A professional construction cost estimator in an important team member of any  renovation, repair, sustainability, or new construction project.

Whether working for an Owner, Contractor, AE or as an independent consultant, a cost estimator’s role is to collaboratively review the many factors, variables, and information sources associated with a construction project and  to present an accurate total cost (the latter may include subtotals by Uniformat and/or MasterFormat categories, materials, labor/crews, productivity factors/coefficients, equipment, overhead/profit, etc.).

Advanced cost estimating and efficient project delivery management software can play an important role for Owners, Contractors, and AEs engaged in numerous projects vs. the exclusive use of Excel spreadsheets and/or manual processes.   Excel spreadsheets are error prone and don’t offer the productivity advantages of integrated software solutions:  multi-year, localized and easily accessed and maintained construction cost databases, visual estimating and QTO tools, multi-user collaboration with audit trails, ability to incorporate means and methods, specifications and field notes/variables, and more!

There are approximately 90,000 construction cost estimators employed in the United States and while the past several years have been a uniquely poor time period for the construction industry as a whole, the future is brighter.  The Department of Labor projects a 36% increase in demand for  cost estimators over the next several years.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program