Estimator/PE

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Senior Estimator / Project Engineer is a hybrid preconstruction and project-delivery professional who leads the development of complete, accurate, and competitive construction estimates while also performing the core document-control, coordination, procurement, cost-control, and technical-administration functions typically assigned to a Project Engineer. The position carries an opportunity from solicitation review through bid submission, award turnover, buyout, project execution support, change management, and closeout. The ideal candidate can build the project on paper before award and help the operations team maintain the same scope, cost, schedule, quality, and compliance discipline after award.

Primary Objectives

• Develop responsible design-build and design-bid-build estimates for federal, public, municipal, and private commercial construction opportunities.

• Ensure every estimate is traceable to the solicitation, drawings, specifications, addenda, wage determination, subcontractor quotations, and documented assumptions.

• Bridge preconstruction and operations by producing organized turnover packages, trade scopes, procurement plans, preliminary schedules, and risk registers.

• Support project teams with RFIs, submittals, document reviews, cost reporting, change analysis, subcontractor coordination, and closeout documentation.

• Protect DCR from scope gaps, pricing errors, unsupported assumptions, and inconsistent information across estimates, proposal forms, budgets, and contract documents.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

A. Estimating and Preconstruction

• Review solicitations, plans, specifications, amendments, reports, exhibits, wage determinations, proposal instructions, evaluation factors, and contract forms; prepare bid summaries, compliance checklists, and estimate work plans.

• Perform quantity takeoffs and develop detailed estimates by CSI division, trade, building, phase, CLIN, option, allowance, unit price, and self-performance category as required.

• Develop scopes of work and bid packages that clearly identify inclusions, exclusions, alternates, allowances, bonds, taxes, permits, design responsibilities, testing, commissioning, warranties, and closeout obligations.

• Solicit, level, and compare subcontractor and supplier quotations; identify scope gaps, overlaps, qualifications, exclusions, and commercial risks; negotiate final pricing and coverage.

• Build general conditions, staffing plans, preliminary schedules, escalation, contingency, overhead, profit, bonds, insurance, and other markups using documented assumptions and company-approved rates.

• Prepare and reconcile government pricing forms, bid schedules, SF forms, cost breakdowns, self-performance worksheets, limitation-on-subcontracting analyses, and internal budgets.

• Develop design-build budgets with allowances for design, surveys, investigations, permitting, utility coordination, design reviews, constructability, and progressive design development.

• Maintain a complete estimate file, including takeoffs, quotations, bid tabs, correspondence, RFIs, assumptions, notes, amendments, and final submitted pricing.

• Participate in pre-bid meetings, site visits, scope reviews, and proposal strategy sessions; document site conditions and pricing impacts.

• Prepare pricing narratives, clarifications, qualifications, value-engineering options, and proposal exhibits for management and customer review.

B. Project Engineering and Award Turnover

• Prepare a formal estimate-to-operations turnover package showing the awarded scope, estimate structure, assumptions, exclusions, subcontractor coverage, alternates, allowances, schedule basis, procurement risks, and bid correspondence.

• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of the prime contract, task order, drawings, specifications, codes, amendments, proposal commitments, and subcontract requirements.

• Create project logs and control registers for RFIs, submittals, procurement, material and equipment status, change events, requests for proposal, owner decisions, and closeout items.

• Review construction documents for constructability, coordination, scope completeness, and alignment with the estimate; promptly elevate discrepancies to the Project Manager and design team.

• Prepare trade scopes, purchase descriptions, bid comparisons, and procurement recommendations for subcontract and supplier buyout.

• Develop procurement schedules for subcontractors, long-lead equipment, materials, shop drawings, and design deliverables in coordination with the project schedule.

• Coordinate information among the owner, contracting officer, architect/engineer, consultants, field staff, subcontractors, suppliers, and internal departments.

• Prepare, route, track, and analyze RFIs, submittals, shop drawings, product data, samples, and design clarifications; verify conformance with contract requirements.

• Assist with project meetings, agendas, minutes, action logs, progress documentation, and communication of decisions to affected team members.

• Support document control and ensure current drawings, specifications, revisions, and approved submittals are available to the field.

