Senior Cost and Design Engineer

Position Summary

The Senior Cost and Design Engineer is responsible for leading the technical and commercial coordination of HVAC tender cost estimating activities from RFQ review through bid consolidation, submission support, and award handover.

The role owns the integration of design intent, quantity take-offs, supplier pricing, cost build-ups, and tender assumptions to ensure that bids are accurate, competitive, risk-aware, and fully aligned with client requirements.

A key responsibility of the role is to supervise, mentor, and quality-check the work of cadet cost and design engineers during the cost estimating stage of a project, ensuring that measurement, pricing inputs, technical interpretations, and documentation are complete, structured, and compliant with the approved tender basis.

The Senior Cost and Design Engineer serves as the senior coordination point between planning, design, procurement support, and management during tender development, translating RFQ requirements into measurable scope packages, cost plans, engineering assumptions, and pricing strategies.

The role also supports bid reviews, value engineering, tender risk assessments, and the preparation of award handover documents so that all technical, commercial, and cost planning assumptions are clearly transferred to the execution team.

Key Responsibilities

A. RFQ Review, Scope Interpretation, and Tender Basis Development

• Review and analyze Request for Quotation (RFQ) documents, including drawings, specifications, BOQs, instructions to bidders, and client requirements.
• Interpret HVAC scope boundaries, system coverage, interfaces, exclusions, and tender assumptions required for correct measurement and pricing.
• Coordinate with planning and design teams to validate design intent, identify technical gaps, define clarification requirements, and confirm code and specification compliance.
•  Prepare and consolidate tender basis documents, including scope summaries, assumptions registers, inclusion/exclusion lists, and clarification logs.
• Ensure the estimating team is working from the latest controlled tender documents, addenda, and approved responses to RFIs and clarifications.

B. Cost Estimating Leadership and Cadet Engineer Supervision

•  Lead the cost estimating stage for HVAC tenders by structuring work packages, assigning tasks, and ensuring timely completion of quantity take-offs and pricing activities.
•  Directly supervise cadet cost and design engineers during take-off, measurement, equipment counting, material quantification, and preliminary pricing preparation.
• Review, verify, and approve the outputs of cadet engineers to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with the defined bid basis before consolidation into the estimate.
• Coach cadet engineers on reading drawings and specifications, identifying scope boundaries, applying estimating logic, and documenting assumptions and exclusions clearly.
• Establish checking routines, quantity reconciliation processes, and estimate review checkpoints to reduce omissions, duplication, and pricing errors.
• Support development of cadet engineers through task guidance, structured feedback, and exposure to tender strategy, supplier engagement, and technical-commercial decision making.

C. Design Coordination, Supplier Pricing, and Estimate Consolidation

• •       Coordinate with internal design engineers and external suppliers/OEMs to obtain technical selections, budgetary quotations, compliance validation, and lead-time information for critical HVAC equipment and materials.
• •       Validate quantity take-offs against tender drawings, scope summaries, and design assumptions, ensuring all cost elements are traceable and supported.
• •       Prepare or review direct cost build-ups for materials, labor, plant, subcontractors, testing and commissioning, logistics, permits, temporary works, and documentation deliverables.
• •       Consolidate estimate inputs into structured cost summaries, BOQ pricing sheets, comparison tabs, and commercial backup documents required for management review.
• •       Coordinate with planning and procurement support to align pricing with tentative schedules, long-lead equipment requirements, procurement durations, and manpower assumptions.
• •       Develop and recommend value engineering options, alternates, and sourcing strategies that improve competitiveness without compromising compliance or execution feasibility.

D. Tender Review, Risk Control, and Submission Support

•  Participate in internal bid reviews to confirm consistency between design basis, estimate, technical proposal, procurement inputs, schedule assumptions, and commercial qualifications.
• Identify and escalate estimating risks such as incomplete design information, scope ambiguities, supplier uncertainties, abnormal commercial terms, and schedule-driven cost exposure.
•  Ensure all pricing assumptions, exclusions, provisional items, and commercial qualifications are properly documented and reflected in the tender submission.
•  Support the preparation of technical-commercial clarifications, estimate narratives, cost breakdowns, and management approval packs prior to submission.
• Assist management during post-bid clarifications and negotiations by providing estimate revisions, cost justifications, and impact assessments for requested changes or concessions.

