Estimating Services for General Contractors Bid more work without adding seats.
Estimating services for general contractors, built as a dedicated team that works as part of your preconstruction department — self-perform takeoffs, sub-bid leveling, scope sheets, and bid coordination across every CSI division. Full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
15 days of free estimating is available to qualified contractors, subject to approval. If you choose to continue afterwards, service moves to a quarterly agreement (3-month term) that renews each quarter until cancelled — full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
- 600+estimators
- 140,000+jobs estimated
- 45 states+ D.C. & PR · Canada · Australia
- 50+trades & scopes
Hiring an estimator is slow, expensive, and risky.
Or have a dedicated estimator on your bids in under 7 days.
Hiring in-house
| 12,435 | open estimator positions across the US — everyone is competing for the same people |
|---|---|
| 3–5 months | typical time to hire an estimator |
| $50,000 | typical cost of a bad hire |
| $100K–$120K | estimator salary, plus benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead |
| 20–25% | typical recruiter or placement fee, charged on first-year salary |
With Bidding Enterprise
- A fraction of the in-house costNo salary, payroll tax, benefits or recruiter fees
- One simple monthly paymentNo benefits to pay. We handle payroll and expenses; it's all included in one monthly payment
- No placement feesZero recruiting or placement fees
- Free replacementNot the right fit? We swap your estimator at no cost
- QA team includedQA and technical managers at no extra cost
- Start within 7 daysYour estimator onboards in about a week
- Your hours, your time zoneWorks your schedule and reports directly to you
Fully managed and AI-enabled. Hiring, training and coverage are handled by us; Build Intel and Dexter speed up the work, and your estimator and our QA team check every output.
Market figures are typical industry estimates and vary by region and role.
Your preconstruction desk, extended.
Your dedicated estimators plug into the way your office already bids — your templates, your software, your sub list — and carry each project from invitation to a bid you can stand behind.
Bid intake & go/no-go support
Invitations logged, documents reviewed, and scope, schedule, and bonding requirements flagged so you decide faster which jobs to chase.
Scope sheets & sub outreach
Trade-by-trade scope sheets and invitations to bid, sent and followed up so every package has coverage by bid day.
Self-perform takeoffs
Quantities, labor hours, and pricing for the work you self-perform — concrete, framing, finishes, or whatever your crews carry.
Sub-bid leveling
Every subcontractor and supplier quote normalized into one comparison, with exclusions, gaps, and plugs called out clearly.
RFIs & addenda
Questions raised early, addenda tracked, and changes carried through every division of the estimate.
Bid assembly & follow-up
General conditions, alternates, and bid forms assembled in your format for your review — then the outcome chased after bid day.
A precon team that knows your jobs.
Not a one-off takeoff over the wall — estimators who learn your historicals, your sub relationships, and the way you win.
Estimators who are yours
Your team works only on your bids, in your time zone, trained on your standards, past estimates, and win/loss history.
Coverage on every package
Sub outreach, follow-up, and leveling handled end to end, so you walk into bid day with apples-to-apples numbers.
Numbers you can defend
Every estimate is backed by our QA and technical managers, plus Build Intel checks that flag missing scope before you submit.
Every division, under one roof.
Your GC team can price self-perform work and check sub numbers in any trade — and on any project type you build.
Estimating for subcontractors
Takeoffs, labor models, and proposals for specialty trades.
Build your GC estimating team.
Tell us what you bid and how your precon desk runs today. Book a free 1-hour pre-construction assessment — we'll map the team we'd build; assessment and setup take about an hour, and your estimator is typically on your bids in under 7 days.
Qualified contractors get 15 days of free estimating — your dedicated estimator works your live bids at no cost, full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
Or reach us: Estimate@Biddingenterprise.com · 718-717-2729
Estimating services for general contractors — common questions
What estimating services do you provide for general contractors?
We provide estimating services for general contractors through a dedicated team: bid intake, scope sheets, sub outreach, self-perform takeoffs, sub-bid leveling, RFIs, and final bid assembly across all 16 CSI divisions. Your estimators work in your software and templates as part of your preconstruction department, backed by our QA and technical managers.
Can you level subcontractor bids for us?
Yes. Your team gathers sub and supplier quotes, normalizes them into one comparison, and flags exclusions, missing scope, and plugs so you compare apples to apples. Build Intel, our AI-assisted estimating software, speeds up the leveling and highlights gaps automatically, while your estimator reviews every line before it reaches you.
Do you handle bid coordination and sub outreach?
Yes. We prepare trade-by-trade scope sheets, send invitations to bid from your sub list or ours, follow up until packages have coverage, and track responses through bid day. You stay in control of which subs are invited and which numbers you carry, and we keep the whole process organized.
Can you estimate our self-perform work?
Yes. Your dedicated estimator prices the scopes your crews self-perform — concrete, framing, drywall, finishes, or site work — with quantities, labor hours, and unit rates benchmarked to the market and your own completed jobs. Those numbers sit alongside leveled sub pricing, so the whole bid is built in one place.
How quickly can a GC team get started?
Most general contractors finish the free assessment and setup in about an hour, with their estimator typically on their bids in under 7 days. We review your bid calendar, templates, and software, then assign the estimators we'd build your team around. Timelines for each bid depend on project size and documents, so we agree on them bid by bid instead of promising a fixed turnaround.
Is your estimating for general contractors AI-enabled?
Yes. Every general contractor estimating team we build works with Build Intel, our AI-assisted estimating software, and Dexter, our AI co-estimator, which reads drawings and specs and gives cited answers. AI speeds up the first draft; your dedicated estimator checks every quantity and our QA team reviews the work before it reaches you. You review and approve the final bid.
How fast can I get an estimator?
Typically in under 7 days. The free assessment and setup take about an hour; then we match a dedicated estimator trained for your trade, and most clients have that estimator on their bids in under 7 days. It is a good-faith target, not a guarantee — timing depends on your trade, software, and bid volume.