Here at Niche SSP, we focus on all things Preconstruction & do our best to aid Preconstruction & Estimating staff at all levels with their career advancement. That comes in all shapes & sizes and one question that pops up with Estimators in the early stages of their career is how can they move into a Preconstruction Manager role & what would be expected of them.

So I wanted to give a brief break down of the duties & responsibilities of an Estimator & Preconstruction Manager to help any junior level staff in the decision of which career is best suited for them & their skill set.

As an estimator, your duties include analyzing construction plans and specifications to prepare accurate cost estimates for a a diverse portfolio of projects. Estimators typically work in the preconstruction phase of a project and are responsible for determining the materials, labour, and equipment needed to complete a project within budget. They also consider other factors such as building codes, permits, and environmental regulations when preparing cost estimates.

Having strong analytical skills is a must & lays the foundations for a strong estimator.

The role of a Preconstruction Manager encompasses all of the skills & duties expected of a talented Estimator. However adds on a number of additional responsibilities that occur throughout the earliest stages of Preconstruction right until the final handover to Operations team occurs.

As a Preconstruction Manager, you work with clients/owners, architects, engineers, and subcontractors to develop project plans, schedules, and budgets. They also provide value engineering, design review, and constructability analysis this is to ensure the best & most cost effective strategies are used to ensure the highest quality & cost returns occur.

They also  ensure that a project is ready to move into the construction phase by coordinating all preconstruction activities and making sure that all parties are working together efficiently.

By looking at both roles of Estimators & Preconstruction Managers you will see how a lot of similar duties overlap in both roles, but to summarize, estimators focus mainly on cost analysis and estimating, preconstruction managers are responsible for overseeing the entire preconstruction process.

I hope this was helpful to anyone considering a new role within Preconstruction & Estimating & if you would be interested in discussing this further feel free to reach out anytime.