Civil Construction Estimator
Fort St. John, BC | $100,000 - $140,000 | Full-Time, Year-Round | In Office
The Role
We’re hiring an experienced Civil Estimator who can take an estimate from the initial drawings and tender documents through to a complete bid submission.
You’ll work across civil, commercial, infrastructure, and light industrial projects, typically valued at $0.5M to $20M
The company is a family-owned general contractor based in Fort St. John, serving Northern BC since 1999 across civil, commercial, industrial, concrete, and infrastructure construction.
Responsibilities
- Full-Cycle Estimating: Manage estimates from initial tender review through final bid submission.
- Quantity Takeoffs & Costing: Complete detailed takeoffs and pricing for labour, equipment, materials, subcontractors, and suppliers.
- Estimate Preparation: Prepare lump-sum, unit-rate, cost-plus, conceptual, and design-build estimates.
- Drawings & Specifications: Review drawings, specifications, and tender documents to confirm scope, identify gaps, and understand project requirements.
- Subcontractor & Supplier Pricing: Solicit, review, and incorporate subcontractor and supplier quotations.
- Construction Planning: Work with Operations to determine sequencing, crew sizes, productivity, equipment requirements, schedules, and site constraints.
- Risk & Contract Review: Identify estimating, contractual, construction, and site risks and account for them in the bid.
- Bid Submission: Prepare tender forms, proposal documents, bid deposits, bonding and insurance requirements, schedules, and other submission documents.
- Scheduling: Develop preliminary and critical-path schedules, milestone dates, and completion timelines for larger bids.
- Site Review: Attend site visits and pre-tender meetings to identify site constraints and project challenges.
- Estimating Data: Maintain and improve unit rates, historical costing, productivity information, and estimating tools.
- Estimate Review: Compare completed project costs against estimates and use the results to improve future estimating accuracy.
- Project Handover: Participate in estimate and project handover meetings with Operations.
- Constructability & Alternatives: Review designs for cost effectiveness and recommend practical alternatives where appropriate.
- Estimating Leadership: Maintain estimating standards, review estimates prepared by others, and support or mentor junior estimators as required.
- Bid Strategy: Participate in bid/no-bid decisions and provide input on strategic pursuit opportunities.
- Relationships: Work with clients, consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, Operations, and Business Development throughout the estimating process.
Relevant experience may include:
- Municipal water, sewer, and storm infrastructure
- Underground utilities and site servicing
- Road construction and reconstruction
- Earthworks, excavation, grading, and base preparation
- Paving and parking lots
- Bridges and structural culverts
- Retaining walls
- Landfill construction
- Creek remediation and shoreline protection
- Commercial construction and site development
- Light industrial construction
- Oil & gas-related civil and infrastructure work
Requirements
MANDATORY
- Civil Estimating Experience: Strong experience estimating civil construction projects for a general contractor.
- Full-Cycle Estimating: Able to independently take estimates from tender review through quantity takeoffs, costing, and final bid submission.
- Civil Construction Knowledge: Strong practical understanding of civil construction methods, costs, and how the work is built in the field.
- Tendering: Strong knowledge of bid preparation, pricing, subcontractor procurement, and bid closing procedures.
- Driver’s Licence: Valid driver’s licence and clean driving record.
- Health & Safety: Demonstrated commitment to safe construction practices.
- Deadline Flexibility: Able to work additional hours when required to meet tender deadlines.
PREFERRED
- Experience: Approximately 5+ years of civil construction estimating experience.
- Project Size: Experience estimating multi-million-dollar construction projects.
- Project Diversity: Experience across civil, commercial, infrastructure, or industrial construction rather than one narrow project type.
- Field Experience: Previous field, Foreman, Superintendent, or other hands-on civil construction experience.
- Education: Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering Technology, trade, or related education.
- Software: Experience with SAGE Estimating, Procore, MS Project, and Microsoft Office.
- Contracts: Experience with MMCD and CCDC contracts and identifying contractual risks and opportunities.
- Delivery Models: Experience with lump-sum, unit-price, design-build, GMP, and cost-plus delivery models.
- Certification: Gold Seal Estimator certification.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong attention to detail and analytical ability.
- Organized and able to manage multiple tenders and deadlines.
- Able to document and organize complex project information accurately.
- Self-motivated and accountable for assigned estimates and timelines.
- Comfortable working across different types of construction rather than one narrow scope.
- Able to communicate effectively with Operations, clients, consultants, subcontractors, and suppliers.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary: $100,000 - $140,000, based on experience and capability.
- Comprehensive extended health, dental, life, and LTD benefits.
- RRSP matching.
- Paid vacation and sick time.
- Performance-based bonus opportunities.
- Paid training and career development.
- Full-time, year-round employment with no seasonal layoffs.
- Anniversary service recognition.
