Preconstruction Lead: Estimating & Bid Strategy

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with matching company

Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision

Paid parental leave at 100% of salary

Paid Time Off and Company Holidays

Daily Pay

Job summary

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is seeking a Lead of Preconstruction to translate project briefs into fundable proposals and manage bid packaging from pursuit through award. You will lead estimating, vendor strategy, and the bid package, while guiding one or two preconstruction managers and leveraging strong MEP cost estimating background.

This role requires hands-on estimating, a clear procurement plan, and the ability to evolve the baseline to Move-to-Construction, ensuring all scopes and schedules

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in commercial preconstruction, estimating, or bid packaging on lump-sum and GMP work.
• Hands-on estimating experience and the discipline to maintain basis-of-estimate files that survive a handoff.
• Proven vendor coverage practices: walks, RFIs, apples-to-apples scopes, no single-source surprises on bid day.
• Ability to write exclusions, assumptions, and a procurement plan that holds up in compliance review.
• Experience building a critical-path bid schedule and work-package structure a Construction Manager can inherit.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop estimates, bid templates, and detailed take-offs using estimating and takeoff technology (e.g., COSTX or equivalent).
• Lead vendor strategy with the Project Manager: share documents, schedule walks, issue RFIs and clarifications, and collect and level bids.
• Assemble the full proposal package: detailed scope, procurement plan, exclusions/qualifiers/assumptions, safety and logistics plans, critical-path schedule, lump-sum vs. GMP recommendation, resource plan, design and permit strategy, commissioning plan, equipment/move lists, and finishes plan.
• Support Target Value Design and translate construction documents into a formal bid package, scopes of work, and bid-form structure.
• Feed Go/No-Go and compliance review with commercial backup and client-ready deliverables.
• Hand off the baseline to the Construction Manager at Move-to-Construction: scopes, vendor coverage, long-lead list, exclusions, and schedule assumptions.
• Remain available after handoff to resolve re-buy or missed-scope questions.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Estimating

Vendor management

Preconstruction

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field

Tools

COSTX

Takeoff software

Construction management technology

Job description

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is seeking a Lead of Preconstruction to translate project briefs into fundable proposals and manage bid packaging from pursuit through award. You will lead estimating, vendor strategy, and the bid package, while guiding one or two preconstruction managers and leveraging strong MEP cost estimating background.

This role requires hands-on estimating, a clear procurement plan, and the ability to evolve the baseline to Move-to-Construction, ensuring all scopes and schedules