5 Realities of Working in Preconstruction

Can you relate?

We’d hope that by now we are past the days of stereotyping the typical day in the life of an estimator.

A closet office in the basement. Dim lights. Math. Copy, paste, drag. Math. More math. Spreadsheet hell. Takeoff. Coffee. Even more math.

But judging by what Reddit says, those looking into switching into preconstruction still have this old-school notion that precon is stuffy, boring, and a lot of work with no reward. However, we know that is far from the truth.

Grant Stucker, strategic account executive at Beck Technology and former estimator says, “My preconceived notion of what estimating was is that you just go in a room and count stuff and then go to a sub and ask what this cost is and then put all those things together in front of an owner. And I thought, ‘this doesn’t sound fulfilling to me.’”

Little do people know that preconstruction and estimating is so much more than counting things.

When you work in preconstruction, you need to be highly detailed oriented and analytical, be customer-experienced focused, a strategic and creative problem solver, be curious and know what big questions to ask to fill in the information gaps, and spot and predict risk and trends.

What you do makes an enormous impact. Not just on the project you are working on but on the entire world!

You’re making a difference. And that isn’t stuffy or boring at all.

Ted Solomon, senior implementation specialist at Beck Technology and former heavy civil estimator in New York says, “But it wasn’t until I got an estimating internship that I realized, my God, these guys are the rock stars. This is where the real money is being made on the project.”

What are the realities versus expectations of having a job in preconstruction? We’ve identified five realities that don’t meet the expectations of what it’s like to be an estimator.

You Have to Have Previous Field Experience

Does knowing how to read drawings and having field experience help you be a successful estimator? Undoubtedly working in the field and learning how things are built is invaluable, but is it required? Our experts say no.

The key is curiosity and the desire to ask all the right questions.

John Reich spent years as a construction estimator. He is now a customer success lead at Beck Technology. He says, “If you don’t know anything about estimating, don’t know anything about construction, that’s fine. We can teach you those things, but you have to walk into any project or any job with the curiosity to want to learn about it.”

There are more ways to gain field experience without being a superintendent or foreman. Of his experience, John says, “I was a cost manager for a large project for two years. I walked into the field a couple of times a week...just being on site and seeing the logistical challenges and effort that go into building a project on a day-to-day basis is worth the experience.”

His advice is for an estimator to go out to the job site while it is under construction as many times as you can, “that still contributes to that field knowledge that you need to have.”

The Level of Expertise

One of the most frequent questions people who are looking at a job in precon ask is “what do I need to know?”

It’s a misconception that to be the best estimator you must be a high-level math wizard.

John says, “You have to have an aptitude for math, but it’s not high level. We’re not talking calculus. We’re talking just be able to put together numbers and do the arithmetic and make things add up the way you need to.”

So, what skill set do you need to work in preconstruction?

John answers about the perception of having prerequisites to be successful in precon: “I don’t think it’s nearly as necessary as some people make it out to be. You have to be curious and be able to talk to people, be able to figure things out, solve problems and then put the plan on paper. That’s one of the biggest things you have to be able to do.”

You Lose Often

“The craziest thing to me was just how often you lose. If you hit 15% and you’re winning 15% of your hard bids, you’re doing great. And just having to make that mental shift of being comfortable with losing,” says Ted.

In reality, losing a job can be one of the best things for your company.

Grant’s company had a saying: “That was the best job we ever lost.” Ted reiterates, “Some of my favorite jobs were ones where we came in 8th out of 12 bidders.”

Sometimes you’re out bid by a competitor who come in lower than the direct cost of work. Ted says, “I remember that happening to me twice. The contractor came in lower than my direct cost. You know what we call that guy now? Out of business.”

You Aren’t Too “Dumb” For Estimating

Of course, when you enter any industry, you need a certain skill set or aptitude for certain things but as far as a hard and fast estimator prerequisite checklist is concerned, it just doesn’t exist. We all use high-tech calculators and robust estimating software so thinking you don’t have what it takes shouldn’t stop you from pursuing a career in preconstruction.

John says, “You have to walk into any project or any job with the curiosity to want to learn about it and to be able to say, ‘I don’t know, but I’m going to. I know who to ask and I’m going to ask as many question as I need so that I can understand it.’ As long as you go in with that attitude, you’re going to be fine.”

Curiosity. Knowledge seeking. Building relationships. Utilizing your resources.

Ted says, “You don’t need to be an engineer. You don’t need to be a mathematician. You don’t need to be a physicist, but you do need to have an engineer’s mentality, meaning you need to like to solve complex problems. And if you like to solve complex problems, you can learn how to solve complex problems.”

Having the right resources, team, and knowing the right questions to ask and “knowing who to go to” is fundamentally more important than “knowing what to do.”

You need to be willing to learn and interact with your team and be curious and confident enough to pick up the phone and ask the right questions.

Estimating Promotes a Workaholic Culture

At one point, yes, there was an expected mindset that you were going to be overworked in preconstruction...and construction in general for that matter. For some reason, we just can’t shake the stigma.

However, now that’s just not the case.

Self-proclaimed “recovering estimator” Lauren Senska, now an implementation specialist at Beck Technology relays when she was working for a boss who was also a mother. “She was really good at teaching me to have boundaries. She would have a big calendar of her bid schedules.” Due dates were clear, “and everything was planned out so that she could leave the office when she needed to.”

Grant’s experience was the opposite of a workaholic culture.

Regarding Lauren’s boss, “Clients loved her. Her projects all made money. She was phenomenal.”

To listen to our entire conversation about the expectations versus realities of working in preconstruction and estimating, click the button below. 

What were your expectations before you got into precon? Has reality matched up? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at info@beck-technology.com