Detailed, Checkable Quantities
Every quantity is taken straight from your drawings and grouped by ASMM / ANZSMM trade section. Nothing is counted twice and nothing is guessed.
Construction Estimating · Australia
Construction Estimating
Construction Estimating
Services Built to Win Tenders
Cost estimates and quantity takeoffs, itemised line by line, measured in metric, set out to ASMM / ANZSMM and NPWC / AIQS and ready within one to two days.
We work for builders, subcontractors, developers and quantity surveyors in every Australian state and territory.
- Tender-ReadyLine Items
- 24 to 48 HrsTurnaround
- PostcodeLevel Pricing
- ASMM · NPWCStructured
Get a Free Quote
Send your plans and receive a fixed quote in AUD and a delivery time, normally within a few hours.
We keep your drawings and details private, and will sign an NDA if you ask.
Takeoffs produced in
Why Choose Us
An Estimating Team You Can Depend On
We convert your drawings into a priced estimate that is ready for tender. Once you send plans, specifications and scope documents, our estimators measure the quantities on screen in metric, add up-to-date material and labour prices for your postcode, and send back a line-by-line breakdown arranged by ASMM / ANZSMM trade section or NPWC / AIQS element. This normally takes one to two days.
Our clients include builders tendering large commercial packages, subcontractors pricing one trade, developers checking feasibility before the design is finished, and quantity surveyors who need extra people to measure. We have finished more than 1,500 projects in government, institutional, commercial and housing work, and each estimate follows the measuring and reporting practice that Australian tenders expect.
You do not pay an estimator a salary or super, and you do not buy takeoff software. You pay for each project, and only when you have a tender to price.
Learn More →24 to 48 Hour Delivery
A single-trade takeoff is often ready the same day. For large multi-trade jobs we confirm the delivery time before we start.
Experienced Estimators
A second estimator checks every number before it leaves our hands.
Fixed Price Per Project
No hourly charges, no growing scope and no surprise bills. Pay for each estimate, send more in tender season and nothing when it is quiet.
Our Process
Start a Project →
How We Prepare Your Estimate
Five steps from your set of drawings to a tender you can submit, with a second estimator checking everything first.
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01
Document Review
Before we measure, we read your plans, specifications and scope documents. Anything that is unclear, missing or inconsistent between the drawings and the specification comes back to you as a question, because we do not guess. That prevents errors that would otherwise become variations later.
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02
Quantity Takeoff
Our estimators work in PlanSwift, Bluebeam Revu and On-Screen Takeoff. They measure each item on screen in metric and sort the results by ASMM / ANZSMM trade section and line item, so no item is counted twice or judged by eye.
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03
Pricing
Prices for materials and labour are drawn from current Australian supplier quotes, subcontract rates and published guides such as Rawlinsons, and then set for your project postcode. A slab costs different amounts in Perth and Hobart, and using a national average will cost you either the tender or your margin.
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04
Review & Delivery
Another estimator checks the quantities, formulas and totals. You then get the completed file in your preferred format, with assumptions listed, ready to submit.
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05
Revisions
Did the scope change or an addendum come out? Send it to us. We change only the affected items rather than starting over, and revisions are free.
Software and Data Sources
PDFs, CAD files and BIM models are all fine. You never have to own this software, as we run it for you.
Takeoff and estimating
PlanSwift
Bluebeam Revu
On-Screen Takeoff
Trimble
Accubid
Xactimate
FastDUCT & FastPIPE
Quest Estimating
Cost data
- Current Australian supplier quotes and subcontractor rates, benchmarked against published guides such as Rawlinsons
- Our own rate data for each state and territory, kept current with live supplier prices
File formats we accept
- PDFDrawings and specifications
- DWG / CADNative drawing files
- BIM modelsand clear scans of paper drawings
24 to 48 hrs
Typical delivery window
What You Receive
What Is Inside Every Estimate
- Itemised quantity takeoff: metres, square metres, cubic metres, kilograms, tonnes and counts, all measured straight from your drawings.
- Material prices set for your postcode, taken from current supplier quotes and our own cost data.
