Data Center Mechanical & Liquid Cooling Estimating
Optimar Precon provides data center mechanical estimating for US mechanical contractors and general contractors. We take off and price the full cooling system, from chillers, cooling towers and chilled water piping to CRAH units, CDUs and direct-to-chip liquid cooling loops.
Each estimate follows the designed cooling architecture, separates vendor equipment from piping and labor, and draws a clear line between facility-side and IT-side liquid cooling scope.
Send Your Mechanical Package
Share your mechanical drawings, equipment schedules, project location and bid deadline. We will confirm the scope, fee and delivery date with your quotation.
Group-wide figures across all Optimar Precon services.
Eight Data Center Cooling Packages, Estimated Separately
Cooling is usually the second-largest package on a data center bid. Pricing each part of the system on its own keeps chiller and CDU quotes visible and makes piping labor easy to check.
Chiller Plant
Air-cooled or water-cooled chillers, plant pumps, headers and plant controls.
23 64 · 23 21Heat Rejection
Cooling towers, dry coolers, condenser water piping and basin heaters.
23 65 · 23 21Chilled Water Distribution
Supply and return piping by size and material, valves, supports, expansion and air separation.
23 21 · 23 05White Space Air Cooling
CRAH units, CRAC units, fan walls, in-row coolers and rear-door heat exchangers.
23 81 · per specLiquid Cooling (Facility Side)
CDUs, facility water connections, secondary loop piping, manifolds and leak detection.
23 21 · per specSupport Space HVAC
Electrical room and UPS room cooling, battery room exhaust, offices and ductwork.
23 31 · 23 34Insulation and Water Treatment
Piping and equipment insulation, chemical treatment, filtration and side-stream systems.
23 07 · 23 25Controls and Monitoring
BMS and plant controls, sensors, control valves, points wiring and sequences support.
23 09We Estimate the Cooling System Loop by Loop
Data center cooling repeats the same equipment across halls and phases, and liquid-cooled halls add a second loop. Tracing each loop from heat rejection to rack prevents double counts at the handoffs between packages.
1. Reconcile the Schedules
Chiller, CRAH and CDU schedules are matched to the flow diagram and plans, so capacities, quantities and redundant units agree before counting starts.
2. Count Equipment, Measure Piping
Equipment is counted by capacity and type. Piping is measured by size, material and joining method, with every valve, fitting and support captured.
3. Extend by Hall and Phase
One typical hall is built in detail, then extended across halls and phases, with air-cooled and liquid-cooled halls priced as separate modules.
Which Cooling Design Are You Bidding?
The cooling architecture changes the equipment list, the piping and who installs what.
| Architecture | Main equipment | What drives the estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Water-cooled chilled water | Water-cooled chillers, cooling towers, CRAH units | Condenser and chilled water piping, tower erection, water treatment |
| Air-cooled chilled water | Air-cooled chillers, often with free-cooling coils | Roof or yard chiller setting, rigging, glycol systems |
| DX / CRAC-based | CRAC units with remote condensers | Refrigerant piping, condenser placement, unit count |
| Close-coupled air | In-row coolers, rear-door heat exchangers | Many small connections at rack rows, branch piping and valves |
| Direct-to-chip liquid | CDUs, secondary loop, rack manifolds | CDU count, TCS piping, flushing, cleanliness and scope boundary with IT |
| Immersion | Immersion tanks, CDUs or heat exchangers | Tank setting, facility water connections, fluid handling and owner scope |
How Each Mechanical Item Is Measured and Priced
Clear units make the estimate easy to check against equipment quotes and your own labor units.
| Item | Takeoff unit | What we capture | Typical cost basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chillers | Each | Tonnage, type, location, rigging path | Vendor quote or OFCI install only |
| Cooling towers / dry coolers | Each / cell | Capacity, cells, field erection or packaged | Vendor quote + erection labor |
| Pumps | Each | Flow, head, motor size, VFD | Vendor quote + setting labor |
| CHW and CW piping | LF by size | Diameter, material, welded or grooved | Material + labor units |
| Valves and specialties | Each by size | Isolation, balancing, control and check valves | Material + labor units |
| Insulation | LF by size | Thickness, jacket, fittings | Material + labor units |
| CRAH / fan walls / in-row | Each | Capacity, connections, controls | Vendor quote or OFCI install only |
| CDUs and TCS piping | Each / LF | CDU capacity, manifolds, hoses, quick-connects | Vendor quote + material and labor |
| Controls points | Each | Sensors, actuators, points per device | Controls subcontract or labor units |
Liquid Cooling Estimates Start With the Scope Boundary
High-density AI halls move heat into water at the rack. The most common bid risk is not the piping itself but unclear ownership between the mechanical contractor, the CDU vendor and the owner’s IT team. We map that boundary before pricing.
