Frequently
Asked Questions

Share the current drawings, specifications, addenda, project location, and deadline. Tell us the trades involved and whether the output is for a bid, budget, or another decision. Once we review the information, we will confirm the scope, deliverables, timing, and fee.

We review the documents, project size, complexity, required detail, deadline, and available capacity before agreeing a delivery date. Expedited turnaround may be available depending on project size and current capacity.

We first establish what can be estimated from the available information and make assumptions and exclusions explicit. When the project is in the early stage of design, Budget Development or a schematic estimate may be the more appropriate starting point.

Yes. We can support a defined portion of the estimating work or provide additional estimating capacity alongside your internal team. This may include specific trades, takeoffs, or other agreed estimating tasks. Before starting, we define responsibilities, required inputs, review points, and deliverables so there is a clear division of work.

The estimating output identifies the agreed scope, available project information, applicable pricing basis, and material assumptions, exclusions, and allowances. We also identify the cost components included in the estimate so you can clearly understand what the estimate does and does not cover.

The service is intended for commercial, multifamily, residential, renovation, and adaptive-reuse work. Suitability depends on the project documents, trades, complexity, and required detail, which we review before accepting the assignment.

Yes. You can begin with a defined takeoff or estimating assignment. If you later need recurring support, we can establish an agreed scope and capacity based on your workload. Each engagement defines the included services, capacity, and turnaround expectations.

The fee follows the agreed estimate level, trades, document quality, complexity, deadline, and review requirements. We define the deliverables and fee before work begins. If new plan versions, additional scope, or additional review requirements are introduced after the assignment begins, we will review any impact on scope, timing, and fee before proceeding with the additional work.

Share the bid documents, current addenda, submission instructions, deadline, and any subcontractor or supplier quotes already received. Include your priorities and any known scope concerns. We’ll review the available information and confirm whether you require bid leveling, quote organization, bid-package preparation, or other agreed support.

Construction Estimating develops quantities and estimated costs for an agreed scope. Bid Support focuses on organizing and comparing broader bid information, including subcontractor quotes, inclusions, exclusions, and scope differences. Takeoffs or additional estimating work can be included when specifically agreed.

Subcontractor outreach can be included when specifically agreed as part of the assignment. Some Bid Support engagements are based solely on quotes supplied by your team, while others may include solicitation, follow-up, or pricing coordination. We confirm responsibility for obtaining pricing, verification, and follow-up before work begins.

We compare quotes against the agreed scope and identify differences in inclusions, exclusions, alternates, pricing coverage, and apparent scope gaps. We also identify questions that may require clarification before final selection. Bid leveling supports your decision-making but does not replace your final subcontractor selection or any separately agreed vetting process.

We review the deadline alongside the trade count, document quality, quote completeness, and required review. We then agree what can be delivered in the available time. Timing is confirmed after that review rather than promised before we see the bid.

Your authorized team retains bid strategy, final pricing, subcontractor selection, and submission. We provide the agreed organization, comparisons, findings, and next-action notes to inform those decisions.

We agree on the document versions, addenda responsibility, and review rounds at the start. Additional quotes, new trades, or further clarification cycles may change the scope and fee. Changes should be agreed before the additional work proceeds.

Yes. We can scope a single comparison, quote-organization task, or bid event. We agree on the inputs, deliverables, limits, deadline, and fee for that assignment rather than assuming you need a broader estimating engagement.

Finished construction drawings are not always needed. Basic plans or an outline scope, approximate area, location, intended use, and an idea of quality or finishes may be enough to start. We first confirm whether the available information supports a useful budget.

An early budget uses available information while parts of the project remain undefined. A detailed estimate works from more developed documents and measurable scope. Schematic/Assembly estimates can be scoped once rather than treated as two separate services.

Share current plans, narratives, or outline scope; the project type, location, and timeline; the design stage; and your priorities or target budget. Any existing budget and known concerns help establish the intended use and appropriate depth.

