Senior Estimator - Astra Group, LLC

Summary

The Senior Estimator will lead the estimating team to calculate the cost of a broad range of projects. The goal is to provide accurate information that will help in operations and strategic planning, performing quantity takeoffs, producing proposals, reviewing bid instructions, blueprints, specifications, and related bid documents. The position will manage estimating staff, subcontractors, vendors, and project owners and must have experience in bridges, trail projects, excavation, underground utilities, heavy highway including GDOT and federal contracting. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Creates and maintains bid schedule with Owner and/or Program Manager
• Prepares cost estimates and budgets for projects being bid
• Prepares quantity takeoffs from bid documents
• Both hard bid and design/build conceptual estimating is required
• Prepare and identify cost factors such as construction duration, labor, equipment, and materials
• Ability to analyze project construction staging and workflows and their constructability and/or identify means and methods to improve the schedule
• Understanding of contract administration
• Extensive experience bidding projects ranging in size from $5 million to $100 million
• Provide and coordinate full estimating duties on heavy-civil , GDOT heavy-highway and other construction projects
• Review of specifications and plans
• Attends regular bid meetings, mandatory preconstruction events and other site visits
• Verifies accuracy of quantity take-offs
• Bid and pre-construction scoping
• Solicit and coordinate subcontractor and supplier quotes
• Prepare preliminary pre-bid schedules
• Issue subcontractor award notices or letters of intent
• Works with Contracts and Estimating Departments administrators to prepare statements of qualifications
• Coordinate successful bid hand-offs to Project Management Group and job supervisory team
• Directs and participates in obtaining quotes for materials and subcontractor participation, including generating the required minority and disadvantaged business plan necessary to meet the project requirements
• Reviews, understands and incorporates project historical data to assist in determining appropriate equipment and labor requirements and production costs
• Develops the Risk/Contingency factors and assists with the evaluation of potential costs and contingencies for bidding purposes
• Assists in the development of a compliant MBE/DBE plan for subcontractors and suppliers that meets the requirements owner and the project specifications
• Assists in reviewing the bid and technical proposal details with company senior management prior to bid submission
• Participates in review of required bid documentation, close-out process and submission of bid to project owner
• Works with the company centralized cost estimating software (HCSS Heavy Bid), to assist with improvements and refinements needed in that process
• Analyzes completed projects to compare estimated costs to actual costs and determine the reason for any discrepancies
• Identifies cost trends to assist management in cost reduction and process improvement efforts
• Create cost estimates arranged and follow the project specific pricing format
• Build out the estimate summary
• Reach out to subcontractor and supply community directly
• Visit project sites, prepare RFI's, and partake in pre-proposal meetings
• Partner with team members and other stakeholders to generate strategy for the project.
• Create and manage a preliminary bid schedule
• Develop estimates for the trades that are self-performed
• Work alongside stakeholders, suppliers, and subcontractors through the bid process
• Identify risk as part of the proposal preparation process
• Prepare written statement of qualifications and/or proposals that respond directly to project owners’ requests for qualifications and requests for proposals
• Partner with team members to close the estimate
• Review pricing history for estimates based on regional and historical costs.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for estimates and prepares project information for presentation to management for selection to pursue
• Lead and participate in estimate strategy planning
• Provides verification of take-offs by support staff
• HCSS estimate entry from creation thru close-out
• Prepare cost analysis by recapitulating material, labor, equipment, subcontractor, and overhead costs occurred in heavy civil industry projects
• Reviews estimates and construction documents for efficiency and understands scope of work to bid.
• Attends client pre-bid meetings, job showings, and job site visits
• Maintains detailed notes and records of all verbal information disseminated by the client during pre-bid meetings and job showings
• Must have the ability to explain details behind each estimate, including the basis of the man-hours allocated for each task, personnel resources needed to execute each task, etc.
• Maintains cost estimating tools including databases, spreadsheets, and other computer-based applications to keep updated information on past performance and industry standards
• Determines and evaluate alternative project execution approaches based on the scope of work and the most cost-effective execution methods available
• Maintains lines of communication between company departments, project managers, and client with regards to cost estimating activities
• Flexibility to effectively deal with changing priorities and timelines through analytical problem-solving
• Responsible for subcontractor acquisition, scope verifications, and negotiation.
• Conduct business with 100% integrity and professionalism.
• Prepare project overviews and pre-bid information as well as perform specification and special provision reviews
• Collaborate with our operational staff to validate any construction productions as well as the means, methods, and equipment ideas utilized in item pricing
• Preparing full heavy civil construction estimates thoroughly in a timely manner including takeoff, solicitation with proper backup and supplementary information by using HCSS estimating software for heavy highway civil and bridge projects
• Capable of preparing thorough estimates and doing a bid closeout
• Manage bid process and conduct bid review
• Read and review all bid RFQ and RFP documentation to have a thorough understanding of the project
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Construction Management, or related field is preferred; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience preferred
• 10+ years of relatable estimating experience with knowledge of Heavy Bid, Heavy Job, AGTEK, Microsoft Project, P6 (Primavera), Bluebeam, Vista, and Procore
• Specific knowledge and experience in estimating utility, structural concrete, and deep foundation work is a plus
• Working knowledge of the Microsoft 360 platform preferred
• Leadership attributes including, but and not limited to organizational and critical thinking skills, the ability to analyze data and trends, professional conduct at all times
• High-stress tolerance; must be able to thrive in a high-pressure environment
• A highly motivated self-starting, autonomous individual who can work independently and set their own priorities, yet also function well as part of the overall team.
• 10+ years of experience as an estimator in hard bid and unit priced work in a DOT or Federal contract setting
• Ability to prioritize estimating tasks and workflow to meet estimate review schedules and bid dates
• Ability to read, interpret, and understand project plans, specifications, and scope of work
• Experience with scheduling and scheduling software
• Displays tactful, mature, and professional demeanor with well-developed interpersonal skills including the ability to work with diverse teams
• Fluent in reading plans/drawings/standards and documents in order to prepare estimates
• Must be able to adapt easily to changing deadlines

Performance Standards 

• Safety Culture: Foster a safety culture by modeling and reinforcing expected jobsite behaviors
• Team Orientation: Communicate in an open, honest, and respectful manner 
• High Integrity: Acts with unyielding integrity and honesty in business transactions, promoting company policies and holding self and other employees accountable, keeping promises and commitments
• Ownership Mentality: Assumes responsibility and makes decisions within own level of authority; seeks approval when appropriate
• Good Judgment: Knows when to stand tough and when to be flexible. Sees the big picture and the ramifications of actions
• Versatility: Is open to change. Adjusts positively to changing work priorities and business conditions

Physical Requirements

• Sit, stand and walk continuously throughout the scheduled workday
• Stand, reach, drive and use fine motor skills frequently throughout the day
• Occasionally bend, kneel, squat and climb throughout the workday
• Lift up to 50lbs. on occasion
• Must work in a manner that will not jeopardize the health and safety of him/herself or others
• Ability to travel as needed
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Language Skills

• Must be able to read and comprehend English

The above statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the principal functions of the occupation described and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the occupation.