Estimator or Estimator/PM

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jbs948

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I'm working for a small company and I'd like to know how other companies are handling estimating and PM.

Currently we have three people in the office (not including admin and accounting) with varying levels of experience in Estimating and Project Management. I see where our estimating suffers when we land a job and have to start performing as a PM. I see us catching our tail too often and not keeping up with estimates.

Is it better to have a person or people designated as a full-time estimator and then hand it off to a PM after there's a project? Then let the PM estimate the CO's.

I believe it would be better to have a full-time estimator and separate PM's. I'm curious to hear others opinions.
 
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shockin

Senior Member
I suppose with a perfect set of plans and specs one person could bid the project, and another could PM it. However with the type of work I do, that would never work. The plans are never 100% drawn, lack specs and fixture schedules, panel schedules ect which means to estimator needs to keep the field empolyees, GC, owner aware of what is and isn't included as well as how you intened to install things ect. IMO it would be impossible to relay all of this info to a seperate PM. Luckly I live in an area where a handshake is still respected and therefore complex contracts and complete scope letters are not required or it would make my job very difficult.
 
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john_axelson

Senior Member
Location
MN
I have worked for both types of companies. I think for the smaller companies you are "forced" to do the marketing, estimating and PM work. If I am out in front of an owner in order to get the opportunity to bid a project, I have found that most expect you to be the person to answer the questions the week before the facility is up and running.

There are several larger contactors in our area that separate the estimator and PM. These companies also have a separate "marketing" group that the owner can remain in contact with throughout the project. Based on the additional overhead in the office, you are almost required to be a bit larger contractor. Just my opinion.

If you really enjoying estimating over being the PM or vice versa, you may want to check your area and see what the larger companies are doing.
 
bbaumer

bbaumer

Senior Member
Location
Indiana
Estimating, especially for one of the bigger companies where that's all you do, is a thankless job.

If you don't get the job (which happens about 90% of the time) you're a loser.

If the job doesn't "come-in" then the guy who bid it didn't know what the heck he was doing.

If the job does "come-in" then the guys who built it did a heckuva job.

Meanwhile you continue to sit in your stool with a rollameter in one hand and a clicker in the other and answer the phone calls from the GC's trying to beat you down on your last bid and the sales reps trying to shmooze you on your current bid. Wish I had a dollar for every time I heard "How do I look? We'd really like to work with you on this project" and some so bold, and stupid, as to say "Where do I need to be to get this job?" Like I'd actually want to work with someone who expects me to be such a scum like him.

Ah, the life of an estimator.
 
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jbs948

Member
I understand your point regarding when the job "comes-in". I know companies that have gotten around this by formalizing the hand-off procedure. The PM and the estimator get together and agree on the project and the price before it is handed off.

Occasionally while the PM and the estimator are reviewing the job they realize there is a mistake in the estimate. The mistake can be plus or minus, but the good thing is that it's discovered early and you can take advantage of it.

When they can't come to an agreement on the job then upper management has to step in and make the call, so the job can go in.

In either case two heads are better than one.
 
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