Senior Estimator

Position: Senior Estimator - Civil Engineering

Location: London
Working Arrangement: Office Based
Employment Type: Permanent

Having been established for over 20 years, the business has developed into one of the UK's leading self-delivering contractors, successfully delivering complex groundworks, enabling works and heavy civil engineering projects ranging from £1 million to £80 million across infrastructure, defence, energy and major regeneration sectors.

Following its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust , the business is continuing to invest heavily in its people and future growth. The estimating function currently consists of 6 Estimators and 2 Trainee Estimators , with the business now looking to strengthen the team further with an experienced Senior Estimator, ideally based in London, although Midlands candidates will also be considered.

This is not a high-volume estimating position focused simply on processing subcontractor quotations. As a self-delivery Civil Engineering contractor , the business requires someone with strong first-principles estimating knowledge who understands how projects will actually be constructed and can use that knowledge to develop competitive, commercially considered tenders. You'll work closely with Pre-Construction, Planning, Commercial and Operational teams, taking ownership of significant tenders and helping identify the methodology, risk, opportunity and value engineering that can ultimately turn an estimate into a winning bid.

The business takes a selective approach to tendering , rather than pursuing high volumes of opportunities, giving its estimating team the time to properly interrogate and develop each bid. This represents an excellent opportunity for either an established Senior Estimator or an ambitious Estimator ready to step up, with genuine long-term progression available within a growing employee-owned contractor.

Senior Estimator Salary & Benefits

• Salary £90,000 - £130,000 DOE
• Approximately £5,000 - £6,000 car allowance .
• Salary-sacrifice electric vehicle scheme available as an alternative.
• Free EV charging at the office.
• Discretionary bonus scheme.
• 6% employer pension contribution , with 5% employee contribution.
• Private medical healthcare.
• 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Benefits associated with working within an Employee Ownership Trust .
• Strong pipeline of major Civil Engineering and infrastructure projects.
• Long-term career development within a growing business.

Senior Estimator Job Overview

• Take ownership of major Civil Engineering tenders from initial enquiry through to final submission.
• Price significant projects and packages across groundworks, enabling works and heavy civil engineering .
• Develop detailed estimates using first-principles estimating techniques .
• Build up labour, plant, materials and productivity rates based on proposed construction methodology.
• Review drawings, specifications, programmes and tender documentation to fully understand project requirements.
• Assess how projects will practically be constructed, incorporating methodology, logistics and site constraints into the estimate.
• Identify and evaluate commercial and technical risks and opportunities throughout the tender process.
• Work closely with Pre-Construction, Planning, Commercial and Operational teams to develop competitive tender strategies.
• Obtain and interrogate subcontractor and supplier quotations where appropriate.
• Participate in tender reviews, adjudications and post-tender negotiations.
• Identify value-engineering opportunities and alternative construction solutions.
• Develop competitive tenders that go beyond simply producing a price, with a focus on helping the business win the right projects .
• Work across projects including highways infrastructure, utilities, drainage, groundworks, plot enabling, foundations and earthworks .
• Contribute to the business's selective bidding strategy, focusing estimating resource on suitable opportunities with a strong prospect of success.

Senior Estimator Job Requirements

• Previous Estimating experience within Civil Engineering, Infrastructure, Groundworks or a related contractor environment .
• Strong understanding of first-principles estimating is essential .
• Experience pricing self-delivered Civil Engineering works.
• Excellent understanding of construction methodology and how Civil Engineering projects are practically delivered on site.
• Experience pricing significant Civil Engineering projects and packages.
• Ability to build up estimates using labour, plant, materials and productivity/output rates .
• Ability to interrogate tender information rather than relying solely on subcontractor quotations.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify risk, opportunity and value-engineering solutions .
• Experience within either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Civil Engineering contractor will be considered.
• Candy estimating software experience highly advantageous .
• ConQuest experience also welcomed, with training available on Candy where required.
• Strong communication skills with the confidence to contribute effectively during tender reviews and adjudications.
• Able to work collaboratively with Pre-Construction, Planning, Commercial and Operational teams.
• Capable of independently managing significant tenders from initial review through to submission.

Bennett and Game Recruitment are a multi-disciplined technical recruitment agency based in Chichester, West Sussex operating across the UK with specialist teams covering a range of industries.

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