Lead Project Cost Estimator

Duties:Leads and supervises a team of Estimators, including designating daily assignmentsPlans and participates in the preparation of construction cost estimates of buildings or other structures from drawings, outlines, and specificationsPrepares and reviews cost estimates and forms and other materials submitted to secure State and/or federal grants and loans from school aid programs and represents the district on matters pertinent to securing such fundsChecks construction cost estimates submitted by commissioned architects and engineers for accuracy and completeness and compares them with District estimatesConfers with commissioned architects and engineers to resolve differences in their cost estimates and District estimates for each project and negotiates agreements on preliminary estimates of construction costsConducts studies and prepare reports when contractors' bids vary widely from the agreed construction cost estimateChecks segregations of contract costs as estimated by building contractors and recommends acceptance or rejection as a basis for progress paymentsAnalyzes change orders on construction work under contract and approves or rejects extras or credits submittedPrepares or reviews cost estimates for projectsEstablishes and maintains procedures for approval of plans and specifications for building projects and submission of approved projects to public biddingDevelop methods for maintaining data used in records, charts, and graphs reflecting estimated construction costs compared with actual costsConducts and participates in seminars and workshops with staff and minority contractors relative to school construction bidding procedures, contracts, and cost estimatingEstimates costs of damages to District property caused by fire, natural disaster, and major acts of vandalismEstablishes budgets for school building projectsAssists other branches with related functionsPrepares preliminary and final independent cost estimates of projects for comparison with designer or contractor for PM/CM to establish negotiating positionPrepares change order estimates for Owner Authorized Representatives to establish negotiating positionProvides support in price negotiationsPrepares claim analysis and estimatesReview of contractor’s claims and proposals for merit and accountabilityPerforms related duties as assigned Combined Qualifications:Candidates who meet one of the two sets of combined qualifications below will be considered for this position. A) Fourteen (14) years full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes ANDGraduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering or construction management ANDThree (3) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators ANDMust have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years ORA) Twenty (20) or more years solid full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes ANDDegree not required ANDFive (5) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators ANDMust have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years Knowledge/Skills:Excellent communication skills, both oral and writtenExtensive knowledge and experience in developing conceptual and pre-construction cost estimates for complex school building projectsAbility to prepare cost estimates quickly in a fast- paced working environmentKnowledge of current local construction labor and material costsExtensive experience in developing and estimating the scope of work for change ordersAbility to compare the independent cost estimate with contractor proposal to quickly identify differencesAbility to develop scope of work based on RFI/RFC answers and estimates the detailed costs of those scopes of work independent of the contractor proposal