Design-Build Electrical & Engineering in Sarasota, Bradenton & Tampa
Licensed & Insured (EC13014807) • Division 26 Design-Build Electrical Contractor • Engineer-Sealed Drawings • Fully Bonded
One team for electrical design, engineering, permitting and construction. We take commercial, industrial, government and mission-critical projects from concept and load study through sealed drawings, pricing and energization — with a single point of accountability.
Serving general contractors, developers and owners throughout Sarasota County, Manatee County, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Charlotte County, DeSoto County and Lee County.
Design-Build Electrical: Design, Engineering and Construction Under One Contract
On a traditional plan-and-spec project, the owner hires an engineer, the engineer produces drawings, and the electrical contractor bids what is on the page — and every gap between the two becomes an RFI, a change order or a schedule slip. Design-build collapses that into one contract and one team. Steel City Electric develops the electrical design with you, has the drawings engineered and sealed, prices the work from the design we created, and builds it with our own crews.
The result is a faster path to permit, a firm price earlier in the project, value engineering built in from day one, and no finger-pointing between designer and builder when something has to change in the field. We deliver design-build and design-assist electrical throughout Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida.
What Design-Build Electrical Includes
Design-build means we own the electrical scope from the first conversation to the final inspection. Depending on the project, that can mean full design-build (we design and build everything), design-assist (we work alongside your engineer of record), or value engineering on an existing set of drawings.
Our design-build and engineering services include:
- Load calculations and service sizing (NEC Article 220)
- One-line diagrams, panel schedules and riser diagrams
- Lighting layouts, photometrics and energy-code compliance
- Engineer-sealed electrical drawings for permit
- Short-circuit, coordination and arc-flash studies
- Utility service applications and transformer coordination
- Generator, ATS and standby-power design
- EV charging infrastructure and load management design
- Low-voltage, security and data pathway design
- Permit drawings, submittals and as-builts
Because the people pricing and building the job are the same people designing it, the drawings reflect how the work will actually be installed — not a generic layout that has to be redesigned once it reaches the field.
Design-Assist for General Contractors and Developers
Many general contractors bring us in during preconstruction before the electrical design is finished. In a design-assist role we sit at the table with your architect and engineer, flag constructability and cost problems early, and deliver a budget you can carry with confidence while the drawings are still moving.
We regularly design-assist with:
- General contractors and construction managers
- Developers and owner-builders
- Architects and engineers of record
- Facilities and mission-critical operators
- Utility providers (FPL, Duke Energy, TECO, Peace River)
By the time the permit set is issued, the electrical scope has already been priced, coordinated with the other trades and checked against the utility’s service requirements — so the schedule holds.
Load Studies, Service Sizing & Utility Coordination
Every design-build project starts with the numbers. We calculate connected and demand load, size the service, feeders and distribution for today’s equipment and tomorrow’s growth, and submit the load letter and site plan to the utility early so transformer lead time never becomes the critical path.
Our engineering review covers:
- Connected and demand load by equipment schedule
- Service voltage and amperage (120/208 V through 480/277 V, up to 3,000 A)
- Transformer, pad and primary conduit requirements
- Available fault current and equipment ratings
- Voltage drop and conductor sizing
- Future expansion, EV charging and generator capacity
Right-sizing the service avoids both the cost of oversized gear and the far larger cost of a second service project a few years later.
Engineer-Sealed Drawings & Permitting
We produce complete electrical construction documents — one-lines, panel schedules, riser diagrams, lighting and power plans, details and specifications — reviewed and sealed by a Florida-licensed professional engineer for submittal to Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough and surrounding building departments.
Because we design to build, our permit sets are written to pass plan review the first time. Typical submittals include:
- Electrical site plan and service entrance details
- Lighting plans with energy-code (FBC-EC) compliance forms
- Power plans, panel schedules and feeder schedules
- Generator and ATS details with load-bank test requirements
- Fire alarm and low-voltage pathway drawings as required
We pull the electrical permit, respond to plan-review comments and walk every inspection with the AHJ.
