Your local Estimating Consultancy
AG Surveying is able to offer a range of tailored Estimating services to clients, going into as much or as little detail as you wish and being as heavily involved in the estimating of your project as is deemed necessary.
Estimators in Ware
AG Surveying is an Estimating and Quantity Surveying Consultancy based in Ware, Hertfordshire, with a client base spanning Herts, Essex and London.
Estimating constitutes a significant proportion of the work that we, at AG Surveying carry out for clients. In fact, around 50% of all enquiries we receive are from local construction businesses seeking Estimating and tender submission support.
The importance of professional Estimating
Delivering a logical and comprehensive price for works is essential if you want your construction business to be awarded the job in question. That goes without saying.
But perhaps even more importantly, understanding how works are priced and what needs to be considered when tendering for a project ensures that the job is profitable for you. Unaccounted-for costs are a surefire way to shrink your profit margins.
Estimating is a skill that if done well, can result in a construction business winning tenders, completing profitable projects and being recommended for other works.
For more information on the importance of cost estimating in construction, read our article: Estimating advice for small construction businesses.
What does Estimating involve?
An estimator will focus on determining:
- what quantities of works are required
- how much each element of the quantified works will cost by understanding the businesses preferred procurement route, i.e. what works will be undertaken in-house and what element will be undertaken by specialist subcontractors
- for in-house works, understanding what materials need to be purchased and internal labour costs estimated using day rates and estimated work output
- for subcontracted works, who to go to to get best value prices and ensuring that subcontractors have included everything in their price in accordance with the detail of works
- whether there are scope gaps between subcontractors packages and prices. Experienced Estimators will check overlaps in packages and make sure there are no gaps and that items are not being double counted.
Estimating in action
For some clients, we assist with certain elements of tenders but for others, we develop and help implement an end to end tender process to help the client manage all future cost calculations.
Here's how it works for subcontractors with a repetitive scope of works...
AG Surveying's Estimating team spend time upfront with the client developing a comprehensive schedule of rates and a process to help efficiently calculate costs and sale prices.
We'll then produce a template to automate calculations for the client for all future tender applications.
Once we finalise the template with the client, AG Surveying will set up a spreadsheet that automatically populates the majority of quotes with the input of project-specific measurements.
This system means that we are able to return a high volume of tenders for the client with minimal to zero involvement from the busy client themselves.
This system has vastly reduced time and cost to the client whilst ensuring that they are familiar with how the projects are being priced and are satisfied with the tenders being submitted.
We are also often asked to produce a detailed, quantified pricing schedule that includes and lists all works required to complete each project.
The Estimating we undertake for Building Contractors is often done a little differently. Find out more about our Estimating Service Options for Residential Extensions.
Similarly, we have developed Estimating Service Options for Developers.
Contact our Estimating team for more information
Put simply, AG Surveying - your local Estimators - can be involved as much or as little as you would like in the Estimating process.
We're adaptable Estimators.
We're flexible in our approach to Estimating and will work with you to develop a system and process that works best for your business.
Get in touch today to discuss your Estimation requirements.
