Infrastructure Cost Consultant: Estimates & Validation

Arcadis; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking an experienced Associate Cost Consultant to join our Infrastructure team, reviewing and challenging estimates for major regulated programmes in energy, water, and rail. You will benchmark against historical data, interrogate rates, quantities and productivity, and normalise costs across scope and conditions.

You’ll communicate findings to clients and senior stakeholders. You’ll combine detailed estimate review with benchmarking and cost validation to support informed

Qualifications

• Strong experience in civil engineering estimating, cost planning or infrastructure cost analysis.
• Experience across major or regulated infrastructure, ideally energy, utilities, water or rail.
• A track record of reviewing and challenging estimates prepared by others.
• Strong knowledge of CESMM4, unit-rate build-ups and construction methodologies.
• Experience with cost benchmarking, WBS/CBS reconciliation and historical cost analysis.
• Good understanding of productivity, risk, contingency and the factors that drive infrastructure costs.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with complex cost datasets.
• Strong technical judgement with the confidence to constructively challenge assumptions and explain your findings clearly.
• Experience of Ofgem-regulated networks, NEC contracts, regulatory cost assessment or AACE estimating practices would be particularly valuable.
• A relevant degree or equivalent industry experience is expected, with professional membership such as RICS, ICE, CIOB or ACostE

Responsibilities

• Reviewing and challenging contractor and designer estimates, including scope, quantities, rates, allowances and risk.
• Interrogating unit rates, labour, plant, materials, productivity, preliminaries and indirect costs.
• Benchmarking estimates against historical projects, cost databases and industry evidence.
• Normalising costs for differences in scope, location, design maturity, market conditions and construction methodology.
• Interpreting and reconciling different WBS/CBS structures and measurement conventions.
• Applying structured estimate review and validation approaches, including AACE 31R-03 and 110R-20.
• Preparing clear cost assurance reports and presenting findings to clients and senior stakeholders.

Skills

Civil estimating

Cost planning

Infrastructure cost analysis

CESMM4

Unit-rate build-ups

Excel advanced

Regulatory knowledge

AACE practices

Education

Degree in civil engineering

Professional membership (RICS/ICE/CIOB/ACostE)

Tools

Excel

Cost databases

Job description

Arcadis is seeking an experienced Associate Cost Consultant to join our Infrastructure team, reviewing and challenging estimates for major regulated programmes in energy, water, and rail. You will benchmark against historical data, interrogate rates, quantities and productivity, and normalise costs across scope and conditions.

You’ll communicate findings to clients and senior stakeholders. You’ll combine detailed estimate review with benchmarking and cost validation to support informed