3 minute read
ESTIMATING MESSAGE
Lake Superior University recently published a list of words and phrases that should be banished in 2021. This list included the following phrases : COVID-19 (also corona, Rona, et al), Social Distancing, We’re all in this together, In an abundance of caution, In these uncertain times, Pivot, Unprecedented, Karen, Sus, and I know right. I think we can all agree we have heard some of these phrases more than we ever cared to over the last year; however, we are all concerned on some level about remaining stable during this pandemic. Fortunately, Ajax is in great financial health with a backlog of work in the bank and the company continues to capitalize on unique opportunities to keep our backlog healthy and our crews at work. Specifically our estimating staff at Ajax remained active and flexible throughout the evolving Covid government protocols. We learned to meet on many of platforms including Zoom, Teams and Skype. We attended pre-bids, handoffs, pre-cons and staff meetings virtually – requiring us to become experts at sharing data and plan renderings on a multitude of platforms. This challenge only made us better as a team. Moving forward, we will be expanding our sales territory to include the Lake Wales area. We added a new government estimator, Duncan McKillop, to our staff to help handle the increased market area and bid load. Ajax also purchased a new sitework takeoff program, Agtek. It will assist in evaluating bid quantities and their phasing on jobs. Members of the estimating staff and several of the company’s project managers will attend the Bid2Win conference in a virtual format to receive in-depth software training so we can have more “hands on deck” when reviewing bids and pricing change orders. Our department also transitioned filing to a digital format so that we can share information seamlessly with construction management and subcontractors with ease.
In the last few months, the estimating staff has pursued an unprecedented number of design build contracts. These pursuits require us to develop design plans, quantities and pricing to submit for scoring to the owner. The estimating staff works in conjunction with the designbuild/pre-construction staff who specialize in these pursuits.
ACAF Award Winner - District 1, Resurfacing Urban Award for I-75 in Manatee County (Area 3)
District 7 Special Project at Peter O. Knight Airport (Area 3)
Our combined team was successful bidder on three design-build roadway contracts: One each in Fort Myers, Bradenton and Tampa. These unique opportunities allow us to be creative and innovative with design and construction planning by working hand in hand with engineers and the owner, leading to a project with maximized value and profit opportunities. In addition, these jobs have provided over 150,000 tons to our backlog over the next few years.
Meanwhile, we remain focused on the jobs that keep our crews busy day in and day out. The estimating staff works hard to provide accurate cost estimates that reflect Ajax’s crew performance on similar jobs. Build 2 Win and Viewpoint, as well as, our participation in job handoffs through the Blueprint for Success model helps to get valuable feedback from the field about production and performance to the estimators. We are always working to make our bids better, our budgets achievable and our profits maximized. It is an exciting time and we are ready for what lies ahead.
Christie Alvaro, Director of Estimating
Duncan comes to us with experience in the residential and commercial market. Duncan has strong analytical computer skills which will help us understand market trends and bid history. He is bidding jobs throughout the company to become familiar with area construction management and the various agencies with which we work. Welcome to the A-Team Duncan!
Preconstruction Manager, Felipe Jaramillo, presented at the Virtual Florida Design-Build Conference. Felipe discussed ways to drive innovation through design-build.
