Construction Estimating Services for General Contractors and Subcontractors

Construction Estimating Services is the process of forecasting what a project will cost to build by measuring the work from the drawings, pricing labor, material, equipment and subcontract scopes, and adding general conditions, overhead, profit, taxes, bonds, insurance and contingency.

Bid Sharp prepares construction estimates for general contractors, subcontractors, developers and owners across the United States. Every estimate starts with a traceable quantity takeoff and is priced against current market conditions, reviewed by a second estimator and delivered in formats you can drop straight into your bid.

We estimate public bids (IFB, ITB and RFP responses) and private open-shop projects, and we price to how bid forms, alternates, allowances, unit prices and addenda affect the final number.

Types of construction estimates we prepare

• Conceptual and order-of-magnitude estimates from early sketches, cost per square foot and historical data.
• Schematic and design-development estimates that keep the design on budget as drawings develop.
• Bid-ready detailed estimates from complete construction documents, with full quantity takeoff and unit pricing.
• Trade and subcontractor estimates for a single scope such as masonry, tile, concrete, electrical, MEP, roofing or solar.
• Post-bid estimates and change-order pricing for revisions, value engineering and owner-requested changes.

How we build an accurate estimate

We begin with the solicitation: instructions to bidders, bid form, supplementary conditions and Division 01 requirements. We then take off quantities by CSI MasterFormat division, apply productivity and wage rates that match the project (including prevailing-wage and Davis-Bacon rates when the solicitation requires them), price materials from current supplier data, carry subcontract and equipment costs, and add markups. Assumptions, inclusions and exclusions are written down so they can be reviewed and adjusted.

Pre-bid, bid-day and post-bid support

Estimating is more than numbers. We log addenda, flag conflicts as requests for information (RFIs), price alternates and unit prices, complete scope sheets and help with pre-bid and post-bid work such as bid tabulation review, bid leveling and clarifications.

Estimating accuracy and quality control

Accuracy comes from process: drawings checked against the latest revision and addenda, marked-up plans so every quantity is traceable, a second-estimator review, historical cost-per-square-foot checks and clear documentation of allowances and assumptions.

What you receive

• Itemized estimate by CSI division or trade package in Excel and PDF
• Quantity takeoff with marked-up plans
• Pricing for labor, material, equipment and subcontracts
• Alternates, allowances and unit-price schedules
• Inclusions, exclusions, clarifications and assumptions
• Support on addenda, RFIs and post-bid clarifications

Technical scope and terminology we work with

• Quantity takeoff, material takeoff, labor productivity, crew rates, burden and fringes
• General conditions, overhead, profit, contingency, escalation and bond premium
• Alternates (add/deduct), allowances, unit prices, base bid and bid form
• Addenda, RFIs, bulletins and pre-bid conferences
• Bid leveling, scope sheets, bid tabulation and buyout
• CSI MasterFormat divisions 01–33 and specification sections

Who this service is for

General contractors, construction managers, specialty subcontractors, developers, owners and homeowners who need a reliable estimate for bidding, budgeting or checking a contractor quote.

How it works

1. Upload plans, specifications, addenda and your bid date, or paste a plan-room link.
2. We review the documents and confirm scope, firm price and turnaround before work starts.
3. Our estimators complete the takeoff and pricing and a second estimator reviews it.
4. You receive Excel and PDF files, and we support addenda, RFIs and post-bid clarifications.

Software, standards and file formats

We work in PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu for digital takeoff and markup, Excel and RSMeans-style cost data for pricing, Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project for scheduling, and AutoCAD-compatible formats for drawings. Deliverables are provided as Excel, PDF and, where relevant, DWG files, organized by CSI MasterFormat.

When to use this service

Use construction estimating services 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 construction estimating services 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

Related estimating services

• Cost estimating services: the pricing build-up behind a bid
• Material takeoff services: purchase-ready material lists with waste