Construction Estimator

Construction Estimator

The Construction Estimator is the primary owner of cost development and bid strategy s role carries full accountability for quantity takeoffs, conceptual and detailed cost estimating, subcontractor bid solicitation and leveling, scope of work development, and buyout support from early design through contract award. The ideal candidate is a disciplined, detail-driven professional who builds accurate, defensible estimates and protects margin before the first dollar is ever spent in the field.

RCCS builds townhomes, condos, multifamily, and select commercial projects across the Southeast. The Estimator operates within a structured preconstruction platform using Procore, Bluebeam, and industry standard takeoff and cost database tools, and is expected to enforce documentation and process discipline across every bid. This position reports to the VP of Preconstruction and collaborates daily with the Director of Product Development, Operations, Project Managers, and outside design and ownership teams.

This position owns the full estimating lifecycle - from conceptual budgeting through detailed bid-day estimates, subcontractor solicitation, scope development, and buyout handoff to the construction team. The Estimator is accountable for accuracy, completeness, and defensibility of every number that leaves preconstruction.

• Develop conceptual and schematic-level budget estimates using historical cost data, unit pricing, and square-footage benchmarks to support early feasibility and go/no-go decisions.

• Maintain and continuously update RCCS's historical cost database across multifamily, townhome, and BTR product types; ensure unit pricing reflects current market conditions and recent project actuals.

• Identify and communicate scope, design, or budget gaps to the VP of Preconstruction and the Director of Product Development early enough to influence design decisions before they become costly to change.

• Perform detailed quantity takeoffs from DD and CD-level drawings across all CSI divisions; produce accurate, well-organized estimates that withstand internal and client scrutiny.

• Build and maintain detailed estimate templates by CSI division; ensure consistency, traceability, and accuracy across every estimate produced regardless of project type or size.

• Reconcile estimates against design progression at each milestone; document and communicate cost variance, scope creep, or material escalation risk before it threatens project budgets.

• Assemble and distribute complete, well-organized bid packages to qualified subcontractors; ensure plans, specifications, and scope clarifications are accurate and current at time of issue.

• Level subcontractor bids by trade to confirm full scope coverage and apples-to-apples comparison; identify and close scope gaps, exclusions, and qualifications before bids are presented for award.

• Maintain and expand a qualified subcontractor and vendor database by trade and region; track bid performance, responsiveness, and reliability to inform future solicitation decisions.

• Develop detailed, trade-specific scopes of work for every bid package; eliminate ambiguity that leads to scope disputes, change orders, or coverage gaps once a project moves to construction.

• Lead the buyout process by seeking and achieving targeted buy out percentages on projects, transferring complete, accurate estimate and bid data to the Project Manager and Contract Administration; ensure scope, pricing, and qualifications carry forward without loss or ambiguity.

• Participate in the estimating to construction handoff meeting for every awarded project; ensure the receiving PM has full context on assumptions, exclusions, and qualifications carried in the estimate.

• Identify and present value engineering options when budgets are at risk; quantify cost impact, schedule impact, and quality tradeoffs clearly enough for leadership and ownership to make informed…