| Zone | Typical items | Usually priced by | What we confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facility water system (FWS) | Chilled or warm water piping from the plant to each CDU | Mechanical contractor | Pipe sizes, tie-in points, valves and isolation at each CDU |
| Coolant distribution units (CDUs) | In-row or floor-mounted CDUs, pumps and heat exchangers | Mechanical contractor or owner (OFCI) | Who supplies, who sets and who connects each CDU |
| Technology cooling system (TCS) | Secondary loop piping, row manifolds, hoses, quick-connects | Mechanical contractor, CDU vendor or integrator | Where contractor scope stops: at the manifold or at the rack |
| IT equipment | Cold plates, server-level connections, racks | Owner / IT integrator | Exclusions listed clearly in the scope log |
Cleanliness and Flushing
Liquid cooling loops need tighter cleanliness than standard chilled water. We price flushing, filtration, passivation and fluid fill as separate line items.
Pipe Materials
TCS loops often specify stainless steel or approved polymers. Material and joining method change both cost and labor, so we price exactly what is specified.
Hybrid Halls
Most AI halls still need air cooling for residual heat. We estimate the air and liquid systems together so neither is missed or counted twice.
How Cooling Redundancy Changes the Mechanical Estimate
Mechanical redundancy shows up in equipment counts and, just as much, in piping layout and valving. We price the design shown, not a rule-of-thumb multiplier.
| Approach | How it works | What it adds to the estimate |
|---|---|---|
| N+1 equipment | One spare chiller, pump, tower cell or CRAH in each group. | Extra units with their piping connections, valves and controls. |
| Looped distribution | Chilled water mains run as a ring so any section can be isolated. | Additional main piping, isolation valves and supports. |
| Dual-path (A/B) piping | Two independent supply and return paths to critical equipment. | A second set of mains and branches, plus more valves and insulation. |
| Concurrent maintainability | Any component can be serviced without shutting down cooling. | More isolation valves, bypasses and redundant connections. |
| Thermal storage | Chilled water tanks carry the load during a chiller restart. | Storage tanks, foundations, piping connections and controls. |
A Tier III or Tier IV target does not fix the mechanical bill of materials on its own. We price the redundancy shown on the drawings and flag any gaps against the stated resilience criteria.
What Moves Mechanical Labor Hours on a Data Center
Large-Bore Piping
Welded versus grooved joints, pipe size and elevation change labor units more than any other mechanical factor.
Chiller and Tower Rigging
Crane picks to roofs or yards, rigging plans and set sequences are priced as their own activities.
Prefabricated Pipe Racks and Skids
Off-site fabrication shifts labor from field installation to setting, connecting and testing modules.
Testing, Flushing and Fill
Hydrostatic testing, flushing, treatment and fill are priced per loop, with extra cleanliness steps for liquid cooling.
Phased Cooling Capacity
Halls brought online in phases add capped connections, future tie-ins and remobilization.
Owner-Furnished Equipment (OFCI)
Owners often buy chillers, CRAH units or CDUs directly. We split OFCI from CFCI so you price installation only where the owner supplies the equipment.
A Division 23 Estimate Your Bid Team Can Check Line by Line
The mechanical BOQ follows CSI MasterFormat Division 23 sections, or maps to your company’s own cost codes.
| Section | Title | Typical data center items |
|---|---|---|
| 23 05 | Common Work Results for HVAC | Supports, hangers, meters, gauges, testing and balancing |
| 23 07 | HVAC Insulation | Chilled water piping and equipment insulation |
| 23 09 | Instrumentation and Control for HVAC | Plant controls, sensors, control valves, BMS integration |
| 23 21 | Hydronic Piping and Pumps | Chilled, condenser and secondary loop piping, pumps |
| 23 25 | HVAC Water Treatment | Chemical treatment, filtration, side-stream systems |
| 23 31 | HVAC Ducts and Casings | Support space ductwork and plenums |
| 23 64 | Packaged Water Chillers | Air-cooled and water-cooled chillers |
| 23 65 | Cooling Towers | Packaged and field-erected cooling towers |
| 23 81 | Decentralized Unitary HVAC Equipment | Computer-room air conditioners (CRAC units) |
Drawings and Documents We Need
Send what you have; anything missing goes into the scope log as a qualification.
