Construction estimating and pre-construction services for UK contractors
Take-offs, priced bills, subcontract enquiries and tender pricing, built for margin by a team that prices Craftex’s own projects. Your monthly pre-construction team, without hiring an estimator.
For contractors who price more than they can handle
Contractors with a steady flow of enquiries
- Turnover of roughly £500K to £10M a year
- The owner prices jobs at night or at weekends
- Quotes go out late, or not at all, and jobs are lost
- Margins on finished jobs come out lower than priced
Not for you yet if
- You want a cheap one-off estimate for a small domestic job
- You price a couple of jobs a year
- You want someone to guess a price without drawings or a scope
Why estimating holds contractors back
A pre-construction team that prices like a contractor
We price and programme the way a contractor delivers, so the number and the dates you send are ones you can build to.
Take-offs from drawings
Quantities measured from drawings and specifications, with every assumption and exclusion written down.
Priced bills & estimates
Labour, materials, plant, preliminaries, overheads and margin built up properly, in a format you can send to clients.
Subcontract enquiries
Packages sent out to your supply chain, quotes chased and compared like for like.
Tender pricing
Full pricing for tenders and frameworks, joined up with our bid writing team.
Margin & risk check
A second look at every price before it leaves: risk items, programme, payment terms and the margin you will really make.
Value engineering
Alternatives that keep the client’s budget on track without cutting your margin.
Construction programmes
A professional construction programme for every job, built the way we programme Craftex’s own projects. Every trade is sequenced, durations come from your real gang sizes and lead times, and the critical path shows exactly what moves the finish date.
Clients and main contractors trust a contractor who can show a realistic programme. It wins tenders, protects you on delays and keeps the site running in the right order.
- Tender programmes that show the client a realistic start, sequence and handover date
- Contract programmes for JCT and NEC submissions, including the clause 31 programme for acceptance on NEC jobs
- Critical path and key dates, with lead-in times for long-lead materials and subcontractor slots
- Look-ahead programmes (2–4 weeks) for site teams and subcontractors
- Progress updates against the baseline, with delays and extension-of-time evidence recorded as they happen
- Cash flow linked to the programme, so valuations and payments line up with the work on site
- Delivered as a clear Gantt chart (PDF) plus an editable file your team can update
We price Craftex’s own projects every week
Craftex, our London design and build company, wins and delivers projects on the prices we build. Our estimating method was made on real jobs, where a missed item comes out of our own pocket.
Estimates from people who have to build what they price.
- The same estimating templates and rates logic Craftex uses
- Preliminaries and overheads that are actually recovered
- Subcontract pricing compared like for like
- Prices checked against how the job will really be delivered
From drawings to a price you can trust
Fees for occasional or regular pricing
Fees are fixed and agreed in writing after the first call. This is a monthly pre-construction team for established firms, not a cheap per-estimate service.
Per estimate
Occasional larger projects or tenders.
Monthly retainer
Your outsourced estimating team for a set number of estimates each month.
Set-up only
Your own estimating system, then you run it in-house.
Contractors pricing bigger work with confidence
Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
Got drawings that need pricing?
Send us the project details. We will tell you how we would price it and what it would cost.
- A clear plan for your estimating
- A fixed proposal per estimate or retainer
- No obligation
Request a proposal
Tell us about your business and what you need. We reply within one working day.
Everything a growing contractor needs, from one team
Questions contractors ask
What does an outsourced construction estimator do?
We measure quantities from your drawings, price labour, materials, plant, preliminaries and overheads, get subcontract quotes, and give you a price you can send with a full breakdown.
Do you work from drawings only?
Drawings and a specification or scope are best. If information is missing we list our assumptions and exclusions so your price is protected.
Which trades and project types do you price?
Building, refurbishment, fit-out and specialist trade packages for UK contractors. Tell us your projects on the first call and we will confirm if we are the right fit.
Can you price tenders and frameworks?
Yes, and we can join the pricing up with our bid writing team so the price and the written answers tell the same story.
How much does it cost?
A fixed fee per estimate or a monthly retainer, agreed in writing after the first call.
Will you use our rates and suppliers?
Yes. We set up your own rates, supplier and subcontractor lists so the price reflects how your business really works.
Still have questions? Ask us directly →
Ready to quote more work without pricing at midnight?
Tell us about your projects. You get a clear plan and a fixed proposal.
BizMentor Ltd provides business services, education and mentoring for construction and trade business owners. Client results shown on this website are individual and not typical. We do not promise or guarantee any specific income, profit, turnover, tender outcome or project size. Nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice.