Question 1

How much does electrical testing cost?

Accepted Answer

Industrial electrical testing is priced by asset count, voltage class, complexity, outage requirements, and travel — not by an hourly rate that disguises the actual cost driver. A NETA acceptance test on a single 15 kV switchgear lineup typically runs $4,000-$12,000 depending on the number of breakers and the depth of test. A full-fleet annual maintenance program for a mid-sized industrial facility is generally $40,000-$200,000 per year. ClarkTE will tell you on the second call whether your project is within your stated budget.

Question 2

Why don't you publish hourly rates or an electrician prices list?

Accepted Answer

Because no two engagements look the same and an hourly rate misleads more than it informs. A 30-minute breaker timing test costs the same as a 30-minute consult with the PE who interprets the result, but the value delivered is different. We publish our pricing drivers — asset count, voltage class, complexity, outage requirements, travel — so you can stress-test our proposals without us hiding behind a rate sheet.

Question 3

What does an arc flash study cost?

Accepted Answer

Arc flash studies are priced on bus count and one-line complexity. A small commercial facility with 20-30 buses typically runs $6,000-$15,000 including the IEEE 1584-2018 calculation, equipment labels, and a single round of revisions. A large industrial site with 200+ buses runs $25,000-$80,000. The price always includes the PE-stamped report and labels; NFPA 70E training is sold separately if you want it bundled.

Question 4

What's a typical electrical material pricing assumption in a ClarkTE proposal?

Accepted Answer

We do not sell equipment, so we do not benefit from inflating material costs in a proposal. When we specify equipment for a project (a relay, a generator, a transformer, a breaker), we use current OEM list pricing as a baseline and assume the customer or general contractor will procure directly. If you ask us to handle procurement, we mark up materials transparently — usually 8-12% — and the markup is line-item disclosed in the proposal.

Question 5

Is ClarkTE a premium provider or a cost-effective alternative?

Accepted Answer

We are built for facilities where a single failure costs more than a year of testing budget. If your priority is the lowest possible quoted price, that often comes at the cost of quality. The decision to hire ClarkTE is rarely about saving 10% on the proposal; it's about not losing six figures on the next outage.

Question 6

Do you offer fixed-fee or time-and-materials pricing?

Accepted Answer

Both, depending on the work. Fixed-fee covers known scope — annual maintenance testing, planned relay changeouts, defined arc flash studies. T&M with a written cap covers unknown scope — forensic root-cause investigations, scope creep on a project, intermittent fault troubleshooting. Hourly rates and material markups are disclosed in the contract. We will not let a T&M project run without you knowing where it stands.

Question 7

What about change orders?

Accepted Answer

Things move on every project. Conditions change, test results surprise people, scope grows. Our policy: surface any change within 24 hours, in writing, with cost and schedule impact spelled out. You decide whether to proceed before any change-order work begins. We do not invoice change orders that haven't been authorized.

What ClarkTE costs, and why.

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