- Mechanical plans and chilled water flow diagrams
- Equipment schedules (chillers, towers, pumps, CRAH, CDUs)
- Piping plans, sections and details
- Division 23 specifications and addenda
- Vendor quotes and OFCI equipment list
- Liquid cooling responsibility matrix, if available
Mechanical Takeoff and Pricing Platforms
Our estimators work in the takeoff and estimating platforms below, or in the tools your bid team already uses.
Mechanical Estimating Support for US Data Center Bid Teams
Project-based estimates for a single bid, or dedicated offshore mechanical estimators for contractors with a steady data center pipeline.
Mechanical Contractors
Full Division 23 bid estimates, or overflow takeoff when your estimators are stretched across several data center bids.
General Contractors
Independent mechanical estimates to check subcontractor numbers, level bids and spot liquid cooling scope gaps.
Design-Build Teams
Budget and design-development estimates as the cooling design matures, with alternates for value engineering.
Shashin Gundal
Estimation Lead, Optimar PreconShashin leads Optimar Precon’s estimating team, which prepares mechanical and multi-trade packages for US contractor bids.
Your Mechanical Drawings Stay Protected
Data center cooling layouts reveal capacity and design details. Our information handling is certified to ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701.
Bidding a Data Center Cooling Package?
Send the mechanical drawings, equipment schedules and bid deadline, and we will confirm scope, fee and delivery date for your estimate.
Data Center Mechanical and Liquid Cooling Estimating FAQs
What does data center mechanical estimating include?
It covers the full cooling system: chillers, cooling towers, pumps, chilled and condenser water piping, CRAH and CRAC units, liquid cooling CDUs and secondary loops, support space HVAC, insulation, water treatment and controls. Vendor equipment is kept separate from material and labor, and testing and owner-furnished equipment are listed.
How do you estimate liquid cooling for AI data centers?
We first map the scope boundary between the facility water system, the CDUs, the technology cooling system and the owner’s IT equipment. Then we count CDUs, measure facility and secondary loop piping by size and material, and price manifolds, hoses, flushing, filtration and fluid fill as separate items.
What is the difference between the FWS and TCS in liquid cooling?
The facility water system (FWS) carries chilled or warm water from the central plant to each CDU. The technology cooling system (TCS) is the secondary loop from the CDU to the racks and cold plates. The CDU separates the two, and each loop is usually priced by different parties.
How does cooling redundancy affect the mechanical estimate?
N+1 adds spare chillers, pumps, tower cells or CRAH units. Looped or dual-path piping adds a second set of mains, branches and isolation valves. Concurrent maintainability and thermal storage add bypasses, tanks and controls. We price the redundancy shown on the drawings.
How do you handle owner-furnished chillers, CRAH units or CDUs?
Data center owners often buy major cooling equipment directly. We split owner-furnished, contractor-installed (OFCI) items from contractor-furnished (CFCI) items, price installation only for OFCI equipment, and list receiving, rigging and setting responsibilities in the scope log.
Do mechanical estimates include testing, flushing and commissioning?
Yes, where it is in your scope. We price hydrostatic testing, flushing, chemical treatment and fill for each loop, plus contractor support for commissioning from factory witness testing (L1) through integrated systems testing (L5).
How much does outsourced data center mechanical estimating cost?
Project-based estimating starts from $20 per hour. The total depends on the number of halls, phases, cooling architecture, drawing quality and revisions. You receive a fixed quotation after a scope review, and dedicated mechanical estimators are priced as an ongoing monthly resource.
What drawings do you need to start a mechanical estimate?
Send the mechanical plans, chilled water flow diagrams, equipment schedules, piping plans and details, Division 23 specifications, addenda, vendor quotes and the OFCI equipment list. For liquid cooling, include any responsibility matrix showing where contractor scope ends.
Get a Data Center Cooling Estimate You Can Bid With
Share your mechanical package and deadline, and we will scope the takeoff, pricing and delivery date with you.