| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Engineering |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | General Manager |
| Direct reports | Estimation Engineer, Tendering Engineer, Quantity Surveyor |
| Experience | 10+ years in estimation with 3 years leading a team |
Estimation Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Estimation Manager
Department: Engineering
Reports to: General Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Estimation Manager leads the cost estimation team for bids and projects. They own quantity takeoff, rate analysis and the priced bill of quantities, and set the margin and contingency with management. The role decides how a job is priced to win yet stay profitable. A strong Estimation Manager keeps estimates accurate and traceable, learns from won and lost bids, and protects the company from underpriced work.
Key responsibilities
- Lead cost estimation for tenders and projects, from quantity takeoff to the priced bill of quantities.
- Set and check rate analysis for materials, labour, plant and subcontract for each item.
- Decide margin, overheads and contingency for each bid with management sign-off.
- Review scope, drawings and specifications to spot risks, exclusions and missing items before pricing.
- Float enquiries to vendors and subcontractors and normalize their quotes for comparison.
- Maintain a rate library and update it from purchase data and market movement.
- Run bid or no bid and pricing reviews, and present the estimate for approval.
- Do post award handover to projects and post mortem on won and lost bids.
- Manage estimators, assign tenders and hold quality on every submitted estimate.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or diploma in engineering
- Quantity surveying qualification is an advantage
- Strong command of estimation and costing
- 10+ years in estimation with 3 years leading a team
KRAs and KPIs for a Estimation Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Estimate accuracy | Awarded project cost within 5 percent of the estimate for major items |
| Bid timeliness | Priced estimates ready before the tender submission deadline every time |
| Win rate support | Bid hit rate maintained or improved against last year |
| Rate library | Rate library refreshed at least once a quarter |
| Risk capture | No major scope item missed in submitted estimates |
| Handover | Every awarded bid handed to projects within one week |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Candy or CCS estimating, MS Excel, AutoCAD for takeoff, ERP costing module, Bluebeam or PDF takeoff.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Proposals Manager, Head of Commercial, General Manager
Interview questions for a Estimation Manager
- Walk me through how you build an estimate from a tender package.
- How do you decide the margin and contingency on a risky bid?
- How do you normalize vendor quotes that are priced on different scopes?
- A tender is due in two days and the drawings are incomplete. What do you do?
- How do you learn from a bid you lost on price?
- How do you keep your rate library current and trustworthy?
Managing a Estimation Manager in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your engineering team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does an Estimation Manager do?
An Estimation Manager leads the team that prices bids and projects. They own quantity takeoff, rate analysis and the priced bill of quantities, set margin and contingency, review scope for risk, normalize vendor quotes and present estimates for approval. Their job is to price work to win while keeping it profitable.
What is the difference between estimation and tendering?
Estimation works out what a job will cost: quantities, rates and the priced bill of quantities. Tendering manages the bid process: reading the tender, preparing documents, meeting conditions and submitting on the portal by the deadline. Estimation produces the number; tendering packages and submits the offer. They overlap and often sit in one team.
What qualifications does an Estimation Manager need?
A degree or diploma in civil or mechanical engineering, plus years of hands on estimating. A quantity surveying qualification helps. Employers want deep rate analysis skill, command of estimating software and a record of accurate estimates and won bids over any single certificate.