Start with a lighting layout if you still don't know how many fixtures you need or where they should go. Start with a contractor quote if the work is already defined and you can describe the installation conditions well enough for someone to price them.
Some projects fall in between. For those, commercial lighting planning comes down to one question: does the open issue change where fixtures go, or does it change how the work gets done? Start with the request that settles that issue. This is a practical rule of thumb, not a fixed order that every project has to follow.
Choose the First Request by the Decision Still Open
Name the one decision you can't make yet. Then find it in the table below.
| What is still unresolved | First useful request | What it should clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage or fixture placement | Lighting layout | Fixture positions and count for the area |
| Very little: scope and installation basis are defined | Contractor quote | Price for the described work and conditions |
| Some placement settled, other assumptions open | The request tied to the open issue | Remaining placement gaps or unpriced assumptions, clearly labeled |
The first row matters because a quote needs a known arrangement of fixtures. If placement is still open, each contractor has to guess one. You could end up with two prices for two different jobs and no fair way to compare them.
The mixed case needs one quick test. Ask yourself, "If this answer changed, would any fixtures move?" If yes, it's a placement question, so get a layout. If it would only change how the work is done, such as ceiling access or whether old fixtures come down, it's an installation assumption. In that case you can ask for a quote now, as long as you list that assumption openly.
Here's an illustrative example. A shop owner has settled the fixture positions on the sales floor but hasn't decided anything for the stockroom. That owner can request a layout for the stockroom only. A different owner knows every fixture location but doesn't know whether the existing fixtures will be removed. That owner can request a quote and state the removal question as open. Either way, a price that rests on open assumptions is preliminary, not final.
Prepare a Lighting Layout Request
A good layout request separates what you know from what you're guessing, and it asks one clear question. This list is a starting point you can adapt, not a required form:
- Area and use: Name each room or zone and what happens there, such as a sales floor, back office, or storage. If you know how many hours each area stays lit, add that too.
- Plans or dimensions: Share a floor plan, a ceiling plan, or a sketch with measurements. Mark any number you estimated as an estimate.
- Existing lighting: Note the current fixture types, where they are, and which ones stay. Write "unknown" wherever that's the honest answer.
- The question to resolve: State the coverage or placement decision you need, such as "Where should fixtures go to light the checkout counter and the aisles?" Don't invent a light-level target you don't actually have.
A ceiling plan is worth including if you have one. GSA's office-lighting guidance on ceiling layout says the ceiling layout affects how well a general lighting scheme works. Operating hours are also useful context. DOE's commercial lighting evaluation protocol groups project inventories by usage and records hours-of-use estimates for each group.
Maybe the fixture type is still open too. Looking at broader commercial indoor lighting, office lighting fixtures, or warehouse lighting fixtures can help you name the options you want the layout to compare. When your packet is ready, you can start the request from our online lighting layout tool. Our commercial lighting planning guide covers collecting site inputs in more depth.
Prepare a Contractor Quote Request
A quote request should describe the work clearly enough that every contractor prices the same job. Build it around scope and assumptions:
- Included work: Say which spaces are part of the job and whether fixtures are being added, replaced, or removed. Also name anything that is excluded.
- Fixture or layout basis: Attach the current layout and its revision label, plus your fixture choices if they're settled. If you've picked fixtures, attach their spec sheets. Our guide to reading LED spec sheets shows what to check on those sheets first. Mark any quantities or placements that are still undecided.
- Known site conditions: Include ceiling type and height, access limits, the hours when work is allowed, and whether the business stays open during the job.
- Open assumptions: List every unknown that could change the price. Ask each contractor to write down what they assumed about it.
Keep electrical details at this level. Circuit design, wiring methods, and code compliance belong to a licensed electrical contractor. Permit and licensing rules also vary by city, county, and state. Ask the contractor or your local building department which rules apply to your address.
Finally, ask each contractor what else they would need to give you firmer pricing. Their answers often show which gaps are worth closing before you compare bids.
Move to Contractor Pricing When the Scope Is Ready
You're ready for pricing when a contractor can read your package and tell what's included. The plan doesn't need to be final. It just needs to be clear about its own status.
- Send the current basis. Share the layout or scope description you have now. Don't hold it back until every detail is settled.
- Label its status. Give it a revision name and a short note, such as "Rev B: sales floor placement approved; stockroom pending."
- List what is still open. Keep undecided items in a short list so they don't get lost in drawings or email threads.
- Ask for priced and unpriced items to be separated. Ask the contractor to mark what the price covers, what it leaves out, and what must be clarified before you can treat the quote as final.
If the layout changes later, send the new revision label with it. Ask for an updated price on that same basis, so older and newer quotes stay easy to compare.
FAQs
Can I ask for pricing before choosing final fixtures?
Yes, as long as the quote marks fixtures as an assumption or allowance and doesn't present that price as final. If you want to see a few fixtures in the space before you commit, a commercial lighting pilot scorecard gives you a structured way to record what you observe.
What should I send if I don't have a floor plan?
A hand sketch with measured wall lengths, a ceiling height, and photos of each area can stand in for a formal plan. Label every measurement as measured or estimated, so whoever reads it knows which numbers are firm.
Can I request a layout and a quote at the same time?
You can, but keep the two requests separate. If the layout is still in progress, the quote rests on a draft. Tie the price to that draft's revision label and expect it to change as placement decisions are made. This keeps commercial lighting planning moving without mixing up draft decisions and final pricing.
