The Senior Estimator is a lead role within our Project Management Office (PMO), responsible for pricing and winning large, complex capital schemes across water, gas, electricity and civils. It requires an organised, self-motivated and meticulous approach, combined with the commercial judgement and technical leadership to own high-value tenders from enquiry through to award. You will meet monthly work-winning targets with a view to ensuring the ongoing success and profitability of the Business.
You will collaborate with our clients at a senior level to develop relationships that increase our likelihood of securing framework and contract opportunities. You will lead the entire tender process on your bids – from developing accurate, detailed proposals and target costs, through to negotiating prices and contract terms with the client and presenting bids for adjudication and sign-off.
You will also provide technical leadership and mentoring to the wider estimating team, and develop strong working relationships with our operational delivery teams to ensure a fluid handover from tender into the construction phase
Estimating & Commercial
- Lead and own the estimating lifecycle for large, complex capital schemes across water, gas, electricity and civils – from enquiry and first-principles build-up through to tender adjudication, award and handover
- Lead tender adjudication and settlement meetings, presenting cost, margin, risk and commercial strategy to Directors and senior management for sign-off
- Survey potential work sites across water, gas, electricity and civils schemes: establish ground and site conditions, confirm scope of work and specific design and specification requirements
- Produce detailed survey reports for pricing and future co-ordination of works
- Lead the analysis of plans, complete take-offs and produce detailed bills of quantities and first-principles cost estimates, assessing all project documentation to provide accurate, competitive and compliant tender submissions
- Lead supply chain engagement: issue enquiries, evaluate subcontractor and supplier proposals for technical compliance and commercial value, and shape procurement strategy to secure best prices
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant construction methods and technologies across the water, gas, electricity and civils disciplines
- Lead value engineering to identify the best solution for our client’s requirements, offering a competitive price and best value whilst protecting margin and maximising our return on the project
- Where required liaise with the Proposals co-ordinator and other team members to produce detailed tender submissions
- Generate detailed quotes for our clients inclusive of all labour, plant & material costs supplemented by adjustments for overheads and profit
- Own tender risk: lead formal risk reviews and tender health checks, assess financial, technical, contractual and operational risks, and factor these into our pricing and contingency
- Prepare detailed Schedule of works/ Bill of Quantities for our Contracts Managers to work from
- Formulate detailed programmes in line with the project contract requirements
- Understand site specific risks and complete analysis of these for presentation in the tender risk register
- Prepare schematics, layouts and presentations to support proposals and quotations
- Promote and develop relationships with clients and suppliers
- Interpret contract forms (e.g. NEC and JCT) and framework requirements, factoring commercial and contractual risk into pricing
- Provide technical leadership, mentoring and quality assurance to the estimating team, reviewing colleagues’ estimates for accuracy and competitiveness and helping to allocate estimating resource across bid teams
- Capture actual cost data and benchmarks on completed schemes and feed these back to improve estimating accuracy and processes
- Stay up to date with the latest industry regulations and legislative requirements across the utilities sectors
Work Winning & Client Relationships
- Lead monthly review and analysis of estimating figures and win rates, providing bid/no-bid input and driving improvements in conversion and margin
- Attend meetings throughout England and Wales with both new and existing customers to promote Network Plus across the water, gas, electricity and civils sectors
- Utilise the CRM system to record, share and monitor leads & enquiries
- Maintain client relationships by liaising with Contracts Managers to ensure successful completion of tendered works
- Provide proactive and timely response to client enquiries and queries
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Proven track record of leading and winning large, complex tenders in a competitive environment
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills
- Substantial estimating experience within the utilities and/or civil engineering sector, including large capital schemes across one or more of water, gas, electricity and civils
- Experience leading tender adjudication and settlement, and presenting bids to senior stakeholders
- First-principles estimating expertise – take-offs, bills of quantities and rate build-ups
- Understand the need for flexibility within a growing business
- Ability to work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines
- Strong commercial and contractual awareness, including NEC and JCT forms of contract
- Attention to detail
- Methodical approach to work with good organisation and time-management skills
- Leadership, mentoring, relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to guide a team of estimators
- Proficient in estimating software (e.g. CANDY, Conquest or Causeway) with good IT skills for bid presentation and reporting
- Relevant degree (Civil Engineering, Construction or Quantity Surveying) and/or professional membership (ICE, RICS or CIOB) desirable; CSCS card
We offer a competitive salary based on experience along with a full benefits package.
Network Plus is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.
We are Armed Forces-friendly. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, armed forces veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.
We understand that privacy and the security of your personal information is extremely important. By applying for this role, you agree to the terms of our privacy policy.
Network Plus is an award-winning business delivering essential utility and infrastructure services for the UK’s major providers of gas, power, telecoms, transport, water, and wastewater.
We value the variety of experience, perspective, and other points of difference our workforce, clients, and supply chain offer.
We are actively working with colleagues across the Network Plus Group to develop an inclusive environment – we want all our employees to feel valued and included to enable everyone to thrive at work and understand the value of their contribution matters no matter their background, identity, or circumstances.
