Exam Bulletin - Senior Estimator of Building Construction

Department of General Services

Exam Code: EX-2507

Examination Plans Included:

  • SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Classification Details

SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION: $7,027.00 - $8,790.00 per Month

View the SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION classification specification.

Application Instructions

This is not a timed examination. If you request a Reasonable Accommodation, your account will be locked and you will not be able to proceed with the examination until the request is processed.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 6 months:

Exam Code(s):

    2507

For SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 6 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-02507

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

00104063 - SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Either 1

Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of an Associate Estimator of Building Construction.

Or 2

Experience: Three years of experience in quantity estimating and pricing of major building construction, comparable to that of an Associate Estimator of Building Construction in the California state service. and

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college with major work in architecture or engineering. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.)

Position Description

00104063 - SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Prepares, from plans and specifications of major projects, complete quantity surveys of materials and labor required on contracts or direct construction projects; assists with the supervision, training, checking, and coordinating of the work of other estimators; prices materials and labor, and sets up estimates of the cost of construction projects; pre pares unit and total cost analyses of completed jobs; checks and negotiates cost of changes submitted by contractors; prepares, from small scale sketches, preliminary estimates of cost; writes and supervises the writing of short specifications for the requisition of materials; prepares and supervises the preparation of material lists and requisitions for materials required; occasionally makes valuation appraisals of existing buildings; dictates correspondence.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for optimal performance when accessing the examination.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1CalHR Online ExamN/A100%

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:

  1. Labor costs and various materials entering into building construction and their commercial units
  2. Current prices of building materials and current wage scales of the various building and construction trades
  3. Principles and techniques of supervision
Ability to:
  1. Read and interpret plans and specifications, and make complete and accurate estimates of the material and labor costs and various other items entering into the cost of building construction
  2. Detect errors and discrepancies in plans and specifications
  3. Make valuation appraisals of existing buildings, and write clear and comprehensive reports and correspondence
  4. Train others and supervise and direct their work
  5. Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action

Eligible List Information

A Departmental Open eligible list for the SENIOR ESTIMATOR OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Classification will be established for:

  • Department of General Services

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

Senior Estimator of Building Construction Training and Experience Examination Preview

Instructions:
Rate your experience performing specific job-related tasks.

Respond to each of the following statements by indicating how the statement applies to you. You are required to respond to every question and provide relevant examples. Also, indicate the references who can verify the information provided.

In responding to each statement, you may refer to your WORK EXPERIENCE, whether paid or volunteer, your EDUCATION, and/or FORMAL TRAINING COURSES you have completed.

PLEASE NOTE: This examination is designed to gain an overall assessment of your education, training, and experience as it directly relates to the duties and the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position. Possession of specific education is not required to be successful in this examination; however, such achievements may substitute for desirable levels of experience. All components of this examination have been carefully validated by tying them directly to job requirements and documenting their relevance to the position.

Tasks
  1. Reviewing project plans and specifications for determining materials, labor, and equipment needed to complete quantity surveys and cost estimates.
  2. Preparing quantity surveys of materials, labor, and equipment required on construction projects by using plans and specifications to complete the project’s conceptual, budget, preliminary, and final cost estimates.
  3. Preparing conceptual cost estimates for construction project proposals to create initial budgets utilizing conceptual plans, electronic estimating tools, and/or historical data as required.
  4. Developing construction project budget costs utilizing conceptual plans, electronic estimating tools, and/or historical data to assist in determining overall project feasibility.
  5. Revising conceptual cost estimates to prepare preliminary cost estimates for approved construction projects utilizing electronic estimating tools, preliminary plans, and specifications.
  6. Preparing final cost estimates to determine bid amounts of approved construction projects utilizing contract bid documents (e.g., plans and specifications, revising costs, electronic estimating tools).
  7. Analyzing plans and specifications regarding cost decisions to determine areas of potential savings to advise the client of impacts to cost estimates.
  8. Negotiating value (increase or decrease) of proposed changes to original contract documents with contractors to ensure that clients are receiving fair market value pursuant to completion of the change order.
  9. Preparing conceptual cost estimates using previously completed project cost database information to develop a budgetary cost of the projects.
  10. Conducting phone interviews with low bidders to ascertain discrepancies between final cost estimates and bidders’ bid.
  11. Providing training, guidance, and/or technical direction to peers and assistant or associate estimators to improve the quality of the work products.
  12. Establishing total project costs by combining hard construction cost estimates and soft costs (e.g., design, management, inspection, fees) in accordance with industry standards.
  13. Communicating with design team and trades people (e.g., estimators, designers, architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, suppliers) to remain current of various costs and construction methods in accordance with good construction estimating practices.
  14. Acting as lead estimator to merge all trade estimates into a Total Hard Cost estimate using estimating software in accordance with established construction industry operations and procedures.
  15. Visiting construction sites to examine the physical existing conditions and take photos to ensure understanding of project drawings and requirements in accordance with best estimating practices.
  16. Preparing budget packages based on information from clients using designers’ (in-house or consultant) input to refine the scope and schedule information.
  17. Documenting and explaining project cost changes and/or scope revisions that may occur between preliminary and final phase estimates using cost and design documentation.

Testing Departments

  • Department of General Services

Contact Information

Technical questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Department of Human Resources
CalCareer Service Center
1810 16th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
Phone: (866) 844-8671
CalCareer@calhr.ca.gov

Administrative questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of General Services
Office of Human Resources
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
Phone: (916) 376-5400

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of General Services reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)