How to write an electrical job brief
An electrical job brief captures everything you need from a pricing visit in a structured format. Here's what it should contain, why it matters, and how to produce one without spending an evening on admin.
slug: how-to-write-an-electrical-job-brief title: How to write an electrical job brief description: An electrical job brief captures everything you need from a pricing visit in a structured format. Here's what it should contain, why it matters, and how to produce one without spending an evening on admin. date: 2026-05-06 tags:
- Admin readingTime: 5 min read author: CircuitCapture
A job brief is the internal document you create after a pricing visit — a structured record of what you saw, what the customer wants, and what the job involves. It's the foundation of your estimate and, once the job is done, part of your scheme record.
Most sole traders don't use a formal job brief. They keep notes in their head, on their phone, or on a scrap of paper in the van. That works for simple jobs — until the customer queries the scope three months later, or you're trying to recall the details for your annual assessment, or you're pricing a similar job and can't remember what you included last time.
What an electrical job brief should contain
Property details — the full address of the property. Obvious, but often missing from informal notes. You need this for your records regardless.
Customer details — name, contact number, and any relevant notes about the customer's requirements or preferences.
Property description — type of property (semi-detached, terrace, flat, new build), approximate age, and any relevant structural details. A 1970s semi with the original wiring is a different job to a 2010 new build even if the scope looks similar on paper.
Existing installation — the current state of the consumer unit, wiring, earthing, and any visible defects noted during the visit. This is particularly important for consumer unit replacements and rewires — documenting the condition of the installation before you start protects you if questions arise after the job.
Scope of works — what work is to be carried out. Specific enough to write an accurate estimate from. For a consumer unit replacement this means the board specification, number of circuits, SPD requirement, and testing scope. For a first fix it means the circuit schedule and cable routes.
Materials notes — any specific materials requirements noted on site. Brand preferences, board specifications, cable runs with access issues.
Pricing notes — your working thoughts on price from the visit. Not the formal estimate, but the figures you had in mind as you walked around the property.
Your scheme number — NICEIC, NAPIT, or SELECT. Including it on the job brief means it's automatically present in your records from the start.
Why the job brief matters for scheme records
NICEIC, NAPIT, and SELECT all require you to retain records of work carried out for six years. The job brief — particularly the scope of works section — functions as the job specification that assessors want to see alongside your certification documents.
A job brief created at the pricing visit stage, stored digitally, and referenced alongside the EIC or Minor Works Certificate after completion is a complete job record with no additional effort. See The 6-year electrical record keeping rule explained for the full picture on retention requirements.
The problem with writing job briefs manually
The practical barrier is time. A pricing visit takes 20 to 30 minutes. Writing up a structured job brief from memory afterwards — especially in the evening after two or three visits — takes another 20 to 30 minutes and produces a document of variable quality depending on how tired you are and how much you can still remember.
The alternative is to capture the information during or immediately after the visit, in a format that can be turned into a structured document without a transcription step.
Voice notes as a job brief tool
Recording a voice note immediately after a pricing visit — walking through the property details, scope, and pricing thoughts while they're fresh — captures everything a job brief needs without requiring you to sit at a keyboard. The challenge has historically been turning that voice note into an actual document.
CircuitCapture is built specifically for this. Send a WhatsApp voice note after your pricing visit — describe what you saw, the scope, the address — and get a structured job brief back in under a minute, with your scheme number on every document. The transcription step is eliminated.
Summary
An electrical job brief should capture the property details, customer requirements, condition of the existing installation, scope of works, and your scheme registration number. It serves as the foundation for your estimate and as the job specification in your scheme records. The most practical way to produce one consistently is to capture the information immediately after the pricing visit — before the details fade.
For guidance on turning your job brief into a client-ready estimate, see What to include in an electrical estimate.