IF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER ELECTS THE OPTION TO CHARGE AND THE COST TO PROVIDE INFORMATION WILL EXCEED $40, A COST ESTIMATE MUST BE SENT TO THE REQUESTOR:

•  An itemized cost estimate is not required if the cost will not exceed $40.  Proceed with gathering the responsive information as usual.
•  If the estimated cost is over $40, but under $100; do a sample of the work to determine the cost estimate, and proceed with gathering responsive information as usual. 
•  If the estimated cost is over $100, do a sample of the work to determine the cost estimate, and no further action is necessary until the requestor responds to the cost estimate. 

 TO DETERMINE THE COST ESTIMATE:

Do a sample of the work (unit).  The unit may be a certain number of pages, a file, a file drawer, etc.   Multiply the sample unit, by the total number of units.  This is a good faith estimate.  It may need to be revised later in the process, if necessary.