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Our Services
Construction Estimating in Melbourne
Detailed take-offs, mark-ups and bills of quantities for subcontractors, builders, developers and homeowners across Victoria.
Sami Strategy Co. provides construction estimating in Melbourne for subcontractors, builders, developers and homeowners. Send us your drawings and documents and we return a detailed take-off and mark-up, with every scope gap, discrepancy and risk we find in the contractual documents flagged for you. Ad-hoc estimates take 1 to 5 working days and are currently averaging 3.
Our estimators work from Melbourne and support projects across Victoria, with remote consulting available Australia-wide. The same team tenders on EstimateOne and administers contracts, so each estimate is prepared by people who see how the numbers hold up once a project is won and built.
Use us for a single project when your team is at capacity, or hand over estimating on an ongoing basis.
What We Do
What does construction estimating in Melbourne involve?
Construction estimating is the process of measuring the work shown in a set of drawings and specifications, then applying rates to those quantities to arrive at a cost. Our construction estimating services cover the full sequence: reading the documents, measuring quantities trade by trade, marking up the drawings so you can see what was counted, and pricing or presenting the quantities in the format you need.
Alongside the numbers, we review the contractual documentation that comes with the drawings. Tender conditions, specifications, scope letters and contract clauses often contain items that the drawings do not show. We note each gap, discrepancy and risk so that you can price it, exclude it or raise it with the other party before you commit.
- Quantity take-off from architectural, structural and services drawings
- Marked-up drawings showing every measured item and where it sits
- Bill of quantities, either unrated as a template or market rated as a price reference
- Review of specifications, tender conditions and contract documents
- Written notes on scope gaps, discrepancies between documents and pricing risks
- Query session to walk through the estimate and answer questions before you use it
Who This Is For
Who uses construction estimating services?
Subcontractors, builders, developers and homeowners all use our estimating service, each for a different reason.
Subcontractors
Trade contractors use us when tender volume outgrows the time available to price it, or when they want a second set of eyes on a large or unfamiliar job. We take off and mark up the work for your trade, flag scope that the tender documents push onto you, and run through the queries so you can submit with confidence. Subcontractors who want us to win the work as well can move to our EstimateOne tendering service.
Learn moreBuilders
Builders and head contractors send us drawings when their in-house estimators are at capacity or a tender lands with a short deadline. You receive a detailed take-off and mark-up that drops into your own pricing, with discrepancies and risks noted so your team can decide how to treat them. Builders who like the ad-hoc work can formalise an ongoing estimating partnership.
Learn moreDevelopers
Developers use our estimates for cost visibility across a development. We deliver a bill of quantities and mark-ups, unrated as a template to issue to builders or market rated as a reference against the tenders you receive. The contract review flags risks before they are locked into the build agreement.
Learn moreHomeowners
Homeowners building or renovating in Melbourne use an independent estimate to understand the true cost of the project before committing to a builder. The bill of quantities gives you a realistic budget to work from and a document to compare quotes against. We explain each item in plain language during the query session.
Learn moreHow It Works
How does an estimating engagement work?
The ad-hoc process is the same whether you send one project or one a week.
Initial meeting
For a first engagement we meet to talk through your estimating needs, the trades or project types you price and your current rates. Builders, developers and homeowners who need a single estimate can usually move straight to sending the documents.
Agreement
We confirm the scope of the work, how estimates will be delivered and the turnaround you need, then sign a short agreement to commence.
Send the drawings and documents
You send the project drawings, specifications, tender conditions and any contract documents. We review the set, confirm what is included and get started.
Take-off and mark-up
We measure the work, mark up the drawings and prepare the bill of quantities or priced estimate in your format. As we go, we note every discrepancy between documents, every scope gap and every risk we find in the contractual documentation.
Query session
We run through the estimate with you and answer any questions, so you understand how each quantity and assumption was reached. Ad-hoc estimates are returned within 1 to 5 working days, currently averaging 3.
What You Get
What do you receive from a construction cost estimate?
Each estimate is delivered as a working set of documents you can hand to your team, your client or a builder.
Detailed take-off
A measured schedule of quantities for every element in the drawings, organised by trade or work section, with quantities and units that can be traced back to the drawings.
