Civil Engineering & Construction
17 Sept
Senior Cost Estimator – Ghana
Accra, Ghana
GHS 320K - GHS 450K
Job Title: Senior Cost Estimator – Ghana
Industry: Construction / Civil Engineering & Infrastructure
Location: Ghana
Salary: GHS 320,000 – GHS 450,000 gross per annum, depending on experience
Role Purpose
The Senior Cost Estimator will lead the preparation of accurate, auditable and competitive cost estimates and tender pricing for major construction projects in Ghana.
Reporting to the Technical Office Manager, the role integrates project scope, quantities, construction methods, programme, resources, market rates, risk and commercial assumptions into robust, decision-ready estimates.
The successful candidate will play a key role throughout the tender lifecycle—from initial tender review and quantity take-off through cost build-up, risk assessment, pricing review, tender submission support and post-award handover.
Key Responsibilities
Estimating Leadership & Governance
Translate tender priorities into clear estimating work plans, responsibilities and review timelines.
Maintain estimating procedures, templates, coding structures, checklists and approval processes.
Apply consistent basis-of-estimate, version-control, peer-review and confidentiality standards.
Provide objective cost advice and escalate material gaps, uncertainties or pricing risks.
Supervise and develop estimating resources and coordinate multidisciplinary contributors.
Tender Review & Estimate Planning
Review instructions to tender, drawings, specifications, Bills of Quantities (BOQs), addenda, contract conditions and submission requirements.
Develop estimate execution plans covering work packages, contributors, quotation requirements, programme interfaces, reviews and deadlines.
Maintain tender queries, assumptions, deliverables and responsibility matrices.
Identify incomplete scope, long-lead inputs and resource constraints at an early stage.
Scope Definition & Work Breakdown
Translate tender documents into comprehensive work breakdown and cost-code structures.
Map scope across BOQ items, drawings, specifications, construction methods, temporary works, interfaces and contractual obligations.
Identify exclusions, provisional quantities, client-supplied items, nominated parties and scope gaps.
Ensure estimates adequately cover enabling works, testing, handover, demobilisation and close-out obligations.
Quantity Take-Off & BOQ Verification
Lead and review quantity measurement from approved drawings, models, schedules and specifications.
Verify client BOQs and identify arithmetic, unit, duplication and omission risks.
Maintain clear measurement rules, references and audit trails to facilitate independent review.
Perform reasonableness checks using geometry, production logic, benchmarks and comparable projects.
Construction Methods & Programme Inputs
Collaborate with Operations, Design and Planning teams to establish practical construction methods, sequencing, temporary works, access and productivity assumptions.
Align labour, plant, materials and subcontract resources with tender programmes and project constraints.
Challenge unrealistic assumptions relating to productivity, mobilisation, weather, shifts, curing, testing and approvals.
Quantify time-related cost exposure and highlight dependencies requiring management attention.
Direct Cost Build-Up
Develop transparent unit-rate build-ups covering labour, materials, plant, subcontractors, waste, transportation and production output.
Apply current wage, material, plant, fuel, productivity and market-rate information.
Check unit conversions, crew balances, yields, wastage, cycle times and resource utilisation.
Maintain clear separation between base cost, escalation, risk and commercial additions.
Preliminaries, Indirect Costs & Site Establishment
Estimate mobilisation, site establishment, supervision, facilities, utilities, security, surveys, laboratories, quality, EHS, insurance and temporary services.
Align time-related preliminaries with tender programmes and staffing plans.
Account for head-office support, permits, bonds, testing, maintenance, demobilisation and close-out costs where applicable.
Prevent duplication or omission between direct rates, preliminaries and corporate allowances.
Supplier & Subcontractor Quotations
Develop complete quotation packages and return schedules in collaboration with Procurement and relevant technical teams.
Evaluate supplier and subcontractor quotations for scope coverage, comparability, exclusions, validity, delivery and pricing impact.
Normalise quotations for freight, duties, taxes, currency, payment terms, warranties and scope differences.
Maintain quotation logs and ensure selected estimate inputs are properly documented and reviewable.
Plant, Equipment & Logistics Costing
Coordinate inputs relating to plant availability, ownership costs, operating rates, fuel, maintenance, operators, mobilisation and residual assumptions.
Compare owned, hired, leased and subcontracted equipment solutions based on total cost and operational risk.
Incorporate transportation, permits, escorts, customs, assembly, commissioning, standby and demobilisation costs.
Ensure plant productivity and fleet assumptions align with programme requirements and site conditions.
Risk, Opportunity & Contingency
Facilitate estimate-risk reviews covering quantities, design maturity, productivity, market conditions, currency, inflation, access, weather, interfaces and contractual conditions.