We make the budget basis, assumptions, exclusions, allowances, and important unknowns explicit. Where information cannot support firm pricing, the output should show that limitation rather than present an uncertain cost as a final price.

Option comparisons can be included within the agreed scope. A quick rough-order-of-magnitude budget covers one project and one scenario; comparing alternatives or developing additional scenarios is not automatically included.

Yes, updates can be scoped as the project develops. Included revisions are limited to the agreed assignment. New scope, major changes, or additional options may require a revised scope and fee rather than an unlimited update commitment.

No. The budget is a planning cost basis at the current level of project definition, not a contractor’s final price or financing approval. We agree which cost categories it covers and identify exclusions and remaining uncertainty.

We review the available information, project size, design stage, complexity, decision deadline, and required budget depth before confirming timing and the fee. The assignment and its deliverables are defined before work begins.

We need the existing estimate and the decision it must support. Supporting drawings, specifications, addenda, project details, and your concerns help set the review scope. The required documents depend on the depth of review you choose.

No. A review checks an existing estimate at the agreed depth and provides findings. Rebuilding the estimate, performing deep takeoffs, or extensive repricing are separate activities unless expressly included in the assignment.

We agree on the review depth before starting. A quick second opinion checks a summary for arithmetic and visible scope or allowance flags. More detailed work can address agreed supporting records, assumptions, scope alignment, and pricing logic.

The findings identify specific concerns, explain why they matter, and show what needs clarification or another check. The aim is an understandable basis for your next decision, not simply a conflicting number without an explanation.

We assess the estimate, supporting records, required depth, deadline, and current workload before confirming timing. Urgent review is possible only when the available time and capacity support the agreed work.

The review can identify what needs to change. If requested, corrections to the underlying estimate, a new estimate, further takeoffs, or updated pricing can be provided under a separate scope unless already agreed. We distinguish those activities from revisions to the review findings.

No. A review is based on the available documents and agreed depth. It can identify apparent concerns and remaining limitations, but it does not guarantee that every error is found or that the final construction cost will match the estimate.

The fee depends on the estimate’s size, supporting records, review depth, complexity, and deadline. We agree what will be checked and delivered before work begins, including any work that would need a separate scope.

Agreed tasks can include maintaining logs and records, preparing meeting notes, tracking decisions, following up on commitments, and reporting supplied project status. We can schedule tracking, change tracking, complete subcontractor/client follow-up, RFIs/submittals, or help with other coordination activities. Physical verification, field direction, safety enforcement, and quality inspections remain with the on-site team.

No. This is contractor-facing remote support, not daily supervision or full owner-side construction management. Your team retains site leadership, field decisions, and responsibility for providing reliable information about actual work.

We need current project records, the schedule and budget, relevant contacts, and agreed system access. A designated team member must provide reliable field updates, and authorized decision-makers must be available for questions and approvals.

Reporting frequency is agreed as part of the scope based on the project’s needs, along with meeting frequency, response windows, and the escalation route. These depend on the project’s phase, complexity, and level of support, with clear input and response responsibilities on both sides.

Only your authorized personnel approve costs, contracts, scope or schedule changes, payments, and commitments on your company’s behalf. We track information and escalate open decisions; remote coordination does not give us authority to bind your company.

The base and deeper remote support options cover one active project with agreed capacity. Multiple-project work needs its own defined scope. Included coordination, documentation, administration, and controls tasks share the agreed capacity rather than creating unlimited support.

System access and working arrangements are reviewed during setup. We agree which tools and records will be used, who maintains each information source, and how field updates reach the remote team. Software integrations or system migration require separate consideration.

We review the agreed tasks, hours, meetings, and project needs. Additional projects, expanded responsibilities, or capacity overages require approval before the extra work proceeds. Setup, closeout, site visits, and specialist reviews must also be expressly scoped.