Estimating for General Contractors
Full-project conceptual to bid-day estimates across every division on the job.
For a GC, the estimate is not just a bid number. It is the buyout plan, the owner conversation, and the project budget you will live with for the next year. We build estimates with all three uses in mind.
Whether you need a conceptual number from schematic drawings or a complete bid-day estimate from a hundred-percent set, the structure is the same: every division measured, plug numbers labeled as plugs, risk flagged where the documents are thin.
Structured for buyout from day one
The estimate is broken into subcontractor scope packages that match how you actually buy the job. After award, leveling sub bids against the estimate is a column-to-column comparison.
Honest about confidence levels
A measured quantity, a validated plug, and an allowance are three different things, and the estimate labels each. You always know which numbers are solid and which carry risk.
Negotiated work supported
Owner alternates, value-engineering logs, and budget reconciliations between design phases. The estimate evolves with the project instead of being redone each round.
Common questions
Can you estimate from incomplete drawings?
Yes. Conceptual and schematic estimates are a normal part of the work. We state assumptions explicitly so the number is useful even where the documents are silent.
How do you handle the trades you cannot measure, like design-build MEP?
We carry validated plug numbers based on building type, size, and current market, labeled clearly as plugs, and refine them as sub pricing arrives.
What size projects do you handle?
Most GC work we estimate runs from about $1M to $50M across commercial, multifamily, education, and healthcare. Larger projects are scoped case by case.
Have a project to price?
Send the plans and get a fixed-fee quote back within hours. See recent work in the portfolio or read how pricing works.