Estimating Manager
Cityscape Recruitment
Location: London / South East
Salary: £90,000 – £110,000 + Benefits
Sector: Main Contracting / Construction
The Opportunity
Our client is an established and growing principal contractor delivering high-quality construction projects across London and the South East.
With a strong track record spanning commercial, education, leisure, healthcare, residential, social housing, heritage and retail, our client delivers projects from pre-construction through to completion, with a strong emphasis on quality, programme, cost control and client relationships.
Due to continued growth and an expanding pipeline of opportunities, they are looking to appoint an experienced Estimating Manager to lead and develop their estimating function.
This is a senior position offering the opportunity to take ownership of the estimating process, lead a talented pre-construction team and play a key role in securing new work for the business.
The Role
As Estimating Manager, you will take responsibility for the effective management and delivery of the estimating function, ensuring tenders are commercially robust, competitive and aligned with the company's strategic objectives.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Lead and manage the estimating team across multiple concurrent tenders.
- Take overall responsibility for the estimating function and tender workload.
- Review incoming opportunities and provide recommendations on bid/no-bid decisions.
- Establish estimating strategies for individual projects.
- Review tender documentation, drawings, specifications and employer's requirements.
- Allocate tenders and workload across the estimating team.
- Lead the preparation of accurate and competitive tenders.
- Review and challenge estimates produced by the wider estimating team.
- Ensure tenders are commercially robust and reflect project risks and opportunities.
- Prepare and review detailed cost plans and estimates.
- Analyse subcontractor and supplier quotations.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with subcontractors and suppliers.
- Identify appropriate subcontractors and suppliers for individual packages.
- Negotiate quotations and secure competitive market rates.
- Review and challenge quotations to ensure scope alignment.
- Identify project risks, exclusions, assumptions and opportunities.
- Ensure all risks are appropriately considered within tender submissions.
- Attend tender adjudications and present estimates to senior management.
- Prepare commercial reports and tender summaries for Directors.
- Work closely with the Commercial, Pre-Construction, Design and Operations teams.
- Liaise with clients, consultants, architects and quantity surveyors throughout the tender process.
- Attend client meetings, site visits and tender interviews.
- Support the preparation of value engineering proposals.
- Identify alternative construction methodologies and cost-saving opportunities.
- Provide commercial input during the design development process.
- Ensure tender programmes and submission deadlines are achieved.
- Maintain accurate estimating records and tender documentation.
- Develop and improve estimating procedures, systems and processes.
- Monitor market conditions, labour rates, material prices and subcontractor trends.
- Support the development of junior and senior estimators through mentoring and technical guidance.
- Contribute to the continued growth and development of the pre-construction department.
The successful candidate will be an experienced Estimator or Estimating Manager with a strong background within main contracting.
You will ideally have:
- Significant experience within a UK main contractor environment.
- Previous experience managing or leading an estimating team.
- Strong knowledge of the London and South East construction market.
- Proven experience pricing projects across multiple sectors.
- Experience working on projects ranging from approximately £1m to £20m+.
- Strong understanding of construction methodology and buildability.
- Excellent knowledge of subcontractor procurement and supply chains.
- Strong understanding of construction costs, preliminaries, overheads and margins.
- Experience with detailed cost planning and tender analysis.
- Strong commercial awareness.
- Excellent negotiation and supplier management skills.
- Experience leading tender adjudications.
- Strong client-facing and presentation skills.
- The ability to analyse complex tender documentation.
- Excellent attention to detail and numerical ability.
- Strong leadership and team management skills.
- The ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- A proactive approach to identifying risks and opportunities.
- Strong IT and estimating software skills.
- £90,000 – £110,000 basic salary
- Competitive benefits package
- Senior leadership position within the pre-construction function
- Opportunity to lead and develop an established estimating team
- Exposure to a diverse project portfolio
- Opportunity to influence estimating strategy and business growth
- Long-term career progression
- Supportive and collaborative senior management environment
- Opportunity to work on high-profile projects across London and the South East
- Company pension
- Generous annual leave
- Additional company benefits
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