GDI provides best in class integrated, high level, facility maintenance services to The United States and Canada. We have more than 30,000 team members who will effectively contribute to the success of ours and our customer’s businesses. With almost a century of facility service experience, state of the art business practices, environmentally friendly processes and supplies and an established global reputation, we are able to offer unrivaled client experience and satisfaction.
SUMMARY
The Senior Estimator leads the development of accurate, competitive, and comprehensive cost estimates for commercial facility maintenance opportunities. This role analyzes complex requests for proposal, specifications, site conditions, labor requirements, materials, equipment, subcontracted services, and operational risks to produce complete bid packages and pricing recommendations. The Senior Estimator partners with Sales, Operations, Finance, Procurement, and senior leadership; supports bid strategy and client presentations; improves estimating tools and standards; and provides guidance to other estimators. This is a remote position based in the United States, with travel as required.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the preparation of detailed estimates for complex commercial facility maintenance bids, renewals, expansions, and special projects.
- Serve as a hands-on player-coach for the U.S. Estimation team by personally leading priority and complex estimates while coordinating team workload, setting expectations, reviewing deliverables, coaching team members, and helping build consistent estimating practices and capabilities across the United States.
- Review requests for proposal, scopes of work, specifications, drawings, site information, collective bargaining requirements, and contract terms to identify cost drivers, assumptions, exclusions, risks, and opportunities.
- Develop labor models using appropriate production rates, frequencies, staffing patterns, wage rates, payroll burdens, shift premiums, supervision, and other site-specific requirements.
- Prepare complete cost models covering labor, materials, consumables, equipment, vehicles, subcontractors, mobilization, overhead, escalation, contingency, and other direct and indirect costs.
- Perform site visits, validate building data and operational assumptions, document findings, and incorporate clarifications into the estimate.
- Lead estimate reviews and quality-control checks to ensure pricing is accurate, complete, traceable, and aligned with proposal requirements and company standards.
- Develop bid assumptions, clarifications, exclusions, pricing narratives, and supporting schedules for inclusion in proposal submissions.
- Partner with Sales and senior leadership to establish bid strategy, evaluate competitive positioning, assess risk, and recommend pricing scenarios.
- Collaborate with Operations to design practical staffing plans, work schedules, equipment programs, transition approaches, and service-delivery solutions.
- Coordinate pricing input from Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, vendors, and subcontractors as required.
- Manage multiple estimates and deadlines, maintain the active bid list, and communicate status, dependencies, and risks to stakeholders.
- Support pre-bid meetings, internal strategy sessions, interviews, negotiations, best-and-final-offer submissions, and client presentations.
- Respond to questions and addenda, evaluate scope changes, and revise pricing and documentation in a controlled and timely manner.
- Perform conceptual and budget estimates for prospective clients and evaluate alternative methods, materials, equipment, and service levels.
- Lead estimate-to-operations handoffs for awarded work, clearly communicating scope, assumptions, staffing, production rates, cost structure, and identified risks.
- Conduct post-award reviews comparing estimated and actual performance; identify variances, lessons learned, and improvements for future bids.
- Develop, maintain, and continuously improve estimating models, databases, templates, benchmarks, tools, procedures, and documentation.
- Research market conditions, wage trends, material and equipment costs, productivity benchmarks, and relevant industry practices.
- Provide guidance, technical review, and knowledge sharing to estimators and cross-functional team members.
- Protect confidential client and company information and maintain complete estimate files in accordance with established processes.
- Travel and perform other estimating-related duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, construction management, facilities management, finance, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
- Minimum of 7 years of progressive estimating experience within the commercial janitorial industry required, including responsibility for complex, multi-site, or high-value service contracts.
- Demonstrated player-coach leadership experience, with the ability to remain actively involved in estimating work while guiding, developing, and holding a geographically dispersed U.S. Estimation team accountable for quality, consistency, and deadlines.
- Demonstrated experience estimating janitorial, facility maintenance, integrated facility services, or other labor-intensive service programs required.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, data analysis, pivot tables, scenario modeling, and quality-control techniques.
- Strong understanding of labor planning, productivity rates, wage and benefit structures, materials, equipment, subcontracting, overhead, escalation, and margin analysis.
- Ability to interpret complex proposal documents, specifications, drawings, contract requirements, and operational data.
- Proven ability to develop defensible assumptions, identify commercial and operational risks, and communicate recommendations to senior stakeholders.
- Strong financial, analytical, organizational, and project-management capabilities, with consistent attention to detail and deadlines.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Experience with estimating, proposal-management, customer relationship management, business intelligence, or facilities-management systems is an asset.
- Ability to work independently in a remote environment, manage competing priorities, and travel as required.
GDI, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
#CO99
Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, construction management, facilities management, finance, or related field preferred; 7+ years progressive estimating experience in commercial janitorial industry required; advanced Microsoft Excel skills; ability to travel as required.
Key Responsibilities
- preparing cost estimates
- leading bid strategy
- reviewing proposals
Skills & Tools
Microsoft Excel
Job Details
- Category: Business Operations
- Seniority: Senior Level
- Commitment: Full Time
- Workplace: Remote — United States
- Languages: English
About GDI Integrated Facility Services
A facility services company providing integrated maintenance solutions across the United States and Canada. — Industry: Consulting Services