- Labour hours and rates based on local market conditions, with state levies and award or agreement rates shown on their own.
- Equipment costs broken out separately.
- Margin, contingency and GST each on its own line, so you can adjust them.
- A written page of assumptions and exclusions: every clarification, every gap we found and every allowance we made.
- Your preferred format: Excel, PDF, or filled directly into your own tender template.
Most builders underrate the assumptions page. It changes an estimate from a bare figure into a document that you can defend in a scope review or when a tender is clarified.
Accuracy
How Close Are Our Estimates?
The accuracy of an estimate depends on how finished your documents are, and that is just how cost estimating works. Be wary of anyone who offers a single fixed accuracy whatever the quality of the drawings.
We state the accuracy range of each estimate at its design stage, so you always know how much margin to allow:
0 to 2% design complete
−30% to +50%
Checking feasibility and whether a concept works.
1 to 15% design complete
−20% to +30%
Concept cost plans and early budgets.
10 to 40% design complete
−15% to +20%
Developed design and budget approval.
30 to 70% design complete
−10% to +15%
Preparing tenders and controlling costs.
50 to 100% of the design finished
−5% to +10%
Final checks and tender validation.
A full set of construction documents gives you a Stage 4 or Stage 5 estimate. If you send only a schematic, we say it is Stage 2 and explain what that range means for your budget, so you are not given a false level of precision to tender on.
A second estimator reviews every estimate before it reaches you. If the two of them differ by a meaningful amount, we check the whole thing again.
Cost vs. Capacity
Why Builders Pass Estimating to Us
Employing an estimator, with salary, super, software and overheads, currently costs far more than a hundred thousand dollars a year. It makes no difference whether you tender four jobs a month or fourteen.
Outsourcing turns this into a cost that moves with your work. You pay for each estimate, use more in tender season and nothing when things are quiet. For most builders who submit fewer than twenty tenders a month, hiring simply does not add up.
Cost is not usually the main reason builders contact us. Capacity is. If three tenders close in the same week, something is bound to be hurried, and a hurried takeoff eats into your margin. We take on that workload so your team can focus on decisions that need their judgement: the scope, your subcontractors and your client.
A variable cost
You pay for each estimate instead of a salary.
Tender-season capacity
Three closing dates in one week: handled.
No software licences
Our software and data, working on your estimate.
Your team keeps judgment
Scope, subcontractors and the client.
Our Services
Trade Sections We Cover
All our estimates follow the ASMM / ANZSMM trade sections and the NPWC / AIQS elements. Most of our work is in the trades below:
ConcreteWorks
Brickwork& Blockwork
RoofingEstimating
Air Con& Mechanical
HydraulicServices
Groundworks& Earthworks
Structure & Shell
- Concrete works
- Reinforcement
- Brickwork and blockwork
- Structural steel and metalwork
- Groundworks and earthworks
- Timber framing
Envelope
- Roofing
- Insulation
- Waterproofing (AS 3740 / AS 4654)
- Passive fire protection
- Cladding and weatherproofing
Windows, Glazing & Doors
- Timber and aluminium doors
- Shopfronts and curtain wall
- Windows and glass systems
- Hardware schedules
Building Services
- Mechanical services
- Air conditioning and ventilation
- Ductwork
- Fire services
- Hydraulic services
- Electrical services
- Data, communications and security
Finishes
- Plastering and plasterboard
- Painting and decorating
- Tiling and floor coverings
- Joinery and fittings
- Inside and outside finishes
Site & Specialty
- Landscaping and paving
- Fencing
- Roof drainage and gutters
- Demolition
- Lifts, FF&E and specialist works
Trade pages: Concrete Works, Air Conditioning, Hydraulic Services, Brickwork & Blockwork. See all trade sections or the elemental view. If your trade is missing from the list, ask us. We have probably priced it already. Get a free quote →
Project Types
Projects We Estimate
We handle everything from one trade to a complete multi-trade government package, priced for the place where your project will be built.
Commercial
Offices, shops, hospitality, medical buildings, warehouses, mixed-use and tenancy fit-outs.
Residential
Custom and project homes, townhouses, apartments, extensions and renovations.
