Five Simple Steps to Streamline Your Estimating Process
Estimating can often feel overwhelming — especially when deadlines are tight and information is incomplete. In this guide, we’ll cover five practical and effective steps to help make your estimating process more efficient, more organised, and a little less stressful.
These tips are especially useful for junior estimators or owner-operators who prepare their own tenders, but even experienced professionals may find them a valuable refresher.
At Chase Estimating, our team uses these same principles every day — and they’ve consistently helped us produce accurate, competitive bids with confidence. Whether you work in M&E estimating, insulation estimating, or another construction trade, these best practices will help you reduce errors, improve accuracy, and save valuable time.
Step 1: Review and Validate Labour Units
Labour is one of the largest cost components in any estimate — and often the easiest place for small mistakes to creep in. Ideally, you should review your labour units as you go, but always double-check them before submitting your final bid. If you’re using professional estimating software, it should automatically break down labour units from your take-offs. Before submission:
- Review each line item individually — not just the total.
- If possible, take a fresh look the next day or have a colleague review your figures.
- Ensure your labour hours are realistic for your team’s productivity rate.
Be cautious of “over-analysis paralysis,” but never skip the final check.If your team is particularly efficient, you may be able to tighten labour times to make your bid more competitive — but only if you’re confident the job can still be delivered on time and to standard.
Step 2: Organise Subcontractor Quotes
Subcontractor pricing can make or break your tender. Create a spreadsheet listing every subcontractor you’ve contacted as individual line items, grouped by trade or category. Record each quote received against their name. This ensures you can clearly see which quotes are still outstanding and compare them “like for like.” If you receive a competitive price from a subcontractor you’ve never worked with before, do your due diligence:
- Request references and follow them up.
- Check their online presence and company details.
- Ask for a scope of work checklist confirming what is and isn’t included in their price.
This written confirmation protects you and helps you compare quotes fairly. It also prevents nasty surprises later when something wasn’t included in the original subcontractor scope.
Step 3: Verify Material Prices
Apply the same discipline to your material quotations. List each supplier on a separate spreadsheet tab, and enter the prices you receive from them. This gives you a clear overview of who has responded and what’s still missing. If any quotes are outstanding, follow up with suppliers before you finalise your M&E estimate. Submitting without all quotes risks errors, incomplete pricing, or inconsistencies across suppliers — which can weaken your proposal. Always compare prices before submission. Once your bid has been sent, revising it later not only undermines professionalism but can also affect your reputation with the client.
Step 4: Double-Check Overheads and Profit
Before submitting your final estimate, review your overhead and profit marginscarefully.Whether you build these into your markup percentage or list them separately, confirm that they align with your business goals and project strategy.Ask yourself:
- Are my overheads fully covered?
- Is the profit margin realistic and competitive?
- Do the numbers make commercial sense for this specific client and project?
A quick review of this section before submission can prevent financial strain later and ensure your bid remains both competitive and profitable.
Step 5: Review All Inclusions and Exclusions
Finally, revisit your inclusions and exclusions.These might be recorded in your spreadsheet, scope of works, or specification schedule. Don’t skim — read each line carefully.Ensure that:
- Nothing essential has been missed.
- All agreed exclusions are clearly listed.
- The client understands precisely what’s covered in your scope.
Clear, transparent documentation reduces disputes and strengthens client confidence in your bid.
Wrapping Up: Good Habits Lead to Better Estimates
These five steps are simple, but they can dramatically improve the accuracy and professionalism of your estimating process. While everyone has their own preferred method, these principles have stood the test of time for us at Chase Estimating — across mechanical, electrical, and insulation estimating projects.We’ll cover the next five steps to refine your estimating workflow in our next post.In the meantime, if you’re looking for reliable estimating support, or if you’d like access to discounted professional estimating software, get in touch.At ACCUBID, we specialise in mechanical, electrical, and insulation estimating,using the powerful Ensign software to ensure every bid we deliver is accurate,competitive, and based on up-to-date labour and material data.
