Estimator - Heavy Civil & Concrete Paving

Job Description

Job Description

Estimator – Heavy Civil & Concrete Paving

Company: Reede Construction, Inc.

Location : Aberdeen, SD — Home base/relocation required

Employment Type : Full-Time

Compensation: $85,000–$120,000+ per year, depending on experience, base salary + performance-based bonus incentive

Project Scope: Highway, DOT, FAA, municipal, federal, concrete paving, and heavy civil infrastructure projects

The Opportunity

Reede Construction, Inc. is seeking an experienced Estimator – Heavy Civil & Concrete Paving to help identify, evaluate, price, and win profitable construction opportunities throughout the Upper Midwest. This is more than a quantity takeoff position. Reede Construction is looking for an estimator who understands how heavy civil work is actually built in the field and can translate plans, specifications, production assumptions, labor, equipment, materials, subcontractor pricing, schedule, and risk into accurate and competitive estimates.

The Estimator will work closely with Construction Management, field leadership, vendors, subcontractors, and company leadership to determine which opportunities Reede Construction should pursue and how those projects can be successfully executed. The ideal candidate brings hands-on knowledge of heavy civil, highway, transportation, concrete paving, airport, DOT, or comparable infrastructure construction and combines strong analytical ability with practical construction judgment.

This position is based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, supporting projects throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wyoming, and surrounding Upper Midwest markets.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Estimating & Bid Development
• Review plans, specifications, addenda, contracts, schedules, and proposal requirements to develop a complete understanding of project scope.
• Prepare detailed estimates for heavy civil, highway, airport, municipal, and concrete paving projects.
• Develop accurate quantity takeoffs for concrete paving, pavement removal, aggregate base and subbase, excavation, grading, geotextile, drainage, reinforcing steel, dowel and tie bars, curb and gutter, concrete structures, traffic control, mobilization, restoration, temporary work, and subcontracted scopes.
• Build complete estimates incorporating labor, equipment, materials, trucking, subcontractors, mobilization, indirect costs, general conditions, risk, contingency, overhead, and profit.
• Maintain organized estimating documentation and ensure bids are accurate, complete, and submitted on time.
• Production-Based Estimating
• Develop estimates around realistic field production rather than cost assumptions alone.
• Establish production assumptions for crew sizes, equipment utilization, truck cycles, working days, shift lengths, mobilizations, construction sequencing, and unit production.
• Evaluate production rates including cubic yards, square yards, linear feet, and tons per hour.
• Use historical project performance whenever reliable data is available to improve estimating accuracy.
• Challenge labor, equipment, schedule, or production assumptions that do not align with practical field execution.
• Continuously strengthen the connection between estimated production, actual production, and future estimates.
• Opportunity Evaluation & Risk Management
• Evaluate potential projects based on geography, schedule, workforce requirements, equipment needs, competition, risk, and strategic fit.
• Participate in bid/no-bid discussions and help identify opportunities where Reede Construction's concrete paving and heavy civil capabilities provide a competitive advantage.
• Identify and quantify risks related to weather, schedule, material escalation, fuel volatility, labor availability, trucking, liquidated damages, phasing, traffic restrictions, airport operations, specifications, site access, owner requirements, and subcontractor exposure.
• Clearly communicate significant risks, assumptions, and opportunities during bid reviews.
• Labor, Equipment, Materials & Subcontractors
• Develop labor and equipment requirements for major construction operations.
• Analyze crew composition, wage rates, payroll burdens, overtime, subsistence/per diem, equipment ownership and operating costs, fuel consumption, mobilization, trucking, and specialized paving equipment.
• Solicit competitive quotations from suppliers and subcontractors.
• Review quotes for scope completeness, exclusions, qualifications, and pricing differences.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key vendors and subcontractors.
• Track historical material pricing and understand regional material availability, transportation costs, and procurement risks.
• Preconstruction & Operations Partnership
• Work directly with Construction Managers and field leadership to establish means and methods, crew configurations, equipment requirements, paving sequences, site logistics, production expectations, schedules, mobilization strategies, and material delivery plans.
• Participate in formal estimate-to-operations handoffs for awarded projects.
• Clearly communicate estimated quantities, production assumptions, labor and equipment assumptions, material pricing, subcontractor commitments, schedules, risks, opportunities, and bid strategy.
• Ensure Construction Management understands how the estimate was built and where project profitability is expected to be generated.
• Participate in estimate-versus-actual reviews to identify lessons that can improve future bids.
• Data, Technology & Continuous Improvement
• Reede Construction is investing in stronger systems, modern construction technology, and data-driven decision-making. The Estimator will help:
• Maintain historical cost and production-rate databases.
• Analyze historical project performance.
• Develop cost-per-unit and production benchmarks.
• Improve estimating consistency using actual project results.
• Utilize estimating software, dashboards, and reporting tools effectively.
• Help connect estimating information with accounting and construction management systems.
• Use AI and emerging technology where appropriate to improve document review, scope identification, historical analysis, bid comparisons, risk identification, and estimating productivity.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this position is not measured simply by how much work is awarded.

