31 - Earthwork
Earthwork & site work bid estimating, without the grind.
The earthwork number is set by the cut/fill balance, the haul distance, and the rock/unsuitable-soil trigger — not just the CY. Drop in your package and get back a cited first-pass: mass excavation by equipment production, fill/compaction per the geotech, the differing-site-conditions and dewatering flags, and the RFIs that keep an earthwork bid from losing on the balance.
✓ PE-reviewable✓ Cited to source✓ Your earthwork / site work workflow
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REVIEWED
REVIEWED
Mobilization + erosion control (SWPPP/BMPs)measure LF / EA / SY— cite
Clearing + grubbing + demolition/strip topsoilmeasure CY (bank/loose/compacted — state which)— cite
Mass excavation — cut / fill / haul (export/import)measure CY (bank/loose/compacted — state which)— cite
Structural fill + compaction (per geotech)measure CY (bank/loose/compacted — state which)— cite
Rock excavation (if encountered)measure CY— cite
6
governing codes
10
line-item groups
6
units of measure
6
risk flags
What it surfaces for earthwork / site work
Priced for the way earthwork / site work is actually bid.
The engine reads your package and flags exactly what bites earthwork / site work estimators — before it costs you.
Governing codes named: the project geotechnical report (THE controlling document — bearing, compaction, groundwater, unsuitable soils, rock), IBC Ch. 18/1804 (excavation/grading/fill), ASTM D698/D1557 (standard vs. modified Proctor), OSHA 1926 Subpart P (trench safety), SWPPP/EPA NPDES (erosion + sediment control), local grading + DOT specs.
Line-item groups your bid breaks into: mobilization + erosion control (SWPPP/BMPs); clearing/grubbing/demo/strip topsoil; mass excavation cut/fill/haul; structural fill + compaction per geotech; rock excavation (if encountered); dewatering/groundwater control; trenching + backfill for utilities; aggregate base/subgrade prep; fine grading + topsoil + finish grade; erosion + sediment control maintenance.
The earthwork risks ranked: earthwork balance + haul (import/export CY + haul distance = the single biggest cost driver); rock + unsuitable soils (the classic differing-site-conditions dispute); groundwater/dewatering (cost, permits, schedule); compaction/moisture conditioning (wet soils blow production); erosion control + permits; weather/seasonal.
The RFIs drafted (verbatim): "Is there a current geotechnical report, and what are the required compaction (% Proctor, which test), bearing, and moisture conditioning?" "Earthwork balance: is the site balanced, or is there import/export — and what's the haul distance and legal disposal/borrow source?" "How is rock defined and paid (differing-site-conditions clause), and is any rock anticipated in the borings?"
The trade's anatomy
Everything earthwork / site work needs, structured.
Line-item groups
Mobilization + erosion control (SWPPP/BMPs)Clearing + grubbing + demolition/strip topsoilMass excavation — cut / fill / haul (export/import)Structural fill + compaction (per geotech)Rock excavation (if encountered)Dewatering / groundwater controlTrenching + backfill for utilitiesAggregate base / subgrade prep for slabs + pavingFine grading + topsoil + finish gradeErosion + sediment control maintenance
Governing codes
Project geotechnical report · THE controlling document — bearing, compaction, groundwater, unsuitable soils, rockIBC Ch. 18 / 1804 · excavation, grading, and fill (adopted grading provisions)ASTM D698 / D1557 · standard vs. modified Proctor compactionOSHA 1926 Subpart P · excavation + trenching safety (sloping/benching/shoring)SWPPP / EPA NPDES · erosion + sediment control (CGP)Local grading + DOT specs · jurisdictional earthwork + roadway specs
Units of measure
cut / fill / export / import → CY (bank/loose/compacted — state which)grading / topsoil / seeding → SY or SFtrenching (utilities) → LF (by depth + backfill)aggregate base / subbase → TON or CYrock excavation → CYerosion control (silt fence, inlet protection, matting) → LF / EA / SY
The risks that usually bite
Earthwork balance + haulRock + unsuitable soilsGroundwater / dewateringCompaction / moisture conditioningErosion control + permitsWeather / seasonal
“"Earthwork is a CY + haul bid; the dirt is the dirt."”
The dirt is the floor — the swing is the balance and the trigger. The analysis forces the two questions that decide whether an earthwork bid survives: the import/export + haul distance (the biggest driver) and how rock/unsuitable soil is defined and paid before you hit it. It puts the geotech (compaction %, bearing, groundwater) at the center of the read, where it belongs. Cited hands clean to the heavy-civil PE.
Run this on your own earthwork package.
30 minutes. Bring a real set — a site balance, a job with a groundwater flag, or one holding out for rock — and watch the cited line items, the haul/balance flags, and the differing-site-conditions RFIs on your actual drawings.