Senior Estimator

Randstad Cpe London; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Private healthcare

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Hybrid working

Birthday day off

Job summary

Randstad CPE London is seeking a Senior Estimator to join its Pre-Delivery Rail team to price major UK rail infrastructure projects, typically £20m-£40m, across CP7 frameworks. The role offers UK-wide hybrid working with occasional site visits.

You will develop estimates from first principles, work with engineering, commercial and bid teams, and contribute to tender submissions. Flexible seniority with potential progression to Lead or Managing Estimator.

Qualifications

• Rail estimating experience with main contractors or subcontractors.
• Experience deriving estimates from first principles and developing cost plans.
• Experience producing tender estimates and robust submissions.
• Understanding of civil engineering resources, costs and how they translate to project costs.
• Ability to interpret drawings, specs and tender docs.

Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate, commercially robust cost estimates for major rail projects.
• Develop detailed estimates from first principles including labour, plant, materials and subcontractors.
• Produce lump-sum estimates, cost plans and order-of-magnitude budgets.
• Review tender documentation and project constraints to shape pricing.
• Support tender submissions and handover to delivery teams.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, commercial and bid teams to define methodologies.

Skills

Rail estimating

First principles estimating

Cost planning

Tender submissions

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

HNC/HND/Degree or equivalent

Tools

Candy

Causeway

Job description

Are you a Senior Estimator with strong experience pricing rail infrastructure projects? Do you have experience developing estimates from first principles and working closely with engineering, operational and commercial teams to develop competitive tender submissions? Would you be interested in a highly flexible position working on major £20m-£40m rail schemes across Network Rail's CP7 frameworks, with the opportunity to progress towards Lead or Managing Estimator level?

Location

UK wide, with hybrid working and typically one day per week in an office or on site

Offices

London, Swindon, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester

Salary

£68,000 to £82,500 per annum DOE + £6960 car allowance

Benefits

• Company Car scheme (car or car allowance)
• 25 days Annual Leave (and a day off for your birthday)
• Private Healthcare
• Rolling pension scheme - 5-9%
• Life Assurance cover
• Hybrid working
• Enhanced Paternity & Maternity package

Role Overview

A leading civil engineering contractor is looking to appoint an experienced Senior Estimator to join its Pre-Delivery Rail team, supporting the development and pricing of major rail infrastructure projects across the UK.

This is a highly flexible role with the successful candidate typically expected to attend an office or project site around once per week. With offices across London, Swindon, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester, the business can accommodate candidates based across much of the UK.

The role will report into the Managing Estimator for Rail and form part of an established estimating team comprising experienced Senior Estimators and a Graduate Estimator.

The successful candidate is likely to support projects delivered through the North West & Central framework, covering major schemes along the West Coast Main Line. The business is also involved across a range of CP7 frameworks, meaning there is flexibility to align workload with the successful candidate's location and experience.

Projects are typically major multidisciplinary rail schemes valued between approximately £20 million and £40 million. A significant proportion of the workload can have an Electrification & Plant bias, so previous experience pricing E&P works would be advantageous, although this is not essential.

The position will involve developing accurate and commercially robust estimates, cost plans and tender submissions. You will work closely with project, engineering, commercial and bid teams to understand construction methodology, project constraints, risks and opportunities and translate these into detailed cost estimates.

The business is flexible around seniority for the right individual. While the position is primarily being recruited at Senior Estimator level, an experienced candidate looking for a Lead Estimator opportunity could also be considered. There is also a clear longer-term route towards Managing Estimator level as the team continues to develop.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate and commercially robust cost estimates for major rail infrastructure projects.
• Develop detailed estimates from first principles, including labour, plant, materials, subcontract and other project resources.
• Produce analytical lump sum estimates, target costs, high-level estimates, cost plans and order of magnitude budgets.
• Review tender documentation, contractual requirements, site conditions, technical information and project constraints to establish appropriate pricing strategies.
• Prepare tender summaries, project preliminaries, costed risk registers and supporting estimate information.
• Identify and evaluate project risks and opportunities and understand their impact on the overall project cost.
• Work closely with operational, engineering, project and commercial teams to develop appropriate construction methodologies and delivery strategies.
• Analyse methodology-related costs, temporary works requirements, construction outputs and programme implications.
• Undertake detailed take-offs and develop activity schedules where required.
• Contribute to written methodologies, proposals, work plans and programme commentaries.
• Support the development of commercial strategies and profit plans alongside the Managing Estimator and Commercial teams.
• Present tender strategy, assumptions, commercial considerations, programme implications and project risks at tender adjudications.
• Identify and clearly communicate key assumptions, exclusions and clarifications prior to tender submission.
• Support bid presentations and the preparation of high-quality tender submissions.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors and internal stakeholders.
• Support the handover of successful tenders to project delivery teams.
• Work closely with the supply chain to obtain competitive quotations and establish appropriate project costs.
• Contribute to continuous improvement within the estimating function by sharing feedback, lessons learned and best practice across bids and projects.
• Support and provide guidance to less experienced members of the estimating team where appropriate.

Essential Requirements

• Previous estimating experience within the rail sector with either a main contractor or specialist subcontractor.
• Strong experience preparing detailed estimates from first principles.
• Experience producing cost plans, tender estimates and commercially robust submissions.
• Good understanding of construction methods, project delivery strategies and the relationship between methodology, programme and cost.
• Experience producing cost plans, tender estimates and commercially robust submissions.
• Strong understanding of civil engineering resources, costs, outputs and how these translate into overall project costs.
• Good understanding of project constraints and their impact on the cost and methodology of delivery.
• Experience identifying and assessing commercial and project risks and opportunities.
• Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, Bills of Quantities, tender documentation and other technical information.
• Experience completing detailed take-offs and activity schedules.
• HNC, HND, Degree qualification or equivalent relevant industry experience.

Desired Requirements

• Previous experience pricing major multidisciplinary rail projects.
• Experience working on projects valued at approximately £20 million or above.
• Experience pricing rail E&P works.
• Familiarity with Candy, Causeway or similar estimating software.
• Experience contributing to tender adjudications and presenting commercial strategies.
• Experience supporting, coaching or mentoring less experienced Estimators.

This is an opportunity to join a business with significant involvement across the CP7 rail frameworks, work on major £20m-£40m infrastructure projects and benefit from a genuinely flexible UK-wide working arrangement.