Estimator, Construction, Civil Engineering

Caliagua, Inc., an Azuria Water Solutions company, is a regional General Contractor serving water districts, municipalities, public agencies, and private industry throughout Southern California. Since 1978, Caliagua has been recognized for consistently building high-quality water infrastructure projects that deliver potable and irrigable water to one of the largest and most diverse populations in the nation. Our portfolio includes water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment plants, pumping stations, sewage lift stations, aqueducts, PFAS treatment facilities, and related heavy civil work.

We are currently seeking an Estimator who will be responsible for preparing complete, accurate, and competitive estimates for public works and private water infrastructure projects, from conceptual budgets through hard-bid submissions. Working closely with senior estimators, project managers, and field operations, the Estimator develops quantity takeoffs, builds cost estimates from assemblies and production rates, solicits and analyzes subcontractor and vendor pricing, and supports bid strategy through constructability and means-and-methods input.

Responsibilities:

Typical responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Prepare and/or coordinate full project estimates, providing complete conceptual and final estimating input for hard-bid and design-build pursuits.

Review proposal specifications, drawings, and contracts, and attend pre-bid meetings and site walks to determine scope of work and required contents of the estimate.

Perform accurate and complete quantity takeoffs in Bluebeam Revu and develop detailed material takeoffs for procurement of bulk materials.

Build estimates in Win Estimator using company assemblies, crew compositions, and production rates; develop wage rate build-ups and apply company cost structure (overhead, G&A, insurance, bonds, etc.).Prepare scope and bid package breakdowns for subcontractor and vendor quotes; prepare subcontract bid analyses for scope, cost, and price.

Communicate with owners, subcontractors, and public and private entities to ensure competitiveness; monitor client addenda and advise the estimating team of changes during the bid period, pricing addenda as necessary.

Analyze alternative solutions and construction methods to increase bid competitiveness; participate in and/or lead means-and-methods discussions, driving creative thinking and innovative ideas that increase our bid win rate.

Understand construction means, methods, and sequencing; provide constructability insights, risk identification, and contingency planning.

Use existing cost history as a check against completed estimates and participate in post-bid reviews and feedback loops.

Participate in and/or lead design-build preconstruction services to ensure high-quality, competitive estimates and schedules.

Communicate estimate and bid information to field operations at pre-construction meetings to ensure understanding of project scope and critical means and methods.

Conduct work requiring independent evaluation, selection, adaptation, and modification of standard estimating techniques, procedures, and criteria, and recognize how project actions and assumptions impact the estimate.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Civil or Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management, or Business Administration (or equivalent combination of education and field experience).2+ years of relevant construction experience, including at least 1 year of purchasing management or procurement experience, with hands-on field exposure to a construction trade (civil, mechanical, or utility). Heavy civil experience, particularly in water resources, pump stations, or treatment facilities preferred.

Proficiency with Bluebeam Revu (or comparable on-screen takeoff software) and familiarity with Win Estimator (Win Est) or similar assembly-based estimating systems. Experience building and maintaining assembly libraries, custom Bluebeam tool sets, and cost databases; strong ability to analyze subcontractor and supplier proposals for accuracy and completeness preferred.

Working knowledge of public works bidding and contracting (plans, specifications, addenda, bonding, insurance, prevailing wage).Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and specifications accurately; proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).Well-developed technical writing skills for bid narratives, clarifications, and preconstruction proposals. Strong attention to detail,…