What does an Estimator do?

Often when I tell people that I am an Estimator for The Hagerman Group they look very confused.   The term “Estimator” is a broad and vague term that I hope doesn’t lead people to believe we sit in our offices all day and guess how much things cost.

Although the needs and requirements for every job are different, there is a process that we repeat for every job in order to put a bid together.  Hopefully the explanation that follows will clarify to the “non-construction” folks the basics of what I do as a project estimator.

1.       Obtain/post bid documents – The first step after we decide to bid a project is to obtain the documents.  In an effort to streamline document distribution Hagerman has invested in an FTP site to help us distribute documents to our subcontractors.  The address of the website is www.isharedocs.com and a link can be found on our home page: www.thehagermangroup.com.

2.       Perform Takeoff – Hagerman has the ability to self-perform a variety of different types of work.  Examples of some items that we typically self-perform on past projects are concrete, masonry, and carpentry. 

3.       Solicit Subcontractor Quotes – Obtain pricing on all items that Hagerman does not self perform such as Mechanical, Electrical, and Earthwork.

4.       BID DAY MANIA! – Bid days are almost always hectic and extremely busy.  We collect all the subcontractor quotes and finalize our pricing just in time to submit a bid.  This is my favorite part of the process.

Hopefully, now the difference is clear and nobody will confuse “estimator” with “guesser”.

John Kilbury, Project Estimator

Constructive Discontent

One of my favorite topics that was discussed in the The Hagerman Group’s EQ (emotional intelligence) training was the concept of constructive discontent.  A majority of what I learned on the topic was from a chapter of Robert K. Cooper’s book Executive EQ.   Cooper interjects case studies throughout the chapter to explain how successful a company can be if it encourages its employees to practice constructive discontent.  The quote I like to reference to explain this concept comes from Aristotle:                  
        

“Anyone can become angry – that is easy.  But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy.”

The case study from Cooper’s book that best describes constructive discontent is from the Honda Motor Company.  Honda has a slogan “Listen, Ask, and Speak Up” which spawns from its management style encouraging discordance amongst employees.  Honda staffs its development teams with engineers from other disciplines to encourage an outside critical eye.  Honda believes that discontent leads to a better end product for the consumer.

The culture arose from the experience of a young engineer who challenged co-founder Soichuro Honda over the comparative qualities of the water – and air – cooled engines.  He felt so strong in his position of switching to water-cooled engines, that when Honda did not agree to his point, he went on strike for a month and entered a Zen monastery.  Honda was so impressed with the passion of this young man that he changed his mind and reconsidered the engineer’s proposal.  Luckily, that innovation led Honda to develop the first engine to pass the US’s emissions standards and that same engineer went on to eventually become CEO of the Honda Motor Company, Tadashi Kume.

                “When two people in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”                -William Wrigley, Jr.

Karen Schutte, Estimator/Sustainability Coordinator

The Hagerman Group