🇧🇬 Bulgaria · Elemental cost breakdown · Work section
Plumbing & electrical services in a Bulgaria bill of quantities
In Bulgaria, the services section of a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) is measured to Elemental cost breakdown (European practice). It covers 6 principal groups of work — incoming water supply, storage and distribution pipework through to lighting points, socket outlets, switches and fittings — and is headed in the bill as "ELEMENT 3 — PLUMBING & ELECTRICAL SERVICES".
Plumbing & electrical services is one of the sections every Bill of Quantities (BoQ) in Bulgaria is built from. This page sets out what belongs in it, the unit each item is measured in under Elemental cost breakdown (European practice), the local conventions that change the quantities here, and a worked example for a 150 m² house — plus the errors in this section that actually cost money on site.
What this section covers
- Incoming water supply, storage and distribution pipework
- Sanitary fittings — WCs, basins, showers, baths, sinks
- Soil, waste and vent pipework
- Below-ground foul drainage, manholes and the point of disposal
- Electrical supply, distribution board, circuits and earthing
- Lighting points, socket outlets, switches and fittings
How each item is measured
| Item | Unit | Measurement rule |
|---|---|---|
| Pipework | m | Measured on the centre line along the run, stating diameter and material. Fittings are usually deemed included. |
| Sanitary fittings | no. | Enumerated by type, fully described including taps and traps. |
| Drainage | m | Measured on the run, stating diameter, bedding and average depth. Excavation is measured with it. |
| Manholes | no. | Enumerated by depth band, fully described. |
| Points (lighting / power) | no. | Enumerated per point, with the rate deemed to include the cable back to the board. |
| Distribution board | item | A single item stating the number of ways and protective devices. |
Local conventions in Bulgaria
- —Services intensity here is taken at about 0.12 lighting points and 0.18 socket outlets per m² of floor area.
- —A typical dwelling carries 2 WCs, 2 basins, 1 shower and 1 kitchen sink.
- —There is no general municipal sewer here, so a septic tank and soakaway must be measured, built and inspected. It is a substantial item and the one first-time builders most often leave out entirely.
Worked example — 150 m² house in Bulgaria
Quantities for this section on a representative single-storey house, computed from Bulgaria construction conventions. Rates are deliberately not shown: they move constantly and are priced against your own drawings.
| Description | Qty | Unit |
|---|---|---|
Doors ~1 per 12 m² of floor area | 13 | no. |
Windows ~1 per 14 m² of floor area | 11 | no. |
Lighting points 0.12/m² | 18 | no. |
Socket outlets 0.18/m² | 27 | no. |
WC suites Typical fixture count per dwelling | 2 | no. |
Wash hand basins Typical fixture count per dwelling | 2 | no. |
Septic tank & soakaway Municipal sewer is not generally available; on-site treatment assumed | 1 | item |
What goes wrong in this section
- —Services are measured as points, but priced as systems. A bill with 40 'lighting points' and no distribution board, cable sizing or earthing description cannot be priced reliably.
- —Below-ground drainage carries its own excavation, bedding and backfill. Measuring only the pipe understates the item several times over.
- —Fittings 'PC sum' items get chosen late and expensively. Fix the specification at bill stage or accept the variation.
Get every section measured, not just this one
Upload your dimensioned drawings and get a complete bill of quantities (boq) in the Elemental cost breakdown format, priced in BGN (лв), with every rate source-cited.
Generate my Bulgaria BoQPlumbing & electrical services — frequently asked
What goes into the services section of a bill of quantities in Bulgaria?
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Incoming water supply, storage and distribution pipework; Sanitary fittings — WCs, basins, showers, baths, sinks; Soil, waste and vent pipework; Below-ground foul drainage, manholes and the point of disposal; and 2 further groups of work. Under Elemental cost breakdown each is described, measured in its own unit, and priced separately so the total is auditable line by line.
What units is plumbing & electrical services measured in?
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Pipework in m, Sanitary fittings in no., Drainage in m, Manholes in no.. Getting the unit right matters more than getting the quantity precisely right — a contractor can adjust a quantity, but cannot price an item measured in the wrong unit at all.
How is plumbing & electrical services different in Bulgaria from elsewhere?
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Services intensity here is taken at about 0.12 lighting points and 0.18 socket outlets per m² of floor area.
What is the most common costly mistake in this section?
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Services are measured as points, but priced as systems. A bill with 40 'lighting points' and no distribution board, cable sizing or earthing description cannot be priced reliably.
How do I get this section measured for my own project?
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Upload your dimensioned drawings to Enormous Buildings. The bill is produced in the Elemental cost breakdown format, grouped by section with plumbing & electrical services priced in BGN (лв), and every unit rate carries a source so a Bulgaria quantity surveyor can check it.