Construction ✦ Estimating ✦ Dedicated
Estimating
assistant
Take-offs measured, suppliers chased for pricing, quotes assembled in your template and tender documents kept in order — so your estimator prices the job instead of counting metres at ten at night.
Looking for this kind of work yourself? Apply at staffingsolutions.ph — this page is written for businesses hiring.
$14/hrFrom, + GST · full-time
Up to 70%Vs. a local hire
Take-offsMeasured from your drawings
~2 wksBrief → first day
The bottleneck is not pricing, it is preparation
Ask any builder why quotes go out late and the answer is rarely the pricing itself. It is the measuring, the chasing of three suppliers for a rate, the reformatting into the client template, the version control on a tender that changed twice.
That work is the majority of the hours and almost none of the judgement. An experienced estimator adds value deciding on method, risk, margin and exclusions — not scaling a drawing.
An estimating assistant does the preparation so the estimator does the estimating. In practice this means more quotes out the door, which in a market where hit rate is roughly fixed is the whole game.
What they prepare
- Quantity take-offs — Measured from your drawings in your take-off software, structured the way your estimator wants it, with assumptions listed.
- Supplier pricing — Requests out to your supplier list, followed up until the rates come back, and tabulated for comparison rather than buried in email.
- Quote assembly — Your pricing dropped into your template, inclusions and exclusions applied from your standard schedule, formatted and ready for your review.
- Tender document control — Addenda tracked, drawing revisions filed, the current set unambiguous, and the submission checklist maintained.
- Subcontractor requests — Scope packages sent to subbies, quotes chased and compared like-for-like on your format.
- Rate library upkeep — Your rates kept current as supplier pricing moves, so the next quote does not start from an old number.
- Post-quote follow-up — Quotes logged, follow-up scheduled, outcomes recorded — so you can actually see your hit rate.
What stays with your estimator
Measurement and preparation travel. Risk, method, margin and anything you sign stay in-house.
- Margin and riskWhat you load for risk, and what margin the job carries, is a commercial decision for you.
- Method and buildabilityConstruction method, sequencing and buildability calls stay with your estimator or PM.
- Signing the tenderSubmissions are prepared for your signature. They are not submitted on your behalf without your review.
- Licensed adviceAnything that constitutes building advice under your state licensing rules stays with your licensed people.
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Questions
Frequently asked
Can they actually read construction drawings?
The good ones can, and it is the main thing we screen for on this role — Philippine engineering and architecture graduates are common and many have worked for Australian or US builders doing exactly this. We verify the experience with the employer rather than trusting the CV, and you interview them before deciding.
Which take-off software do you support?
Whatever you already use. Tell us on the call — if we do not have people with that specific tool we will say so, and we will tell you whether it is a two-week learning curve or a genuine barrier.
Will they get the measurements wrong?
Some, at first, on your specific conventions — the same as any new estimator. The way this works is that early take-offs get checked, assumptions get written down rather than assumed, and by about the fourth job the checking becomes spot-checking.
How much does it cost?
From $14/hr + GST full-time — up to 70% less than a local hire, with no placement fee. Run your numbers →
Full-time, part-time or fewer hours?
Forty hours a week is our standard engagement and twenty is common. Below that we look at fifteen, ten or even five hours to get a role started, priced accordingly — a smaller engagement costs a little more per hour because the recruiting and management effort is the same. Plenty of clients begin at ten hours and grow the role once they see what comes off their desk.
Is there a minimum term?
Three months, then month to month. It's the same runway you'd give a new local hire to learn your systems, your clients and your standards — and the team members who get a fair run are the ones who stay for years. There are no exit penalties at any point, and if the issue is the person rather than the role, the first-week refund and free replacement cover that separately.
How do you handle confidentiality?
The same way you'd treat any remote team member. Every placement signs an NDA and a confidentiality clause before day one, and they work inside your systems — your email, your CRM, your file storage — so you control what they can see and can revoke access instantly. No client data is stored on our side.