Senior Estimator / Estimation Manager – Civil & Fit-Out

The Estimation Manager / Senior Estimator is responsible for accurate pre-contract estimating, quantity take-off, tender pricing, commercial risk review, value engineering, and bid preparation for the company’s villas and high-end turnkey projects. The role covers civil, structural, architectural, fit-out, premium finishing, and joinery works, while coordinating specialist and MEP inputs

Key Responsibilities

• A. Tender Review and Bid Strategy Review invitations to tender, drawings, specifications, BOQs, conditions of contract, schedules, authority requirements, and submission instructions
• Identify scope gaps, inconsistencies, missing information, interfaces, provisional items, and tender risks; issue RFIs and maintain assumptions, qualifications, and exclusions
• Support bid/no-bid decisions and establish the tender programme, pricing strategy, package plan, responsibilities, and review milestones
• B. Quantity Take-Off and BOQ Control Prepare and validate detailed quantity take-offs for civil, structural, architectural, fit-out, premium finishing, and joinery works
• Check consultant BOQs against drawings and specifications, identify omissions or quantity discrepancies, and prepare revised or supplementary BOQs where required
• Maintain traceable measurement sheets, drawing references, revisions, and quantity audit trails
• C. Cost Estimation and Tender Pricing Build detailed direct and indirect cost estimates covering materials, labour, plant, subcontractors, temporary works, logistics, testing, approvals, preliminaries, overheads, contingency, and margin
• Prepare rate build-ups using current productivity, wage, material, plant, supplier, subcontractor, and market information
• Price high-value luxury finishes and specialist packages with proper allowance for approved brands, workmanship, mock-ups, samples, wastage, protection, interfaces, and installation complexity
• Check estimate completeness and arithmetic accuracy and ensure all tender addenda and clarifications are incorporated before submission
• D. Supplier, Subcontractor and Procurement Inputs Prepare clear enquiry packages and obtain competitive quotations from approved and capable suppliers and subcontractors
• Conduct technical and commercial comparisons covering scope, quantities, rates, exclusions, lead times, payment terms, validity, compliance, and commercial risk
• Normalize quotations, challenge abnormal pricing, verify missing scope, and recommend reliable tender allowances and procurement assumptions
• Coordinate with Procurement and technical disciplines to ensure tendered solutions are available, buildable, and aligned with the company quality requirements
• E. Value Engineering, Risk and Profit Protection Develop value engineering options covering alternative materials, specifications, systems, sourcing, packaging, and construction methodology without compromising design intent or luxury quality
• Assess contractual, design, quantity, procurement, labour, programme, logistics, inflation, and market risks and quantify appropriate allowances or mitigation measures
• Identify underpriced, high-risk, or commercially unacceptable items and escalate them before final pricing approval
• Benchmark pricing against historical company projects, current market data, and comparable luxury developments
• F. Tender Submission, Clarifications and Negotiation Prepare tender summaries, pricing schedules, commercial qualifications, exclusions, alternatives, cash-flow inputs, and management review packs
• Participate in internal reviews, consultant or client clarification meetings, value engineering discussions, and tender negotiations
• Revise estimates following addenda or negotiations while maintaining control of scope, risk, approval, and profitability
• Ensure final submissions are complete, consistent, authorized, and delivered within the required deadline
• G. Team Leadership and Estimating Controls Allocate workload, set deadlines, review outputs, coach team members, manage tender priorities, and maintain departmental standards and accountability
• Maintain approved estimating templates, cost databases, rate libraries, vendor records, tender registers, version control, and complete supporting documentation
• Improve estimating procedures, digital take-off, cost analysis, reporting, and lessons-learned practices
• H. Coordination, Reporting and Handover Coordinate with Design, Technical, Planning, Procurement, Commercial, Finance, MEP, Joinery, Operations, suppliers, subcontractors, consultants, and management
• Provide timely tender status, resource, quotation, risk, value engineering, and decision-required updates to management
• After award, conduct a structured handover of the approved estimate, quantities, rates, assumptions, exclusions, risks, procurement strategy, and tender correspondence to the project and commercial teams
• Capture tender outcomes, post-bid feedback, actual cost intelligence, and lessons learned for future estimates
• REQUIRED REPORTS ____________________________________________________________________________________ Weekly Tender Dashboard: Tender status, submission deadlines, progress against plan, key delays, and decisions required from the CEO/Management, with required decision dates
• Pre-Submission Commercial & Approval Summary: Estimated cost, proposed selling price and margin, key risks, exclusions, value engineering options, and specific approvals required, supported by recommendations

Desired Candidate Profile

REQUIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES Advanced contractor-side estimating, quantity take-off, BOQ review, rate build-up, and tender pricing. Strong knowledge of civil, structural, architectural, fit-out, luxury finishing, and joinery works. Understanding of construction methodology, productivity, preliminaries, logistics, procurement, and programme-related cost. Commercial risk assessment, value engineering, negotiation, benchmarking, and profit protection. Advanced Excel and practical use of estimating, digital take-off, ERP, and reporting systems such as CCS Candy, CostX, Bluebeam, or equivalent. Clear management reporting, disciplined documentation, confident coordination, and strong attention to detail. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS Minimum 15 years of construction estimating experience, including at least 5 years managing an estimation team or function. Regional

Experience

Strong UAE/GCC Tier 1 main-contractor experience and knowledge of the Dubai supply chain and market rates. Project

Experience

Proven delivery of luxury villas, high-end residential, hospitality, or complex turnkey tenders; premium finishing experience is required.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or a related discipline. Preferred: MRICS, Certified Cost Professional, CIOB, PMP, or equivalent relevant professional qualification. Employment Type Full-time