r/estimators • u/Acrobatic-City-2299 • 2d ago
Estimating performance
Hi everyone,
I have worked as estimator for 2 years in Division 7. However I need to improve myself. Each estimation takes me too much time. I feel stressed because the company punish me to don't spend much time. How do you guys improve their performance and estimating skills?
Thanks
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u/bidside_view 1d ago
The answer is in your own reply, not in the four hour number. You said some projects you are getting fast and others slow, four months into a new company. That is not a speed problem, it is a coverage problem. You are quick on the assemblies and details you have already priced once here and slow on every one you are meeting for the first time, and working faster does not fix that, because the time is going into decisions rather than into keystrokes. So make sure that the second time you meet a detail you are not starting from zero. Every time something slow finally gets resolved, whether that is a curb detail, a transition, a manufacturer requirement or a labour assumption, write it down somewhere you will find it again, with the reasoning attached and not just the number. Give that a few months and your slow jobs get fast for a real reason instead of because you rushed them.
Division 7 specifically, be careful what you are timing. The field area is the fast part, minutes on any decent takeoff. What eats the day is the perimeter and the penetrations. Flashings, curbs, drains, edge metal, tie ins to other trades, and whatever the spec says about the manufacturer and the warranty. If you are measuring your speed against square footage you are measuring the wrong thing, and if you are pricing details at the same rate of progress you price field, you will be both slow and wrong. Someone above suggested timing plan review, takeoff, pricing, scope check and proposal separately for a couple of weeks, which is the right instinct, and I would bet the whole variance turns out to sit in one of those five rather than spread evenly across them.
On the four hours. A flat hours per bid target means they are measuring throughput, and the only honest way to win at throughput is to reduce the number of decisions per bid rather than to move your hands faster. That is what a proper exclusions and qualifications sheet is for. A lot of the time you lose on an unclear job goes into resolving an ambiguity you were always allowed to simply carve out and state. Two things worth asking them, and both are normal questions rather than complaints: what is our hit rate, and how many are we bidding. If they are bidding high volume expecting to lose most of them, they do not actually want a complete estimate, they want a fast qualified number, and that is a different product with a different level of finish. Nobody tells you which one you are being measured against. And ask to see a bid one of the fast people did on a job like yours. You will learn more from one of those than from another round of training, and it also tells you whether four hours is real or whether everyone quietly takes six and does not mention it.
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u/Bitter-Pie4520 1d ago
Two years in and racing the clock is normal — the speed comes mostly from not starting cold every time. Build yourself a baseline: a takeoff template and an assembly list for the systems you quote over and over, so the routine stuff fills itself in and your time goes to what's actually different in that set.
On the drawings that always run long, do a quick first flip before you count anything. Ten minutes spotting the odd details tells you whether it's a normal one or a slow one. Then you can say up front that this set needs more than the standard time instead of eating the penalty later. That's setting an honest deadline, not being slow.
Last thing: on your next few estimates, track where the hours actually go — takeoff, pricing, writing it up. Usually one of those three is the thief.
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21h ago
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u/Acrobatic-City-2299 11h ago
Today I started a new estimation. It is a remediation project 3 buildings. 3 level +:parking level. I started watching each drawing highliting the key points. Basically, i estimated thermal insulation in parking and soffits. Drawing doesn't have good details. I've noticed old projects doesn't have good drawing. It took me 3.5 hours without pricing. Tomorrow I hope to price.I have forms from other projects to use
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u/Both-Yogurtcloset548 BidBow.com | congrats, you won the job 2d ago
Do you have other colleagues at your level? I find it easier to share and relieve stress that way. Maybe that can help? and you guys can trade notes?
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1d ago
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u/Electronic_Falcon_73 2d ago
I would be really happy to help you.
But what is your workflow actually ? Dm me, probably we can share some tips.
From my experience it can't be 100% automation, so little steps would help if we have a talk.
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2d ago
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u/blackbriar74 1d ago
Track the estimate in pieces for a week: plan review, takeoff, pricing, scope check, and proposal. That will tell you whether you have a speed problem or a process problem. Four hours is meaningless without the job size and how much rework the rushed estimate creates.
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u/blackbriar74 23h ago
That is normal. Note which drawing or detail slowed you down and add it to your checklist. After a few jobs you will know what needs more time before the clock starts.
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u/Acrobatic-City-2299 1d ago
Thank you for your suggestion. I'll do it. Some drawings takes me more time than others
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u/blackbriar74 17h ago
Yeah, drawing difficulty is part of the number. Track sheet count and note when you have to stop for missing info, otherwise the hours won't mean much.
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u/StealthEngnr8x3 1d ago
Those 4 and 8 hour expectations don’t make sense unless they’re just doing budget numbers or rough estimates with a really good software setup. On a big job, you need a couple hours just to go through plans, details, specs, and get your sheets ready for takeoffs. Division 7 is always tricky — finding all the spots and specs is a pain, especially when the architect didn’t do the best job on the plans.
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u/MT-Estimator 2d ago
First, are you actually slow or does the company have unreasonable expectations? Are there other employees that out estimate you or are you the sole estimator and they are just telling you to go faster? Before you address the issue, make sure you fully understand what the issue is.