Steel Estimator

The Steel Estimator at Steel Designs, Inc. is a detail-driven bid owner who reads the drawings, builds accurate miscellaneous and structural steel takeoffs, and turns them into competitive proposals and clean handoffs that win the right work and set every SDI project up for profitable fabrication and installation.

Steel Designs, Inc. (SDI) is a Houston, Texas-based steel company that has designed, fabricated, and installed miscellaneous and structural steel for commercial construction projects since 1979. SDI partners with general contractors on commercial work, delivering stairs, rails, embeds, lintels, canopies, and structural framing that are fabricated in its own shop and installed by its own team. A growing team of 25 to 30 people, SDI is driven by a mission to build with excellence and serve with purpose, with every team member owning their work, growing through experience, and proactively doing the hard work that wins a rewarding future for themselves and their families.

• Every bid leaves SDI on time, fully scoped, and accurately priced, with clear inclusions, exclusions, and clarifications that protect the company, because this estimator owns the bid process from drawing review through submission.
• SDI's win rate on right-fit projects is climbing, go/no-go decisions are made early and confidently, and an up-to-date bid log shows exactly what was won, what was lost, and why.
• Estimating runs independently, awarded jobs hand off to project management, drafting, and the shop with no surprises, and the estimator has built the process, templates, and standards that position them to step into a Lead Estimator role.

• Own SDI's bid process from invitation to submission, delivering accurate, competitive estimates for miscellaneous and structural steel on commercial construction projects.
• Review architectural, structural, and shop drawings and project specifications to fully understand scope before any number goes on a bid.
• Perform detailed material takeoffs for stairs, rails, embeds, lintels, canopies, structural framing, and other miscellaneous and structural steel components.
• Build complete cost estimates covering material, fabrication labor, installation, equipment, freight, and markup, and turn them into professional bid proposals.
• Write clear inclusions, exclusions, clarifications, and qualifications so every proposal protects SDI's scope and margin.
• Identify and pursue the projects that best match SDI's specialties and shop capacity, and flag the ones that are not a fit before time is spent bidding them.
• Submit RFIs and resolve scope gaps and drawing conflicts ahead of bid day so proposals go out complete and defensible.
• Build and maintain relationships with general contractors and customers before and after bid day, handling follow-up, revisions, and value engineering to move bids to award.
• Hand off awarded work to SDI's project managers, drafting team, and shop with complete, organized documentation so fabrication and installation start with no surprises.
• Maintain organized digital and hard-copy bid files and track the bid log, win/loss results, and project outcomes.
• Maintain supplier relationships and keep material pricing current so every estimate reflects today's market.
• Refine and improve SDI's estimating process, templates, and standards as the company grows.

• Minimum 3 years of experience working with construction drawings required, ideally in steel estimating, detailing, or project management; estimating experience with a steel fabricator or erector strongly preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret architectural, structural, and shop drawings and working knowledge of structural and miscellaneous steel components…