What does a Project Estimator do?
Project estimators are professionals who are responsible for calculating the total costs that are associated with a construction project or the development of a new product. These estimators are required to monitor project cost and quality construction development while conducting formal presentations to clients about data findings, material takeoff, and project costs. They are required to work with the project management team to develop project accounting and bill-of-materials process. Project estimators must also attend pre-bid meetings and site walk to determine the scope of work and finalize proposals for review by the client.
Project estimator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real project estimator resumes:
- Estimate, sell and manage residential & commercial plumbing, heating and cooling systems.
- Estimate costs of HVAC temperature control systems utilizing mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering plans.
- Obtain measurements, photos and documentation to process remotely Xactimate estimates to submit for insurance and customer approval.
- Prepare proposals for hydroelectric retrofit and rehabilitation projects as well as various other domestic and international projects.
Project estimator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Project Estimators are proficient in Project Management, Cost Estimates, and Construction Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Project Estimators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 10%
Applied strong construction project management expertise to provide project information to construction companies requiring all relevant projects scope and take-off data.
- Cost Estimates, 8%
Review technical specifications, engineering calculations and cost estimates for energy efficiency projects.
- Construction Projects, 5%
Performed timely and accurate quantity surveys, summarized quantification to pricing format and developed competitive bids for construction projects.
- Renewable Energy, 5%
Lead and initiate station in a box standard design concept for renewable energy projects.
- HVAC, 4%
Estimated costs of HVAC temperature control systems utilizing mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering plans.
- Project Scope, 4%
Provided project scope by carefully analyzing all relevant plans and specification documentation.
Most project estimators use their skills in "project management," "cost estimates," and "construction projects" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential project estimator responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a project estimator to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what project estimators do because "cost estimators must review and evaluate different construction and manufacturing methods to find cost-effective options." Additionally, a project estimator resume shows how project estimators use analytical skills: "provide pricing analysis assistance for bid estimate cost reductions, promoting a competitive bid environment. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of project estimators is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday project estimator duties, as "cost estimators must be precise, because minor changes may greatly affect the overall expense of a project or product." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "create roof details in autocad for architects to show in project specifications. "
Math skills. project estimator responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "cost estimators need excellent math skills to calculate labor, material, and equipment estimates for construction projects." This resume example shows what project estimators do with math skills on a typical day: "utilized math skills along with structural analysis and interpretation and understanding of architectural drawings and specifications. "
Time-management skills. Another common skill required for project estimator responsibilities is "time-management skills." This skill comes up in the duties of project estimators all the time, as "cost estimators must plan in advance and work efficiently to meet their deadlines." An excerpt from a real project estimator resume shows how this skill is central to what a project estimator does: "evaluate project cost, project completion times and performed safety compliance meetings. "
The three companies that hire the most project estimators are:
- Black & Veatch147 project estimators jobs
- GPAC56 project estimators jobs
- BrightView Landscape Development Inc10 project estimators jobs
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Compare different project estimators
Project estimator vs. Estimating assistant
An estimator project manager is responsible for analyzing cost estimates by gathering cost information from suppliers and other third-party vendors. An estimator project manager must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills, especially with measurement accuracy and evaluating important project metrics. Estimator project managers research the general market pricing of materials and labor costs, estimate production times, and follow the project timetable without compromising the quality and the client's specifications. They create estimate reports and risk analyses to discuss with the client and the project team.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a project estimator are more likely to require skills like "project management," "renewable energy," "project cost," and "sage." On the other hand, a job as an estimating assistant requires skills like "purchase orders," "worksheets," "subcontractor database," and "bid bonds." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Estimating assistants tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,112. In contrast, project estimators make the biggest average salary, $76,612, in the manufacturing industry.estimating assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than project estimators. In fact, estimating assistants are 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Project estimator vs. Estimator/project coordinator
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, project estimator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "project management," "renewable energy," "sage," and "oil gas." Meanwhile, an estimator/project coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "purchase orders," "bid invitations," "bid process," and "project coordination." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Estimator/project coordinators earn a lower average salary than project estimators. But estimator/project coordinators earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $57,269. Additionally, project estimators earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $76,612 annually.In general, estimator/project coordinators achieve similar levels of education than project estimators. They're 2.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Project estimator vs. Assistant estimator/project manager
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from project estimator resumes include skills like "renewable energy," "sage," "oil gas," and "project estimates," whereas an assistant estimator/project manager is more likely to list skills in "purchase orders," "construction management," "bid process," and "assist project. "
Assistant estimator/project managers earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $69,857. Project estimators earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $76,612.When it comes to education, assistant estimator/project managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to project estimators. In fact, they're 2.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Project estimator vs. Estimator project manager
Even though a few skill sets overlap between project estimators and estimator project managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a project estimator might have more use for skills like "project management," "renewable energy," "sage," and "oil gas." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of estimator project managers require skills like "construction management," "xactimate," "cost control," and "conceptual development. "
The energy industry tends to pay the highest salaries for estimator project managers, with average annual pay of $77,488. Comparatively, the highest project estimator annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.estimator project managers reach similar levels of education compared to project estimators, in general. The difference is that they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of project estimator
Updated January 8, 2025