E. Award Handover and Tender Knowledge Transfer

• Upon award, prepare cost and design handover documents for the execution team, including final scope basis, estimate assumptions, vendor recommendations, qualifications, and key pricing risks.
• Support transition from tender stage to project kickoff by explaining estimate structure, procurement priorities, major cost drivers, and unresolved technical/commercial issues.
• Ensure all estimating files, BOQ build-ups, vendor quotations, pricing back-up, and controlled tender records are properly archived for future reference and auditability.
• Contribute to post-tender lessons learned reviews and continuous improvement of estimating templates, checking standards, and cadet engineer development processes.

Qualifications

• Licensed Mechanical Engineer (Professional Regulation Commission – PRC) 
•  With at least 3-5 years of relevant experience in HVAC tendering, cost estimating, design coordination, and contractor-based pre-construction work.
•  Demonstrated experience in preparing and reviewing quantity take-offs, detailed cost estimates, supplier comparisons, technical-commercial evaluations, and bid documentation for HVAC projects.
•  Strong technical understanding of HVAC systems, including chilled water, DX/VRF systems, ventilation, smoke management interfaces, controls/BMS coordination, and testing and commissioning requirements.
•   Hands-on experience in supervising junior or cadet engineers in estimating, technical documentation, or tender coordination functions.
•  Proficient in AutoCAD, Excel-based estimating tools, and general construction documentation workflows; familiarity with quantity takeoff tools such as Planswift or BlueBeamare required.
•  Working knowledge of applicable standards and codes, including ASHRAE, SMACNA, local building/mechanical codes, and project specification compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical, leadership, communication, and coordination skills, with the ability to balance technical detail, pricing accuracy, and tender deadlines.

Core Competencies

• Advanced Cost Estimating and BOQ Management - Strong capability in quantity take-off verification, cost build-up preparation, estimate reconciliation, and commercial documentation control.
•  Tender Design Interpretation - Ability to translate RFQ drawings and specifications into measurable scope packages, pricing assumptions, and compliant technical-commercial bid inputs.
•  Cadet Engineer Supervision and Coaching - Skilled in guiding, reviewing, and developing cadet cost and design engineers during the estimating stage through clear instruction, quality checks, and mentoring.
• Supplier and Procurement Coordination - Effective in obtaining, evaluating, and comparing vendor quotations, lead times, technical compliance submissions, and alternative sourcing options.
• Risk Identification and Estimate Accuracy Control - Strong attention to detail in identifying scope gaps, design ambiguities, pricing inconsistencies, and tender-stage cost risks early.
• Cross-Functional Coordination - Works effectively with planning, design, procurement, document control, and management teams to align technical and commercial deliverables.
• Documentation and Tender Traceability - Ensures estimate back-up, assumptions, exclusions, revisions, and pricing records are complete, versioncontrolled, and audit-ready.
• Commercial Awareness and Value Engineering - Supports competitive pricing strategies and technically sound alternatives that improve bid strength and execution practicality.

Role Value

• The Senior Cost and Design Engineer plays a critical role in ensuring that HVAC contractor bids are commercially robust, technically coordinated, and properly controlled during the estimating stage.
• By leading estimate development, supervising cadet engineers, validating design-based quantities, and structuring tender assumptions, the role improves bid accuracy, reduces scope gaps, and strengthens submission quality.
• Through disciplined cost control, supplier coordination, and tender documentation management, the position helps management make better pricing decisions while preserving traceability and risk visibility across the bid process.
• Ultimately, the role strengthens the organization's capacity to produce competitive, compliant, and execution-ready tenders while developing the next generation of cost and design engineers through hands-on guidance and quality leadership.