Lead Project Cost Estimator

Job Description

Job Description

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discounts
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Training & development
• Vision insurance

Position Description:

• Leads and supervises a team of Estimators, including designating daily assignments
• Plans and participates in the preparation of construction cost estimates of buildings or other structures from drawings, outlines, and specifications
• Prepares and reviews cost estimates and forms and other materials submitted to secure State and/or federal grants and loans from school aid programs and represents the district on matters pertinent to securing such funds
• Checks construction cost estimates submitted by commissioned architects and engineers for accuracy and completeness and compares them with District estimates
• Confers with commissioned architects and engineers to resolve differences in their cost estimates and District estimates for each project and negotiates agreements on preliminary estimates of construction costs
• Conducts studies and prepare reports when contractors' bids vary widely from the agreed construction cost estimate
• Checks segregations of contract costs as estimated by building contractors and recommends acceptance or rejection as a basis for progress payments
• Analyzes change orders on construction work under contract and approves or rejects extras or credits submitted
• Prepares or reviews cost estimates for projects
• Establishes and maintains procedures for approval of plans and specifications for building projects and submission of approved projects to public bidding
• Develop methods for maintaining data used in records, charts, and graphs reflecting estimated construction costs compared with actual costs
• Conducts and participates in seminars and workshops with staff and minority contractors relative to school construction bidding procedures, contracts, and cost estimating
• Estimates costs of damages to District property caused by fire, natural disaster, and major acts of vandalism
• Establishes budgets for school building projects
• Assists other branches with related functions
• Prepares preliminary and final independent cost estimates of projects for comparison with designer or contractor for PM/CM to establish negotiating position
• Prepares change order estimates for Owner Authorized Representatives to establish negotiating position
• Provides support in price negotiations
• Prepares claim analysis and estimates
• Review of contractor’s claims and proposals for merit and accountability
• Performs related duties as assigned 

Minimum Required Qualifications:
Required Experience:

• Fourteen (14) years full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes.
• Three (3) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators.
• Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years
• Graduated from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering or construction management 

Alternative Required Experience:

• Twenty (20) or more years solid full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes.
• Five (5) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators.
• Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years
• Degree not required.

Knowledge/Skills Required:  

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Extensive knowledge and experience in developing conceptual and pre-construction cost estimates for complex school building projects
• Ability to prepare cost estimates quickly in a fast- paced working environment
• Knowledge of current local construction labor and material costs
• Extensive experience in developing and estimating the scope of work for change orders
• Ability to compare the independent cost estimate with contractor proposal to quickly identify differences
• Ability to develop scope of work based on RFI/RFC answers and estimates the detailed costs of those scopes of work independent of the contractor proposal

Required Education: 

• Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering or Construction Management
• Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis, provided that graduation from high school or evidence of equivalent educational proficiency is met.