Senior Estimator in London

Senior Estimator responsible for preparation of pricing for tenders/bids and other opportunities identified by the business, from receipt of documents through to presentation at tender review and final completion of submission documents. Has a deep knowledge of skill and adequate practical experience to consistently perform the required task(s) in a range of complex and non-routine contexts; supervision is only required in more complex circumstances.

Responsibilities

• Working closely with a bid team and be responsible for the preparation of the analytical estimate.
• Preparation of preliminaries (On-cost) pricing (In conjunction with Tender Planner).
• Presentation of the estimate at bid team meetings and final settlement of bid.
• Working to strict deadlines.
• Experience of pricing work under various forms of contract including Traditional NEC, Target Cost, Design & Build, Specification & Drawing or ECI bids.
• Preparation of quantities from drawings and specifications.
• Prepare abstract of material and sub-contract requirements for sourcing and pricing.
• Technical and commercial appraisal of material and subcontractor quotations.
• Preparation of analytical estimates including the detailed appraisal of construction plant and temporary works.
• In conjunction with the bid team, participate in the generation of value-engineered solutions throughout the bid stage design process and report on the cost effects of such solutions.
• Contribute to the submission document preparation.
• Contribute to the identification of risk and pricing of risks throughout the bid.
• Attend site visits during tender period.
• Use of estimating software as a basis of preparing the estimate.
• Evaluate construction methods and formulate alternative proposals where necessary in conjunction with the bid team and tender planner.
• Associated forecasts of capital expenditure and income.
• Preparation of cash flow forecasts.
• Allocate and supervise work of subordinates within the Estimating Team to meet review and final submission deadlines.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Essential

• Produces an accurate key estimating requirements schedule and programme.
• Reviews a set of tender documents and produces an estimating strategy for all the key estimating deliverables.
• Creates a checklist of key requirements for later use in establishing compliance.
• Fully understands the scope of the project and customer’s requirements.
• Contributes to a Supply Chain Gate 3 and Procurement Strategy and identifies key work packages and documents for inclusion in the supply chain enquiries.
• Maintains accurate and clear estimating notes, clarifications and assumptions.
• Understands and applies relevant professional standards to estimating any given project.
• Produces a Cash flow profile for a project and establishes the financial, contractual and time implications that drive the cashflow.
• Procures quantities for the project estimate either personally or via an external supplier.
• Establishes and agrees the required work breakdown structure for collating the estimate.
• Obtains and analyses fee proposals from suppliers to ensure we have a competitive price for undertaking this role if executed externally.
• Establishes methods for quantities checking and risk mitigation.
• Undertakes the pricing of temporary works in conjunction with the planner, temporary works engineer and technical lead.
• Prepares a marked-up schedule of temporary works packages and associated documentation for release to the supply chain and ensures that the works have been divided into practical works packages suitable for procurement.
• Identifies requirements, obtains fee proposals and makes provision within the bid for necessary design fees, statutory charges, and surveys to deliver the project.
• Prepares for and undertakes a site visit and produces a comprehensive site visit report that establishes a record of all relevant site constraints and conditions that may have an impact upon the pricing of the works.
• Updates the project risk register with any relevant risks identified during the site visit.
• Achieves the relevant safety training to access a live site to undertake site inspections and visits during the estimating stage for the project.
• Arranges for all External and Internal Supplier market testing to be undertaken during the estimating stage.
• Establishes a market testing programme and monitors progress of enquiries and chases up suppliers as necessary.
• Ensures amendments are issued to the suppliers during the bid period and any returned quotes are stored securely for future reference.
• Produces an entire Cost Estimate for the project, including the production of the pricing build-ups against each work item or service being priced and the analysis of any subcontract/third party returns when applicable into the estimating software.
• Selects and applies appropriate tools and techniques.
• Undertakes the pricing of consultancy rates for providing a specified level of service.
• Prepares a detailed analysis of all returned supplier quotations and ensures the work scope has been properly priced and included.
• Applies relevant methods of inflation risk pricing for a project.
• Understands the use and application of published price adjustment indices from multiple sources.
• Provides all necessary checks and balances to reduce the risk of pricing errors in quantity and scope of the works.
• Ensures that no unpriced items remain un-reviewed and that the full scope of the work has been covered.
• Undertakes the pricing of the preliminaries workbook.
• Agrees the requirements for Staffing, Attendant Labour, Accommodation, Key Plant and equipment, Health and Safety requirements, IT setup, Insurances & Bonding requirements, Temporary Works, Fees and all other necessary on-costs for the project.
• Completes the Tender or Proposal summary in respect of any risk, inflationary allowances, opportunities pricing, fees, Profit, Overheads and any other necessary on-cost inclusions to conclude the tender total for the settlement meetings.
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of governance, risk and control appropriate to the organisation and the project.
• Understands the principles and practice of risk management and the relevance and use of theories, processes and tools.
• Develops and implements methods of recording risks and opportunities for the project estimate and contributes to developing the strategies for mitigation.
• Prepares for and contributes to Risk and Opportunity Workshops from the estimating perspective.
• Identifies, analyses and evaluates the nature and impact of risks and opportunities on a project.
• Develops and implements communication structures and plans within the estimating team.
• Communicates the estimating requirements for the project at all kick-off and interim bid team meetings.
• Prepares for and presents clearly all aspects of the estimate at the sector, divisional and group settlement meetings in order to obtain the necessary delegated authority for bid submission.
• Communicates well both written and verbally at all workshops and meetings from the estimating perspective.
• Demonstrates persuasion and collaboration in all bid team meetings.
• Demonstrates good practice in respect of the storage and retrieval of historical estimating information and benchmarking information.
• Analyses historical data for use in benchmarking a current estimate proposal.
• Demonstrates good practice in respect of document control and the storage and retrieval of general estimating records.
• Understands the importance of good document control during the bid process and applies techniques to preserve data for the project.

Desirable

• Extensive experience working in a Senior Estimating role.
• Experienced in pricing medium to large value civil engineering works in the highways, rail, nuclear and water sectors would be an advantage.
• Customer Focused, Open and Honest, Safe and Environmentally aware, Team Players, Accountable, Improving Continuously and so the Natural Choice.
• Must be commercially aware and a lateral thinker with a knowledge of various Forms of Contract.
• Good communication skills with other members of the team and with external contacts.
• Must be a good team player and always adopt a positive “can-do” approach.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level qualified or equivalent in a Civil Engineering or Building related discipline.

Desirable

• Preferably Chartered.