Preconstruction Estimating and Budget Support for Developers and Owners

Estimating Services for Developers and Owners for developers and owners supports feasibility, budgeting and contractor selection with independent estimates at each design stage and a review of contractor bids.

Owners and developers need cost certainty before committing capital. We prepare independent estimates from sketches through construction documents, review contractor bids for scope gaps and track the budget during construction.

Estimates at every stage

We prepare conceptual, schematic and design-development estimates so design decisions are cost-informed, and detailed estimates from construction documents to check contractor pricing. See design-phase estimating.

Bid review and value engineering

We compare bids line by line, identify scope gaps and exclusions and price value-engineering options with schedule effect and risk. See post-bid support.

Budget and cost control

After award we build the project budget and report variances and forecasts. See cost control and CPM scheduling.

What you receive

• Conceptual, schematic and detailed estimates
• Bid comparison and gap analysis
• Value-engineering options
• Project budget and cost reports

Technical scope and terminology we work with

• Feasibility, pro forma and budget gap analysis
• Schematic design, design development and construction documents
• Allowances, contingency and escalation
• Bid review, scope gaps and value engineering
• GMP, lump sum and cost-plus contracts

Who this service is for

Developers, owners, owner representatives and project managers on commercial, multifamily and institutional projects.

How it works

1. Send sketches, programs or drawings.
2. We confirm estimate level and assumptions.
3. We prepare the estimate or bid review.
4. We update it as design and bids develop.

Software, standards and file formats

We work in PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu for takeoff, Excel with RSMeans-style cost data for pricing, Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project for scheduling, and AutoCAD-compatible formats for drawings. Files are delivered as Excel, PDF and DWG, organized by CSI MasterFormat.

When to use this service

Use estimating services for developers and owners when a bid date is close, when your team is stretched across projects, when you need an independent check of your own numbers or drawings, or when you want consistent deliverables in the same format every time. Tell us the due date when you request a quote so the schedule can be planned around it.

Engagement options

• One project: order estimating services for developers and owners for a single bid or job and receive a firm price and turnaround before we start.
• Several trades or divisions: combine this service with related scopes so quantities, drawings and pricing agree.
• Bid-season capacity: send multiple projects with their due dates and we schedule the work to hit each one.
• Ongoing support: repeat-volume contractors can agree standard formats, cost codes and turnaround so every delivery drops straight into their process.

Quality control, confidentiality and communication

Every deliverable is reviewed by a second team member before it reaches you, and assumptions, inclusions and exclusions are written down so they can be checked. If information is missing we send a short list of questions rather than guessing, and we tell you which assumption we used when a question cannot be answered in time. Your plans, specifications and files are used only to prepare your project work and are not shared publicly; see our privacy policy.

Related services, guides and pages

• Construction estimating and quantity takeoff
• Pre-bid, solicitation response and post-bid support
• Shop drawings, structural drafting and permit drawings
• Public bid estimating, pricing, samples, FAQ and bidding glossary

Where estimating fits in the development timeline

1. Feasibility: order-of-magnitude cost per square foot to test the pro forma.
2. Schematic design: area and assembly estimates to confirm the program fits the budget.
3. Design development: assembly and early unit-cost estimates with allowances for undeveloped scope.
4. Construction documents: detailed estimate to check contractor bids and negotiate scope.
5. Construction: budget tracking, change-order pricing and cost-to-complete forecasts.

Typical developer projects

Multifamily and townhome communities, self-storage, retail and mixed-use, warehouse and industrial, medical office and public-private projects. We estimate by CSI division and by building so cost can be compared across phases. See multifamily, commercial and industrial estimating.

Checking a contractor's bid

When bids come in, differences usually come from scope — allowances, exclusions, general conditions, escalation and alternates. We build an independent estimate and a line-by-line comparison so negotiations focus on real differences.