Our Estimating Consultant Services Designed to Help You Win More Bids
In the execution of complex capital projects whether commercial, industrial, or large-scale institutional accurate cost projection is a prerequisite, but effective cost management is the difference between success and failure. The true challenge lies not in generating the estimate, but in strategically integrating that financial data into high-stakes decision-making, navigating multi-stakeholder expectations, and proactively mitigating the systemic risks that constantly threaten budget and schedule.
Estimating Consultant Services go far beyond simple quantity production; they provide executive-level oversight and expert financial guidance across the entire preconstruction phase. This service is designed for Owners, Developers, Financial Institutions, and sophisticated General Contractors who require an objective, independent advisor to validate budgets, manage external bids, and maintain strict, continuous fiscal control from conception to contract award.
At Aris Estimating, we serve as your dedicated, highly skilled financial authority, transforming raw construction data into actionable business intelligence. We ensure your capital investment is protected and your project goals are achieved with maximum efficiency across all sectors and scopes in the United States.
I. The Role of the Estimating Consultant: Unbiased Oversight and Fiduciary Duty
Our consulting role is to be the objective, expert third party that champions financial integrity and risk defense throughout the project development process. We operate as an extension of the owner’s team, focused solely on protecting their financial interests.
A. The Strategic Difference: Consultant vs. Internal Roles
The Estimating Consultant fills a unique strategic void, focusing on objectivity and risk defense rather than internal execution.
| Function | Project Manager / Internal Estimator | Aris Estimating Consultant |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | Executing the project or producing a specific bid. | Mitigating Client Financial Risk and ensuring budget defensibility. |
| Focus | Production of quantities and managing internal team performance. | Strategic Oversight and Validation of external costs and design choices. |
| Objectivity | Inherently biased toward internal team goals (e.g., winning the bid). | Unbiased Third Party; works solely on behalf of the Owner/Fiduciary. |
| Key Activity | Quantifying materials; tracking RFI responses. | Bid Leveling, Scope Gap Analysis, and Contingency Justification. |
| Reporting Audience | Internal operations and field management. | Executive Management, Lenders, and Boards. |
B. Ensuring Independent Financial Verification
We eliminate the inherent conflicts of interest that arise when the design team or construction manager is solely responsible for cost projection. We provide unbiased, independent estimates used for critical verification:
- Validating Initial Budgets: We challenge and confirm that the proposed budget aligns with the current market, the defined scope, and the quality expectations. We provide a second, independent cost opinion vital for securing major financing.
- Supporting Financing and Due Diligence: We provide Lenders and Investors with the necessary objective, third-party documentation to approve project loans, confirm equity requirements, and satisfy regulatory and financial covenants.
II. Integrated Consultation Across the Project Lifecycle
Our consultation is meticulously integrated into every critical phase of preconstruction, ensuring continuous fiscal control and strategic guidance.
Phase I: Conceptual & Feasibility Consultation
This initial phase determines the project’s financial viability. We quickly utilize our Preliminary Estimating expertise to set the project’s financial boundaries.
- Order-of-Magnitude Reporting: We provide rapid System-Based Estimates (e.g., cost per structural system, cost per square foot of curtain wall) to quickly gauge feasibility.
- Strategic Go/No-Go Analysis: We provide actionable advice that informs the crucial investment decision, ensuring the initial design concept is aligned with the financial constraints. We help clients avoid wasting time and capital on unviable scopes.
Phase II: Design Development & Value Engineering (VE)
As the project matures (30% to 90% completion), we institute a proactive cost monitoring system to prevent cost creep.
- Phased Estimates and Reconciliation: We perform phased estimates (Schematic Design, Design Development) to monitor cost creep in real-time. We produce detailed Cost Reconciliation Reports that clearly explain the variances between the current design estimate and the previous estimate, holding the design team accountable for budget adherence.
- Value Engineering (VE) Leadership: We actively lead the VE process, moving beyond simple cost-cutting. We provide quantified proposals for alternatives that maintain project function and quality while achieving the necessary budget reduction. This includes advising on life-cycle costing for major system selection, optimizing the balance between initial CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) and long-term OPEX (Operating Expenditure).
- Scope Reconciliation: Ensuring the design team’s progress aligns with the budget at every formal submission milestone.
Phase III: Procurement, Bid Leveling, and Contract Negotiation
This is where our expertise translates directly into realized savings and reduced legal risk.
- RFP/Bid Package Review: We perform a detailed audit of all Request for Proposal (RFP) documents, specifications, and owner requirements to ensure clear scope definition. This drastically reduces bidder confusion and minimizes pricing discrepancies due to ambiguity.
- Bid Leveling and Subcontractor Audit: We utilize our independent, verified quantity takeoffs as the benchmark. We analyze all incoming subcontractor and vendor bids against this benchmark, identifying inconsistencies, scope gaps, and potential overcharges.
- Final Negotiation Support: We sit alongside the client during final negotiations, using our verified cost models to provide real-time cost-saving scenarios and negotiating counter-proposals based on objective data, securing the best possible contract price
IV. The Aris Consulting Advantage: Tools, Trust, and Expertise
Our services are powered by the depth of our technical knowledge, our investment in advanced tools, and our unwavering commitment to client success and objective truth.
A. Technical Superiority and Auditing
- 100% Auditable Data: Our consulting advice is rooted in 100% auditable data, generated using industry-leading software (PlanSwift, Bluebeam) and integrated cost databases (RSMeans). We deliver the evidence required to back up every recommendation.
- Contingency Management Protocol: We implement a structured process for managing the contingency fund, defining release triggers and usage protocols, ensuring the fund is used only for unforeseen risks, not scope creep.
- Expert Witness Capacity: Due to the rigor and defensibility of our reports, our consultants are often qualified to serve in dispute resolution or litigation, providing objective evidence should contractual conflicts arise.
B. Executive Partnership and Support
- Executive Reporting: Our deliverables are structured for senior management, providing clear, concise summaries of financial standing, key risks, and strategic recommendations, allowing for swift and informed action.
- Stakeholder Communication: We bridge the communication gap between the owner, architect, and contractor, ensuring that cost decisions are understood and accepted by all parties.
- 24/7 Strategic Partnership: We offer continuous, urgent support to ensure that time-sensitive questions regarding
- bids, financing, or design changes are addressed immediately, keeping high-value projects on schedule and budget.
Partner with Aris Estimating to secure a definitive strategic financial advantage. Navigate complexity and guarantee project profitability with the confidence of expert oversight.
