Network Plus

Maintains, builds, and delivers utility infrastructure

Senior Estimator

Proposal ManagementPosted on Nov 11

Full-timeExeter, UK£70k - £100k /yr

About the Job

Requirements

Proven track record of leading and winning large, complex tenders in a competitive environment.
Substantial estimating experience within the utilities, engineering, or construction sectors.
Experience leading tender adjudication and settlement, and presenting bids to senior stakeholders.
First-principles estimating expertise, including take-offs, bills of quantities, and rate build-ups.
Leadership, mentoring, relationship-building, and influencing skills, with the ability to guide a team of estimators.

Responsibilities

Lead and own the estimating lifecycle for large, complex capital schemes across water, gas, electricity, and civils, from enquiry and first-principles build-up through tender adjudication, award, and handover.
Lead tender adjudication and settlement meetings, presenting cost, margin, risk, and commercial strategy to Directors and senior management for sign-off.
Survey potential work sites across water, gas, electricity, and civils schemes; establish ground and site conditions and confirm scope of work and specific design and specification requirements.
Produce detailed survey reports for pricing and future coordination of works.
Lead analysis of plans, complete take-offs, and produce detailed bills of quantities and first-principles cost estimates, assessing project documentation to prepare accurate, competitive, and compliant tender submissions.
Lead supply chain engagement by issuing enquiries, evaluating subcontractor and supplier proposals for technical compliance and commercial value, and shaping procurement strategy to secure best prices.
Develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant construction methods and technologies across water, gas, electricity, and civils disciplines.
Lead value engineering to identify the best solution for client requirements, offer a competitive price and best value, protect margin, and maximise project return.
Liaise with the Proposals Coordinator and other team members as required to produce detailed tender submissions.
Generate detailed client quotes inclusive of labour, plant, and material costs, supplemented by overhead and profit adjustments.
Own tender risk by leading formal risk reviews and tender health checks, assessing financial, technical, contractual, and operational risks, and incorporating them into pricing and contingency.
Prepare detailed schedules of work and bills of quantities for Contracts Managers.
Formulate detailed programmes in line with project contract requirements.
Understand site-specific risks and analyse them for presentation in the tender risk register.
Prepare schematics, layouts, and presentations to support proposals and quotations.
Promote and develop relationships with clients and suppliers.
Interpret contract forms, including NEC and JCT, and framework requirements, factoring commercial and contractual risk into pricing.
Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and quality assurance to the estimating team, review colleagues’ estimates for accuracy and competitiveness, and help allocate estimating resource across bid teams.
Capture actual cost data and benchmarks on completed schemes and feed them back to improve estimating accuracy and processes.
Stay up to date with industry regulations and legislative requirements across utilities sectors.
Lead monthly review and analysis of estimating figures and win rates, provide bid/no-bid input, and drive improvements in conversion and margin.
Attend meetings throughout England and Wales with new and existing customers to promote Network Plus across water, gas, electricity, and civils sectors.
Use the CRM system to record, share, and monitor leads and enquiries.
Maintain client relationships by liaising with Contracts Managers to ensure successful completion of tendered works.
Provide proactive and timely responses to client enquiries and queries.

The Senior Estimator is a lead role within our Project Management Office (PMO), responsible for pricing and winning large, complex capital schemes across water, gas, electricity and civils. It requires an organised, self-motivated and meticulous approach, combined with the commercial judgement and technical leadership to own high-value tenders from enquiry through to award. You will meet monthly work-winning targets with a view to ensuring the ongoing success and profitability of the Business.

You will collaborate with our clients at a senior level to develop relationships that increase our likelihood of securing framework and contract opportunities. You will lead the entire tender process on your bids – from developing accurate, detailed proposals and target costs, through to negotiating prices and contract terms with the client and presenting bids for adjudication and sign-off.

You will also provide technical leadership and mentoring to the wider estimating team, and develop strong working relationships with our operational delivery teams to ensure a fluid handover from tender into the construction phase

Estimating & Commercial

Lead and own the estimating lifecycle for large, complex capital schemes across water, gas, electricity and civils – from enquiry and first-principles build-up through to tender adjudication, award and handover
Lead tender adjudication and settlement meetings, presenting cost, margin, risk and commercial strategy to Directors and senior management for sign-off
Survey potential work sites across water, gas, electricity and civils schemes: establish ground and site conditions, confirm scope of work and specific design and specification requirements
Produce detailed survey reports for pricing and future co-ordination of works
Lead the analysis of plans, complete take-offs and produce detailed bills of quantities and first-principles cost estimates, assessing all project documentation to provide accurate, competitive and compliant tender submissions
Lead supply chain engagement: issue enquiries, evaluate subcontractor and supplier proposals for technical compliance and commercial value, and shape procurement strategy to secure best prices
Develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant construction methods and technologies across the water, gas, electricity and civils disciplines
Lead value engineering to identify the best solution for our client’s requirements, offering a competitive price and best value whilst protecting margin and maximising our return on the project
Where required liaise with the Proposals co-ordinator and other team members to produce detailed tender submissions
Generate detailed quotes for our clients inclusive of all labour, plant & material costs supplemented by adjustments for overheads and profit
Own tender risk: lead formal risk reviews and tender health checks, assess financial, technical, contractual and operational risks, and factor these into our pricing and contingency
Prepare detailed Schedule of works/ Bill of Quantities for our Contracts Managers to work from
Formulate detailed programmes in line with the project contract requirements
Understand site specific risks and complete analysis of these for presentation in the tender risk register
Prepare schematics, layouts and presentations to support proposals and quotations
Promote and develop relationships with clients and suppliers
Interpret contract forms (e.g. NEC and JCT) and framework requirements, factoring commercial and contractual risk into pricing
Provide technical leadership, mentoring and quality assurance to the estimating team, reviewing colleagues’ estimates for accuracy and competitiveness and helping to allocate estimating resource across bid teams
Capture actual cost data and benchmarks on completed schemes and feed these back to improve estimating accuracy and processes
Stay up to date with the latest industry regulations and legislative requirements across the utilities sectors

Work Winning & Client Relationships

Lead monthly review and analysis of estimating figures and win rates, providing bid/no-bid input and driving improvements in conversion and margin
Attend meetings throughout England and Wales with both new and existing customers to promote Network Plus across the water, gas, electricity and civils sectors
Utilise the CRM system to record, share and monitor leads & enquiries
Maintain client relationships by liaising with Contracts Managers to ensure successful completion of tendered works
Provide proactive and timely response to client enquiries and queries

Proven track record of leading and winning large, complex tenders in a competitive environment
Substantial estimating experience within the Utilities, Engineering or Construction sectors
Experience leading tender adjudication and settlement, and presenting bids to senior stakeholders
First-principles estimating expertise – take-offs, bills of quantities and rate build-ups
Leadership, mentoring, relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to guide a team of estimators

About the Company

Network Plus

Maintains, builds, and delivers utility infrastructure

Network Plus provides utility and infrastructure services across the UK, supporting the maintenance, construction, and delivery of essential services in sectors such as wastewater, power, local infrastructure, gas, telecoms, and water. It delivers end-to-end solutions for infrastructure projects, handling planning, design, construction, and ongoing maintenance, with revenue generated mainly through long-term contracts with clients like local authorities and large utility companies. The company differentiates itself through a strong emphasis on safety, efficiency, and the adoption of new technologies and methods to improve service delivery on large-scale projects that require specialized equipment and expertise. Its goal is to ensure critical infrastructure remains reliable and efficient, supporting sustainable operations and long-term client relationships.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Not listed
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Salford, United Kingdom
Founded: 2000

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