Construction Cost Estimating
Know what it should cost
before you sign.
Independent cost estimates from concept through bid and change order phases, built in RSMeans, for owners who need a number they did not get from a bidder.
An owner comparing three bids has three opinions and no baseline. An independent estimate supplies the baseline, and it changes the conversation from which number is lowest to which number is right.
Estimating at every stage
Conceptual estimates support a go or no go decision before design. Design phase estimates track whether the scheme is drifting away from the budget while there is still time to steer it. Bid phase estimates test whether the bids are reasonable. Change order estimates test whether a proposed change is priced fairly.
Change orders are where money leaks
Change order pricing arrives mid project, under time pressure, from the only party in a position to price it. An independent check on that number frequently returns more than the estimate cost.
Built by someone who can read the drawings
Quantities come from the documents rather than from a rate applied to a floor area. Where the structural set is the driver, that is being read by a structural engineer.
Estimating services
- Conceptual and order of magnitude estimates before design begins
- Design phase estimates at schematic, design development and construction documents
- Independent bid evaluation, testing bids against a prepared baseline
- Change order pricing review during construction
- Renovate versus replace cost comparison
- Capital planning cost input alongside condition assessments
Common Questions
Straight answers
Why not just use the contractor’s number?
Because the contractor’s number is a proposal, not a measurement. It may be entirely fair. An independent estimate is how you find out, and it is the only way to know whether a bid is low because it is efficient or because something was left out.
What is RSMeans?
A widely used construction cost database that provides current, location adjusted unit pricing. It gives an estimate a defensible, industry standard basis rather than an opinion.
Can you estimate before there are full drawings?
Yes. Conceptual estimating from limited information is a distinct skill and it is precisely what a go or no go decision needs.
Do you estimate for contractors as well as owners?
Yes, though the most common use is owner side, where independence from the bidders is the entire value.
Bids just came in and something feels off?
An independent estimate resolves it faster than another round of questions to the bidders.