Value Engineering Without Cutting Corners
Design-build gives you real value engineering: alternatives priced against the design while it can still change. We look for savings that lower cost without lowering quality or creating a maintenance problem for the owner.
Common design-build savings include:
- Aluminum feeders where the spec and distances allow
- Right-sized generators backed by an actual load profile
- Consolidated distribution and panel locations to shorten feeder runs
- LED lighting and controls that meet energy code with fewer fixtures
- Phased installation that matches the owner’s occupancy plan
Every alternate is documented and priced separately so you and your owner can make an informed decision, not a guess.
Government, Industrial & Mission-Critical Design-Build
Secure and critical facilities need an electrical design that accounts for redundancy, access control and documentation from the start. We design and build for:
- Secure detention and government facilities
- Data, communications and emergency-operations rooms
- Medical and laboratory buildings
- Industrial process and manufacturing power
- Water, wastewater and utility support facilities
Our crews are background-checked and work under strict access, safety and documentation protocols, and our drawings and closeout packages are built to the owner’s compliance requirements.
Standby Power & EV Infrastructure Design
Generators and EV charging are the two loads most often bolted onto a building after the fact. Designing them in from the beginning means the service, distribution and transfer equipment are sized once and installed once.
- Generac and Cummins standby generator sizing and ATS design
- Life-safety, legally required and optional standby separation
- Level 2 and DC fast-charging infrastructure with load management
- Future-ready conduit and panel capacity for expansion
We also provide the load-bank and transfer testing documentation your owner and AHJ require at commissioning.
Code Compliance & Safety by Design
Design-build does not mean skipping the engineer — it means the engineer and the builder are on the same side of the table. Every Steel City design is checked against the NEC, the Florida Building Code and the utility’s requirements before it is sealed.
Our designs include:
- Engineer-sealed construction documents
- Arc-flash and short-circuit analysis with equipment labeling
- Proper grounding, bonding and surge protection
- Working-clearance and equipment-access compliance
- Energy-code lighting and controls compliance
Compliant design protects the owner at permit, at inspection and for the life of the building.
Why Owners and General Contractors Choose Steel City Electric for Design-Build
- Florida State Certified Electrical Contractor (EC13014807), fully bonded and insured
- One contract and one point of accountability for design and construction
- Firm pricing earlier in the project, from drawings we created
- Engineer-sealed drawings and in-house utility coordination
- Our 6-Step Program from discovery through commissioning and 24/7 service
- Self-performed with Steel City crews — not subcontracted
We approach design-build the way an owner would: get the design right, price it honestly, build it once. See how it works in our 6-Step Program, or send your plans through our General Contractors page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between design-build and design-assist electrical?
In design-build, Steel City Electric is responsible for both the electrical design (engineered and sealed) and the construction under one contract. In design-assist, your engineer of record produces the drawings and we work alongside them during preconstruction on constructability, pricing and value engineering.
Who seals the electrical drawings?
A Florida-licensed professional engineer reviews and seals every permit set we produce. Our in-house team develops the design and coordinates with the engineer so the drawings reflect how the work will actually be built.
Can you value-engineer a set of drawings we already have?
Yes. We regularly review plan-and-spec drawings and return priced alternates that lower cost without lowering quality — aluminum feeders, right-sized generators, consolidated distribution and lighting-control alternatives are common examples.
How early should we bring you into a project?
The earlier the better. Bringing us in during schematic design lets us size the service and submit the utility application before the permit set is finished, which keeps transformer lead time and switchgear release off the critical path.
Start a Design-Build Electrical Project
Whether you have a napkin sketch, a schematic design or a full set of drawings that needs value engineering, we can take it from here.
Contact Steel City Electric to schedule a design-build consultation for your commercial, industrial, government or mission-critical project in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch or Tampa Bay.