The Estimator will be expected to improve:

• Bid accuracy.
• Estimate-to-actual cost variance.
• Estimated-to-actual production variance.
• Gross margin at award versus final gross margin.
• Bid hit rate.
• Quality of awarded backlog.
• Quantity accuracy.
• Vendor and subcontractor coverage.
• Estimate completeness.
• Bid preparation efficiency.
• Construction Management handoff quality.
• Historical data capture.
• Integration of lessons learned into future estimates.

The ultimate question is:

Did we estimate the right work, at the right price, with the right assumptions—and did Reede Construction produce the expected financial outcome?

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant experience in heavy civil, highway, transportation, concrete paving, airport, DOT, municipal, or comparable infrastructure construction.
• Demonstrated experience with construction estimating, quantity takeoffs, bidding, or preconstruction.
• Ability to read and interpret construction plans, specifications, contracts, and bid documents.
• Strong understanding of construction means and methods.
• Working knowledge of labor, equipment, materials, trucking, production rates, and subcontracted construction.
• Strong mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to evaluate construction production assumptions and understand their impact on project cost and profitability.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple bids and deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Construction Management, field personnel, vendors, subcontractors, and company leadership.
• Strong computer and construction technology skills.
• Willingness to relocate to or maintain a permanent home base in the Aberdeen, SD area.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent heavy construction experience.
• Experience estimating heavy highway, concrete paving, airport, DOT, municipal, federal, or transportation infrastructure projects.
• Experience with production-based estimating and historical cost analysis.
• Experience with concrete paving operations and specialized paving equipment.
• Experience estimating excavation, grading, aggregate, drainage, concrete structures, traffic control, and related heavy civil scopes.
• Experience developing labor, equipment, trucking, material, and subcontractor pricing.
• Experience participating in bid reviews, bid/no-bid decisions, and estimate-to-operations handoffs.
• Experience comparing estimated versus actual project performance.
• Experience with HCSS HeavyBid and/or HeavyJob.
• Experience with Bluebeam.
• Experience with construction dashboards, analytics, reporting systems, or comparable technology.
• Interest in using data, automation, and artificial intelligence to improve estimating accuracy and efficiency.

Work Environment

• This is an Aberdeen-based position that works closely with Reede Construction's Construction Management and field operations teams.
• While estimating work is primarily office-based, the successful candidate should be comfortable visiting active construction sites, participating in pre-bid site reviews, and working directly with field personnel to understand actual construction conditions, means and methods, equipment needs, and production performance.
• The Estimator should view the field as an important source of information—not as something separate from the estimating process.

Compensation & Benefits

Reede Construction offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Competitive annual salary based on experience and qualifications.
• 401(k) retirement savings program with employer matching.
• Medical, dental, life, and disability insurance options.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
• Paid training and safety certifications.
• Professional development and mentorship opportunities.
• Referral bonus program.
• Company-sponsored events.
• Company-provided uniforms.

Why Reede Construction

Reede Construction, Inc. is a family-owned heavy civil contractor with more than 30 years of experience delivering transportation and infrastructure projects. The company is entering its next stage of growth and is actively investing in stronger leadership, modern construction technology, improved operating systems, better data, and increased management depth.

For the right Estimator, this is an opportunity to have a direct impact on both the work Reede Construction pursues and how successfully that work is executed. You will have the opportunity to work closely with Construction Management and field leadership, improve the connection between estimating and operations, strengthen the company's historical estimating intelligence, and help Reede Construction pursue profitable work throughout the Upper Midwest.

About Reede Construction, Inc.

Reede Construction, Inc. specializes in heavy civil, highway, concrete paving, airport, municipal, government, and federal infrastructure construction. Our multi-generational team is committed to superior craftsmanship, safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Reede Construction, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on job-related qualifications and business needs without regard to any status protected by applicable law.