C. Cost Control, Changes, and Project Support

• Assist the Project Manager in establishing and maintaining the project budget, cost codes, commitments, forecasts, and estimate-to-budget reconciliation.

• Prepare independent cost analyses for owner and subcontractor changes; verify quantities, labor, material, equipment, schedule impacts, markups, and entitlement before recommendation.

• Maintain change-event, potential-change-order, subcontract-change-order, and owner-change-order logs; support pricing negotiations and approval documentation.

• Monitor buyout savings, allowances, contingencies, pending exposure, and estimate variances; communicate material cost or scope risks promptly.

• Prepare cost reports, general-conditions tracking, labor and staffing analyses, and management reports as assigned.

• Assist with pay-application review, schedule-of-values development, subcontractor billing verification, and documentation required to support payment.

• Partner with field leadership on quality-control documentation, testing and inspection coordination, safety submittals, material tracking, and technical issue resolution.

• Support project closeout, including punch lists, warranties, guarantees, as-builts, O&M manuals, training records, final submittals, subcontractor closeout, and records retention.

• Complete post-bid and post-construction estimate-versus-actual analyses; document lessons learned, production rates, market pricing, savings, and deficiencies for future bids.

Systems, Records, and Data Management

• Use estimating, takeoff, scheduling, project-management, PDF-markup, and Microsoft 365 tools to create and maintain estimates, bid tabs, RFIs, submittals, schedules, cost reports, and project records.

• Maintain organized electronic project folders and naming conventions so final submissions, signed forms, quotations, estimate backups, and awarded budgets can be traced and retrieved.

• Ensure approved pricing and scope data is carried consistently across estimate workbooks, government forms, proposal narratives, bid logs, category reports, and turnover budgets.

• Maintain estimating databases, historical costs, production rates, subcontractor information, bid results, lessons learned, and market intelligence.

• Protect confidential pricing, procurement-sensitive information, contract data, and company records in accordance with DCR policies and customer requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Five or more years of progressively responsible commercial, federal, municipal, or institutional construction experience in estimating, project engineering, project management, or a combination of these functions.

• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret drawings, specifications, contract clauses, scopes of work, schedules, geotechnical and design reports, and proposal instructions.

• Working knowledge of construction means and methods, building systems, site/civil work, subcontract procurement, cost control, scheduling, change management, and closeout.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and Project, plus experience with estimating/takeoff, PDF-markup, and project-management software. Familiarity with Procore, ProContractor, Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, BuildingConnected, Autodesk Construction Cloud, or comparable platforms is preferred.

• Strong mathematical capability, including quantities, units, productivity, percentages, ratios, escalation, markups, and reconciliation of multi-level cost build-ups.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, attention to detail, organization, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines without sacrificing accuracy.

• Ability to travel to site visits, project meetings, and active construction sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related discipline; equivalent construction experience may be considered.

• Experience preparing federal construction proposals, government bid forms, CLIN pricing, design-build estimates, Davis-Bacon wage pricing, bonding, and small-business subcontracting/self -performance documentation.

• Experience supporting post-award project engineering, including RFIs, submittals, procurement, change orders, cost reporting, scheduling, and closeout.

• OSHA 30, First Aid/CPR, Quality Control Management, or other relevant construction certifications.

Performance Expectations

• Estimates are complete, reconciled, traceable, and submitted on time with documented assumptions and no unexplained pricing differences.

• Bid information transitions cleanly to operations without loss of scope, commitments, subcontractor coverage, or estimate logic.

• RFIs, submittals, procurement items, change events, meeting actions, and closeout requirements are accurate, current, and communicated before they affect cost or schedule.

• Risks and discrepancies are identified early, quantified when possible, and escalated with practical recommendations.

• Company templates, file structures, cost codes, and reporting procedures are used consistently.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The position includes office-based estimating and project administration as well as periodic work at active construction sites. Duties may require prolonged computer use, walking uneven terrain, climbing stairs or ladders, wearing required personal protective equipment, and occasionally lifting or moving items up to 25 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions. Site conditions may include weather exposure, construction noise, dust, moving equipment, and other typical construction hazards.

Equal Opportunity and Other Duties

DCR Services & Construction, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications. This description summarizes the primary responsibilities of the position and does not restrict management from assigning other duties consistent with the role.