Construction Estimator VAs
Price more work without hiring another full-time estimator. Our Estimator VAs take on takeoffs, tender preparation, quote chasing and pricing administration so your Australian estimating team spends its time on judgement, not data entry.
Tender capacity is the constraint — not opportunity
Most estimating teams are not slow. They're interrupted. A large share of an estimator's week goes to work that doesn't require an estimator: sending quote requests, following up subcontractors, transcribing prices, formatting schedules, keeping the tender register current.
- Your estimator does the takeoff and the chasing
- Tenders get declined when two land in the same week
- Quote comparisons are rushed the day before submission
- The cost database drifts out of date
- Scope gaps surface after award, not before
- Takeoffs and measure arrive ready for your estimator to review
- Quote requests go out the day the documents land
- Subcontractor follow-up runs on a register, not memory
- Comparisons are built to a consistent format every time
- Your estimator applies judgement to a prepared position
What an Estimator VA can take on
Grouped by where it sits in the tender cycle. Scope is agreed before placement — you decide how much of this list applies.
Documents & scope
- Tender document review and register set-up
- Scope reviews and inclusion/exclusion lists
- Drawing and addenda tracking
- Trade package breakdowns
- Tender tracking across live opportunities
Takeoffs & BOQs
- Quantity takeoffs from drawings
- Bill of quantities preparation
- Pricing schedules and rate build-ups
- Estimating database and cost library updates
- Estimating software administration
Quotes & submission
- Supplier and subcontractor quote requests
- Structured follow-up until quotes are in
- Subcontractor quote comparisons
- Tender submission preparation and formatting
- Estimating administration and post-tender filing
What an Estimator VA is not
An Estimator VA supports your estimating function — they do not replace the person who owns the number. Commercial judgement, risk allowances, final margin and the decision to submit stay with your team. That boundary is deliberate, and it’s what makes the arrangement work.
We match to the software you already run
We don't ask you to change systems. Tell us what you use and we'll screen for candidates with relevant experience in it, or arrange training where a platform is close to something they already know.
A typical tender, with an Estimator VA in the loop
An illustration of how the work divides. Every business runs its own process — this is adapted to yours, not imposed on it.
| Stage | Your Estimator VA | Your Australian estimator |
|---|---|---|
| Tender received | Registers the tender, downloads and sorts documents, builds the trade breakdown | Confirms go / no-go and target trades |
| Scope review | Drafts inclusions, exclusions and clarification questions from the documents | Reviews, adds commercial and risk items |
| Takeoff | Completes the measure and prepares the BOQ | Spot-checks quantities and sets rates |
| Subcontractor quotes | Issues requests, tracks responses, chases outstanding, tabulates comparisons | Selects preferred pricing, negotiates |
| Submission | Formats the schedule and assembles the submission pack | Applies margin, signs off, submits |
| After submission | Updates the tender register and cost database, files the tender | Follows up the client relationship |
Illustrative division of work. Actual scope is agreed with you before placement.
Who gets the most out of an Estimator VA
- Builders and contractors turning down tenders on capacity
- Businesses with one estimator carrying the whole pipeline
- Subcontractors pricing several packages a week
- Companies where the director is still doing takeoffs
- Teams whose tender register and cost database have gone stale
- Businesses growing faster than they can recruit locally
Not sure if it fits?
Send through a rough description of your last three tenders and where the time went. We’ll tell you which parts a VA could realistically take on — and which parts they couldn’t.
Find your Construction Estimator VA
Tell us the projects you price, the software you use and the hours you need. We'll come back with a clear view of what an Estimator VA could take on.