed to that point on request. Fees for delivered estimates are non-refundable except where we fail to deliver the agreed scope.

Confidentiality

We keep your project documents, quantities and pricing confidential and use them only to provide our services, as described in our Privacy Policy. We will sign a reasonable non-disclosure agreement on request. You agree to keep our proprietary methods, templates and unit-cost data confidential and not to resell our deliverables as a standalone estimating product.

Intellectual Property

You keep all rights to the drawings and documents you provide. Upon full payment, you receive a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use, copy and modify the estimate deliverables for the project they were prepared for, including sharing them with your owners, lenders, design team and subcontractors. We retain ownership of our templates, formats, databases and methods.

All content on the Site — text, graphics, logos, guides and page designs — belongs to Ohio Cost Estimating or its licensors and may not be copied or republished without our written permission, except for brief quotations with attribution and a link to the original page.

Acceptable Use of the Site

You agree not to use the Site to upload malicious code, attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems, scrape content in bulk, send spam or unlawful material, or interfere with the Site’s operation. We may restrict access for anyone who violates these Terms.

Third-Party Data, Software and Links

Our estimates may rely on third-party information such as supplier quotes, published cost databases, government wage determinations and manufacturer data. We use reasonable care in selecting and applying these sources but are not responsible for errors in them. Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience only, and we do not endorse or control their content.

Disclaimer of Warranties

Except as expressly stated in these Terms or a signed agreement, the Site and its content are provided “as is” and “as available.” General cost information, articles and guides on the Site are for educational purposes and are not an estimate for any specific project. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability arising out of or relating to any engagement or the Site is limited to the fees you paid us for the specific service giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost bids, bid errors, delay costs or cost overruns, even if we were advised of their possibility.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ohio Cost Estimating and its owners, employees and contractors from claims, losses and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your misuse of the Site, your breach of these Terms, documents you provide that you did not have the right to share, or your use of our deliverables beyond the project for which they were prepared.

Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Before filing any claim, both parties agree to try in good faith to resolve the dispute through direct discussion for at least 30 days. Any legal action shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Franklin County, Ohio, and both parties consent to that jurisdiction.

General Terms

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining parts stay in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our consent. These Terms, together with your accepted quote and any signed agreement, are the entire agreement between us regarding their subject matter.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date shows the latest version. Changes do not affect engagements already accepted unless both parties agree in writing.

Contact Information

Questions about these Terms? Contact us:

Ohio Cost Estimating
101 Normandy Ave
Columbus, OH 43215
Email: ask@ohiocostestimating.com
Phone: 1 (614) 721 2889

Related pages: Privacy Policy · Estimating Disclaimer · About Us · Contact Us