The Rise of the Modern Estimator - Digital Builder

Abstract

What we in America call Estimators, and what the rest of the world calls Surveyors, have been around for thousands of years. The good news is that it's not 1980 anymore, and the number of tools on the estimator's tool belt has risen dramatically. BIM, cloud based takeoff tools, estimating databases, historic cost analysis, value engineering tools, carbon tracking tools, and more are all available to make sure an estimator can be as precise and confident in their number as possible. The Estimator of 2022 Today's estimators take the age-old task of developing cost to the next level. If you look at the computer screen of a new age estimator, you see a 3D Model on one monitor, the PDF contract documents on another, and right in the middle is a list of 10 similar projects that have been built in the past 10 years to set their baseline. If you look at that estimator's calendar, you'll see meetings with the owner, the design team, their estimating peers, and VDC. They are constantly collaborating, and they are no longer just reacting to updates to design documents. Estimators have been waiting a long time for that to change and I can say with confidence that their golden age has finally arrived.