Estimator / Contract Administrator

The Role

The Estimator / Contract Administrator will support the company across the full commercial lifecycle—from reviewing tender opportunities and preparing accurate earthworks prices through to administering awarded projects.

This is a practical, commercially focused hybrid role, initially weighted approximately 70% estimating and 30% contract administration. The successful candidate will understand how civil earthworks are priced and delivered onsite, identify commercial risk before it becomes a problem, and maintain clear records throughout the project.

The role will work closely with company management, builders, suppliers, site supervisors, and subcontractors to protect margins, clarify scope, and ensure projects are commercially controlled from tender through final account.

Key Responsibilities

Estimating and Tendering

• Review invitations to quote, drawings, BOQs, specifications, geotechnical reports, survey information, programs, and site photographs.
• Complete accurate quantity take-offs and prepare detailed rate build-ups for plant, labour, trucks, materials, haulage, disposal, mobilisation, supervision, testing, and other project costs.
• Develop clear scopes of work using appropriate civil and earthworks cost codes.
• Assess construction methodology, access, staging, cut-and-fill requirements, material reuse, disposal, and likely production constraints.
• Identify scope gaps, inconsistencies, and commercial risks, then prepare concise assumptions, clarifications, exclusions, and departures.
• Apply appropriate margins, contingency, and risk allowances in accordance with the company’s commercial approach.
• Prepare professional subcontractor quotations and supporting tender correspondence for review and issue.
• Maintain tender registers, pricing records, supplier/subcontractor quotations, and version-controlled documentation.

Contract Administration

• Prepare and administer purchase orders, subcontract documentation, progress claims, variations, extensions of time, notices, back-charges, and final accounts.
• Maintain variation, cost-to-complete, committed-cost, and project correspondence registers.
• Review builder directions and confirm commercial approval requirements before additional work proceeds.
• Track actual costs against the approved estimate and flag emerging margin, productivity, access, or scope issues early.
• Coordinate supporting records, including delivery dockets, timesheets, plant records, site diaries, photographs, test results, and other evidence.
• Assist with monthly claims, reconciliations, forecasting, and project close-out.
• Support the site team with practical interpretation of the priced scope, assumptions, exclusions, QA requirements, and variation boundaries.
• Help maintain organised QA, safety, environmental, and final handover documentation.

Requirements

• 3–5+ years’ relevant experience in civil estimating, earthworks estimating, contract administration, or a closely related role.
• Demonstrated experience with civil construction, bulk earthworks, subdivisions, roadworks, industrial projects, or similar.
• Ability to read and interpret civil, structural, and architectural drawings, BOQs, specifications, geotechnical reports, survey information, and site photographs.
• Strong understanding of earthworks methodology, including stripping, cut and fill, stockpiling, haulage, disposal, unsuitable material, rock, groundwater, backfill, compaction, proof rolling, pavements, and site access.
• Ability to complete accurate quantity take-offs and build rates for plant, labour, trucks, materials, testing, mobilisation, and disposal.
• Sound understanding of productivity, haul distances, plant utilisation, minimum charges, wet and dry hire, and the commercial effect of site constraints.
• Ability to identify missing information and challenge unclear or incomplete scope rather than pricing unsupported assumptions.
• Experience preparing and managing variations, progress claims, notices, extensions of time, cost forecasts, and final accounts.
• Strong Excel capability, including structured estimating workbooks, formulas, rate schedules, and cost tracking.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to produce clear commercial correspondence and explain pricing decisions.
• High attention to detail, reliable follow-through, and disciplined document control.
• Practical understanding of safety, QA, environmental obligations, and the records required to support claims and handover.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience specifically with an earthmoving contractor, civil subcontractor, or Tier 1 / Tier 2 builder.
• Formal qualifications in quantity surveying, construction management, civil engineering, building, estimating, or contract administration.
• Familiarity with ClickUp, CRM/tender platforms, estimating software, document management systems, and digital QA platforms.
• Experience with Australian civil construction standards and specifications, including AS 3798-2007 and common earthworks testing requirements.
• Working knowledge of subcontract conditions, security of payment legislation, payment schedules, notice provisions, and extension-of-time processes.
• Experience with civil take-off, scheduling, survey, project management, or accounting software.
• Exposure to procurement, supplier negotiations, plant hire, quarry materials, disposal facilities, and subcontractor engagement.
• Experience preparing tender handovers and translating commercial assumptions into practical site instructions.
• Familiarity with environmental controls, erosion and sediment control, traffic interfaces, and working around live services.
• Existing relationships with civil contractors, builders, suppliers, quarries, cartage providers, or testing laboratories.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a commercially astute civil professional who combines estimating accuracy with practical construction judgement. They can look at a tender package, understand how the work will be delivered, identify what is missing, build a defensible price, and clearly explain the risks behind it.

They are:

• Practical: understands the difference between a theoretical take-off and what can actually be achieved with available plant, access, and production rates.
• Commercially conservative: protects the company from unpriced scope, unclear directions, latent conditions, standby exposure, and margin erosion.
• Detail-focused: maintains accurate quantities, rates, records, registers, and document versions.
• Proactive: raises issues early and follows actions through to resolution.
• Clear and professional: communicates effectively with builders, suppliers, supervisors, and management.
• Collaborative: supports the field team without compromising the company’s contractual or commercial position.
• Accountable: takes ownership of deadlines, tender submissions, claims, variations, and project close-out.
• Systems-minded: values consistent templates, structured estimating logic, reliable records, and organised handover information.

A strong candidate does not need to know every company process on day one, but must bring sound civil pricing judgement, contract administration discipline, and the confidence to ask the right questions before committing to a price.