Marked-up drawings
Drawings annotated to show exactly what was measured and where. Mark-ups make it straightforward to check coverage and spot anything that was excluded.
Bill of quantities
The quantities set out as a bill, either unrated so builders can price it as a template, or market rated to serve as a price reference. Developers and homeowners typically use the rated version to compare quotes, while subcontractors and builders usually apply their own rates.
Scope-gap and risk notes
Written notes from the contractual document review listing the gaps between drawings, specification and contract, discrepancies that need clarification and risks that could affect price or program. Use them to raise requests for information, set exclusions or adjust your allowances.
Scope And Cost
What affects the cost of a construction estimate?
The fee for an estimate follows the time it takes to measure and review the documents. These are the main drivers.
- Size and complexity of the project, from a single-trade package to a multi-unit development
- Number of trades or work sections to be measured
- Completeness and quality of the drawings, specifications and contract documents
- Whether you need an unrated bill of quantities or a market-rated estimate
- Depth of contractual document review required, such as tender conditions and contract clauses
- Turnaround required, including urgent tender deadlines
Why Sami Strategy
Why have Sami Strategy prepare your estimate?
Risks are flagged with the numbers
Every estimate includes a review of the contractual documents, and the gaps, discrepancies and risks we find are written up alongside the quantities. You see the exposure before you price or sign.
Capacity without the overhead
Use us for one project or many. Ad-hoc work carries no long-term commitment, and turnaround is 1 to 5 working days, currently averaging 3, so a tender deadline does not have to wait for a new hire.
Estimators who also tender and deliver
Our team includes estimators with engineering backgrounds, and the same consultancy tenders on EstimateOne, administers contracts and manages projects client-side. That experience shows in how the estimate is structured and in the risks it anticipates.
I had the pleasure of dealing with Sandra and the team at Sami Strategy Co on a large multi-unit apartment building in Blackburn, VIC. Being a structural engineer, it was a delight to speak to someone who actually understands building.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is included in a construction cost estimate?
A construction cost estimate sets out the quantities of work measured from the drawings and the cost applied to each of them. Ours includes the detailed take-off, marked-up drawings, a bill of quantities in your chosen format and written notes on scope gaps, discrepancies and risks found in the contractual documents. We also run through the estimate with you so the basis of every figure is clear.
What is a take-off and mark-up?
A take-off is the measurement of quantities from a set of drawings, such as square metres of plasterboard, linear metres of pipework or the number of doors. A mark-up is the annotated drawing that shows what was measured and where. Together they let anyone check the estimate against the documents.
How long does a construction estimate take?
Ad-hoc estimates are returned within 1 to 5 working days and are currently averaging 3. The time depends on the size of the project, the number of trades to be measured and how complete the documents are. Tell us your deadline when you send the drawings and we will confirm whether it can be met.
What documents do I need to send for an estimate?
Send the current architectural, structural and services drawings, the specification, and any tender conditions, scope letters or contract documents that apply. Include addenda and revision schedules so we measure from the latest set. If some documents are still outstanding, we can estimate from what is available and list the assumptions we made.
What is the difference between an unrated and a market-rated bill of quantities?
An unrated bill of quantities lists the measured quantities without prices, so a builder or subcontractor can apply their own rates. It works as a template that several builders can price on the same basis. A market-rated bill applies current market rates to each item to give a price reference, which developers and homeowners use to set budgets and compare quotes.
Do you provide construction estimating services for one-off projects?
Yes. Ad-hoc estimating is available for a single project with no long-term commitment, and many clients start this way. Builders and subcontractors who want ongoing support can move to a standing arrangement or to our EstimateOne tendering service.
Can a homeowner use a building cost estimator in Melbourne before choosing a builder?
Yes. An independent estimate prepared from your drawings gives you a realistic budget before you approach builders and a bill of quantities you can issue to each of them to price. When quotes come back, the market-rated version gives you a reference to compare them against and to question items that look out of place.
Do you estimate projects outside Melbourne?
We are based in Melbourne and estimate projects across Victoria. Because drawings and documents can be shared digitally, we also consult remotely for clients elsewhere in Australia.