Commercial estimating services take drawings from a contractor who bids more work than its own estimators can count and return a takeoff, and sometimes a priced bid, by the tender date. The contractor buying the service should decide which half it is buying: a takeoff to price on its own rates and markup, or a priced bid it will have to check line by line before its name goes on it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited below, puts the median annual wage for cost estimators at $78,740 in May 2025, which is what the service is selling by the hour; the free template on this site prices a returned takeoff at the company's own method.
Buy the takeoff, price it yourself
A takeoff in the company's units, by assembly, is a deliverable the company can check and price at its own loaded rate, overhead and markup; that keeps the bid the company's own and the service's error visible.
If you buy the priced bid, check every line
A priced bid on the service's rates and markup is a number the company will be held to; every rate, every unit and every allowance is checked before it is signed. The template on this site reprices the bid's takeoff at the company's figures for comparison.
Site conditions and the schedule are yours
Access, phasing, the general contractor's schedule and the local labor market are not in the drawings the service reads; the company's estimator prices them, and Pro keeps the estimate with the win or loss recorded so outsourced takeoffs are judged on outcomes.
Questions people ask about commercial estimating services
When should a contractor use a commercial estimating service?
When bid volume exceeds what its own estimators can take off by the tender date; buy the takeoff, price it on your own rates, and keep the site check in-house.
What markup should the estimate carry?
Whatever covers the overhead share and leaves the profit the company needs, chosen with the margin in front of you; the template prints the margin the total carries at any markup you try.
What does a commercial estimating service deliver?
A takeoff from the drawings and a priced estimate, usually by division, that the contractor reviews, adjusts to its own rates and hours, and then carries its own overhead and markup on before bidding.