Quantify credible risk ranges and opportunities using appropriate methodologies and supporting evidence.
Maintain clear separation between identified allowances and management contingency.
Present sensitivities and residual exposures to support informed management decisions.
Commercial Pricing & Cash-Flow
Work with Commercial, Quantity Surveying and Finance teams on payment terms, taxes, duties, retention, bonds, financing, escalation, currency and cash-flow implications.
Prepare clear cost summaries and pricing options without obscuring base costs or identified risks.
Assess the impact of programme, productivity, exchange-rate and market scenarios on project cost and cash flow.
Provide well-supported pricing recommendations for management consideration.
Estimate Review & Tender Approval Support
Prepare comprehensive review packs covering scope, estimate basis, quantities, rates, quotations, indirect costs, risks, cash flow, qualifications and outstanding decisions.
Complete discipline checks, reconciliation and independent reviews before management approval.
Record review comments, decisions and authorised changes while maintaining control of the approved estimate baseline.
Support senior management during tender and pricing reviews.
Tender Submission & Post-Bid Clarifications
Reconcile final pricing schedules against approved estimates and verify arithmetic, units and completeness.
Provide controlled cost inputs for qualifications, alternatives, value-engineering proposals and tender documentation.
Support authorised clarification and negotiation responses.
Maintain complete reconciliation records for final submissions and approved post-bid changes.
Handover, Benchmarking & Continuous Improvement
Support the handover of successful tenders to Operations, Commercial, Quantity Surveying, Procurement and Finance teams, including assumptions, risks, quotations and cost structures.
Compare estimating assumptions with awarded budgets, procurement outcomes and actual production costs.
Maintain current benchmark rates, productivity norms, historical cost information and lessons learned.
Drive continuous improvement in estimating tools, data quality, processes and team capability.
Qualification & Experience
Education
Bachelor’s degree or HND in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering, Construction Economics, Building Technology or a related discipline.
Professional qualification, or progress towards membership of GhIS, RICS or an equivalent quantity surveying, estimating or engineering professional body would be advantageous.
Additional training in estimating software, measurement, planning, risk or contract administration is desirable.
Experience
8–12 years of progressive estimating or pre-contract cost experience, including at least 3 years in a senior estimating capacity.
Demonstrable responsibility for:
Quantity take-offs and BOQ verification
Unit-rate build-ups
Tender cost plans and pricing
Supplier and subcontractor analysis
Preliminaries and indirect costs
Risk and contingency assessment
Management estimate reviews
Strong experience across roads, infrastructure, buildings, earthworks, drainage, pavement, concrete, utilities or comparable construction disciplines is highly desirable.
Experience working in Ghana or comparable West African construction markets would be advantageous.
Technical Skills & Knowledge
Advanced quantity take-off, cost planning, unit-rate build-up and tender reconciliation capability.
Strong analytical, numerical, commercial, risk and value-engineering skills.
Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, BOQs, programmes and contract conditions.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and proficiency with recognised estimating, take-off and planning software.
Strong knowledge of construction methods, productivity, materials, plant, labour, logistics, temporary works, preliminaries and subcontract pricing.
Knowledge of measurement principles, BOQ structures and FIDIC or comparable contract forms.
Understanding of tendering, bonds, retention, taxation, duties, currency exposure and escalation.
Knowledge of estimate risk, cash flow, cost coding, benchmarking and post-tender handover.
Key Capabilities
The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to:
Convert incomplete tender information into structured, transparent and defensible estimates.
Identify quantity, scope, productivity, interface and commercial inconsistencies.
Manage concurrent tender deadlines and coordinate multidisciplinary inputs.
Challenge unrealistic assumptions and ensure costs and risks remain transparent.
Explain complex cost drivers, assumptions and sensitivities clearly to senior management.
Exercise sound commercial judgement while maintaining strong attention to detail.
Personal Attributes
High integrity, confidentiality and personal accountability.
Strong attention to detail combined with practical construction judgement.
Calm, organised and decisive when working under demanding tender deadlines.
Strong collaborative approach across Technical, Operations, Procurement, Plant, Finance, Commercial and EHS functions.
Professional confidence to identify omissions, unrealistic assumptions and material risks.
Commitment to developing people, improving data quality and driving continuous improvement.
Key Performance Expectations
Performance will be assessed against the timely delivery and completeness of estimates; accuracy of quantity take-offs and BOQ reviews; quality and currency of rates and market quotations; estimate accuracy; visibility and quantification of risks; compliance with estimate review and approval processes; reconciliation of final tender pricing; quality of project handovers; maintenance of cost benchmarks; identification of value-engineering opportunities; and development of estimating capability.