As a steel estimator, you’re in a prime position to influence the competitive advantage your company is chasing.

Project efficiency is directly correlated to your efficacy as an estimator. Cost control and improving profit margins are lofty ideals that can only be achieved through your efforts in creating accurate and competitive steel project estimates.

The project buck starts, and stops, with you, so how can you best live up to these paramount responsibilities? It’s time to be proactive — leveraging the right strategies and processes, at the right time, is the best professional tool in the estimator’s toolbox.

There are several key areas of the fabrication workflow where an estimator’s influence can have a tremendous impact:

• Estimating/Bidding
• Fabrication
• Erection
• Analysis

Let’s explore the challenges and solutions associated with each of these stages to better understand how estimators can help boost project profitability.

Estimating/Bidding

From the volatility of steel prices to the complexities of predicting labor requirements, the estimator’s job includes plenty of room for error and inefficiency. 

However, don’t take this challenge lying down. There are strategies you can implement to help keep material costs down, avoid erroneous charges, and improve the accuracy of labor predictions. Here are just a few examples:

• Keep your PM in the loop: Talk to your project manager. It’s better to keep them abreast of sourcing materials to ensure adequate supplies are on-hand and to avoid costly delays. 
• Benchmarking: Industry benchmarking helps establish a standard against which to measure materials costs. By doing thorough industry research, you can ensure you’re not overpaying for steel.
• Adopting the right software: By developing estimates using the right software solution, you can not only make your own job faster and more efficient, you can also improve the detailing, fabrication, and erection phases as well.