Lead Project Cost Estimator

CMP Services is seeking a Lead Project Cost Estimator to support our client, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

This role will lead and supervise a team of estimators while overseeing the preparation, review, and analysis of complex construction cost estimates for school building projects. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in cost estimating for major construction projects, strong leadership skills, and the ability to collaborate with architects, engineers, and contractors to ensure accurate budgeting, cost control, and successful project delivery.

• Leads and supervises a team of Estimators, including designating daily assignment
• Plans and participates in the preparation of construction cost estimates of buildings or other structures from drawings, outlines, and specification
• 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 fund
• Checks construction cost estimates submitted by commissioned architects and engineers for accuracy and completeness and compares them with District estimate
• 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 cost
• 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 payment
• Analyzes change orders on construction work under contract and approves or rejects extras or credits submitte
• Prepares or reviews cost estimates for project
• 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 cost
• 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 project
• Assists other branches with related function
• Prepares preliminary and final independent cost estimates of projects for comparison with designer or contractor for PM/CM to establish negotiating position
• Provides support in price negotiation
• Prepares claim analysis and estimate
• Review of contractor’s claims and proposals for merit and accountability
• Performs related duties as assigne

• A) 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.
• B) Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering or construction management.
• C) Three (3) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators.
• D) Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years.
• A) 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.
• B) Degree not required.
• C) Five (5) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators.
• D) Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years.

• ills:
  Excellent communication skills, both oral and w
• ritten
  
  Extensive knowledge and experience in developing conceptual and pre-construction cost estimates for complex school building pr
• ojects
  
  Ability to prepare cost estimates quickly in a fast- paced working envir
• onment
  
  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 dif
• fferences
  
  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 pr