Industrial
Factories, processing plants, warehouses, cold storage and installations of heavy equipment.
Government & Institutional
Defence support, education, health and community buildings, priced to the tender documents and state requirements.
Every type of project has its own NCC requirements and price structure, and we allow for both.
Pricing
What Will a Construction Estimate Cost?
What you pay is set by the number of drawings, the trade sections involved and how complete the documents are, and not by the contract value. Fees are in AUD and do not include GST.
Single-trade takeoff
A$350 to A$850
Delivered in 24 hours
Multi-trade residential
A$850 to A$2,200
Ready in 24 to 48 hours
Full commercial, multi-trade
A$1,800 to A$3,600
Two days or more, depending on the job
Monthly retainer
from A$2,200/mo
An agreed number of estimates, and priority in the queue
Send us your plans, and before any work starts you have a fixed quote and a delivery time. No hourly rates, no creeping scope and no surprise bills.
Get a Free Quote →
Our Commitment
Why Builders Keep Coming Back
These are the reasons clients come back with their next set of drawings.
Australia-wide service
Not an anonymous marketplace. Every state and territory is covered, with estimates built to Australian standards, metric units and GST-aware pricing, and you always know who is working on your documents.
Experienced estimators
An estimator who reads drawings for a living prepares every estimate, and a second estimator checks it before it reaches you.
Postcode-specific pricing
We price every estimate for your postcode. National averages are how builders lose tenders they should have won.
A dedicated estimator
One estimator is attached to your account. Returning clients deal with the same person, who learns how you tender, your margins and your preferences.
Revisions included
A change in scope is part of the work, so it does not carry an extra charge.
Privacy comes as standard
Your drawings, prices and client details stay private, and we sign an NDA whenever you ask.
Who We Work With
Made for Anyone Who Has to Price a Tender
- Head contractors and builders
- Subcontractors and specialist trades
- Developers
- Home builders
- Renovators
- Architects
- Engineers and consultants
- Project managers
- Suppliers and vendors
Where We Work
We estimate construction work in every Australian state and territory, from capital-city CBDs to regional and remote sites. Prices always reflect local market conditions.
Browse Service Areas →Government work is priced to the tender documents, including state levies, security of payment terms and relevant award or agreement rates.
FAQ
Common Questions
Plain answers to the questions builders ask before sending their first plans.
How long will an estimate take?
Most projects take one to two days, and a single-trade takeoff can often be done in a day. Large multi-trade commercial jobs may need longer, and the quote states the delivery time before work starts.
How much do you charge for estimating?
Each project gets a single fee that reflects how many drawings and trade sections there are and how good the documents are, not the construction value. A single-trade takeoff starts at A$350, and a full multi-trade commercial estimate costs up to roughly A$3,600, in AUD excluding GST. The quote is fixed before we begin.
How close are your estimates?
The accuracy of an estimate depends on how finished your documents are, and that is just how cost estimating works. Be wary of anyone who offers a single fixed accuracy whatever the quality of the drawings.
Which file types can I send?
We take PDF, DWG and CAD files and BIM models (IFC and Revit). Scans of paper drawings are fine too, but poor scans slow us down, so send the clearest copy you can.
Can you price from drawings that are not finished?
Yes. Preliminary and concept estimates can be prepared from schematic or partial sets, and each is labelled with its stage so you know how much margin to allow. We also say what further information would narrow the range.
Can you use our tender template?
Yes. Send the template with your plans and we will complete it. If not, you receive our standard Excel and PDF files.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, any time you ask. We already treat all drawings, specifications and prices as private.
What if the scope changes once the estimate is delivered?
Send us the addendum or the new drawings and we will update the items that changed. Revisions are included, so there is no restart and no second charge.
Do you measure to the ASMM / ANZSMM and NPWC / AIQS?
Yes. Quantities can be structured by ASMM / ANZSMM trade section for tendering, by NPWC / AIQS element for cost plans, or both from the same measurement.
Ready to Get Started?
Send Us Your Plans
Upload your drawings and a fixed quote in AUD, with a delivery time, comes back to you, usually within hours. You are not obliged to proceed and there is no software to buy.