Construction Estimating & Quantity Takeoffs for US Contractors

Outsourced construction estimating is when a contractor sends drawings to a remote team of estimators who produce the quantity takeoff, the priced estimate, or a bid-ready proposal, instead of hiring an in-house estimator. You keep control of the bid number and submission; the estimating capacity scales with your bid calendar.

Most projects are priced as a fixed fee, quoted before any work starts. The fee depends on sheet count, the number of CSI divisions, the deliverable depth (quantities only, priced estimate, or full proposal), and the deadline. Contractors who bid steadily can put an estimator on a monthly retainer from $1,000/mo, or pay $25/hr for occasional work.

Most single-trade takeoffs and estimates are delivered in 24 to 48 hours. Full multi-division commercial sets typically take 3 to 5 business days. You get a committed delivery date before work begins.

Send your PDF plans and bid documents, including specifications and any addenda, plus a sentence about the scope you are bidding and your bid date. A senior estimator reviews the set and flags missing sheets or gaps before work starts.

You get an Excel estimate, color-coded plan markups, and an assumptions and exclusions sheet, along with the native PlanSwift file so your team can audit or extend the takeoff. Revisions through bid day are included.

All CSI divisions, from sitework and concrete through finishes and MEP, across commercial, residential, and civil work.

Takeoffs are measured in PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu, earthwork in Earthwork Pro, and pricing is built from RSMeans cost data cross-checked against current vendor and market quotes.

Yes. We estimate custom homes and multifamily buildings, including wood-frame apartment buildings such as a 4-story, 5-unit building in South Boston, MA and a 5-story multifamily building in Lynn, MA.

Yes. Framing takeoffs cover wall framing by wall type and height, floor joists, headers, beams, sheathing, and connection hardware, delivered as a material order list with lumber and joist counts by length, ready for supplier quotes.

Both. We prepare full general contractor estimates broken out by CSI division and by floor, or single-trade takeoffs and pricing for subcontractors such as framers.

An Excel estimate by CSI division and floor with material and labor per line, a division summary with cost per square foot, and overhead, profit, insurance, and contingency broken out separately.

Yes. Labor and material pricing is adjusted to the project zip code and wage environment, so the estimate reflects local costs rather than national averages.

We estimate offices, healthcare facilities, hotels, restaurants, schools, and other commercial buildings, both new construction and renovation. Recent work includes an 87-room Home2 Suites by Hilton, a freestanding emergency department, and a Yard House restaurant.

Yes. We estimate Division 22 plumbing, Division 23 HVAC, and Division 26 electrical, either as part of a full GC estimate or as a standalone trade estimate for MEP subcontractors.

Yes. Subcontractor estimating covers one trade at a time, such as structural steel, concrete and masonry, painting, electrical, or plumbing, with material and labor priced line by line.

Yes. Renovations can be priced phase by phase with a combined summary, so the owner can review each wing or area on its own, as on a 5,487 SF healthcare renovation in Philadelphia, PA.

Yes. Bid proposal preparation turns the estimate into a client-ready proposal with scope, clarifications, exclusions, and payment terms, formatted to the bid documents rather than a generic template.

We estimate earthwork and grading, asphalt paving, concrete curbs and sidewalks, storm drainage, underground stormwater systems, and site utilities such as water, fire service, and sanitary sewer.

Cut and fill volumes are calculated in Earthwork Pro from the existing and proposed grades on the plans, for sitework and civil earthwork bids.

Yes. Civil estimates can be delivered sorted to DOT bid items with their units, so the numbers drop straight into the bid form.

Yes. Civil estimates include a structure-by-structure register for inlets, manholes, outlet control structures, and treatment units, referenced to the plan sheets.

Yes. Sitework is priced line by line with material and labor split and referenced to plan sheet numbers, as on a $2.35M sitework estimate for Berkeley Garden Apartments in New Jersey.

Yes. We estimate publicly bid work such as schools, including structural steel for Carlsbad Middle School in New Mexico and painting for two public buildings in Newport News, Virginia.

Yes. Labor pricing is adjusted for the wage environment of the job, whether open shop, union, or prevailing wage.

Yes. Bid alternates are priced separately from the base bid so you can carry them as add-ons, as on a school painting estimate with four priced alternates.

Addenda are compared against the original set in Bluebeam, and scope changes are flagged before bid day so a missed addendum does not end up in your number.

Yes. An NDA is available on request before you send the bid documents.