Estimator

SubTerra Utilities; Magnolia (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SubTerra Utilities in Magnolia, TX seeks an Estimator who turns scope into a firm number and hands a clean, executable project to operations after award. You’ll own the full bid lifecycle from intake through award and stay engaged through the first 30 days of each project.

This role is the first line of defense against under-bid jobs, balancing scope, risk, margin potential, and client requirements as you coordinate bid kickoff, supplier quotes, value schedules, and post-award handoffs.

Responsibilities

• Review RFQs, RFPs, ITBs, and customer requests; recommend bid / no-bid based on fit, capacity, risk, and margin potential.
• Lead the bid kickoff: confirm scope, schedule, deliverables, contract type (lump sum, unit price, T&M), and exclusions.
• Maintain the bid log and track all active opportunities through the pipeline.
• Build labor crews, equipment fleets, materials, and subcontractor packages by activity.
• Solicit and level subcontractor and supplier quotes (traffic control, hydrovac, restoration, hauling, surveying, environmental).
• Lead the internal bid review: walk the assumptions, exclusions, schedule, and margin with Leadership.
• Submit the bid through the customer's required channel and confirm receipt.
• Follow up on submitted bids per the company follow-up policy.
• When a job is won: share the news with the team and ensure new jobs, POs, and any addenda land in the right hands and the right folders.
• Price change orders and route them to the Project Manager for negotiation and signature.
• Coordinate and lead the project turnover meeting with the Superintendent and Project Manager for every awarded job.

Job description

Position Summary

The Estimator turns scope into a number Subterra can stand behind, and hands a clean, executable project to operations when we win. This role is the first line of defense against under-bid jobs and the first opportunity to set a project up to succeed in the field. The Estimator owns the full bid lifecycle, from intake through award, and stays engaged through the first 30 days of every project.

Reporting Structure

Reports To: Tristan Casey, President

Core Responsibilities

Bid Intake & Qualification

• Review incoming RFQs, RFPs, ITBs, and customer requests; recommend bid / no-bid based on fit, capacity, risk, and margin potential.
• Lead the bid kickoff: confirm scope, schedule, deliverables, contract type (lump sum, unit price, T&M), and exclusions.
• Maintain the bid log and track all active opportunities through the pipeline.

Pricing & Bid Assembly

• Build labor crews, equipment fleets, materials, and subcontractor packages by activity.
• Solicit and level subcontractor and supplier quotes (traffic control, hydrovac, restoration, hauling, surveying, environmental).
• Apply risk contingency, escalation, and bond / insurance costs as appropriate.
• Build the schedule of values, unit price schedule, and any alternates.

Bid Review & Submission

• Lead the internal bid review: walk the assumptions, exclusions, schedule, and margin with Leadership.
• Submit the bid through the customer's required channel and confirm receipt.
• Follow up on submitted bids per the company follow-up policy.

Information Sharing & Change Orders

• When a job is won: share the news with the team and ensure new jobs, POs, and any addenda land in the right hands and the right folders.
• Price change orders and route them to the Project Manager for negotiation and signature.
• Ensure approved change orders flow back to Project Admin for billing and to the Superintendent for crew/equipment impact.

Project Turnover

• Coordinate and lead the project turnover meeting with the Superintendent and Project Manager for every awarded job. This includes scope, schedule, budget, key risks, contractual obligations, crew/equipment plan.
• Stand by during the first 30 days of a project for cost-code questions and scope clarification.
• Target turnover meeting within 5 business days of award.

Continuous Improvement

• Update production rates, unit costs, and crew compositions in the estimating database from completed-job actuals.
• Partner on post-job reviews to close the loop between estimate and actual.
• Maintain and improve the RFQ question list and the award checklist.

How We Measure Success

• Bid hit rate.
• Estimate accuracy: actual cost vs. estimated cost on completed jobs.
• On-time bid submission rate.
• Project turnover meetings held within 5 business days on every awarded job.
• Cleanliness of handoff to operations (post-handoff RFIs to Estimator in first 30 days).