3–4 finalists in about 2 weeks
- Finalist APractical task94
- Finalist BPractical task91
- Finalist CPractical task88
✓ Structured interview✓ References
BuildxactCubitGroundplanDatabuild
Example pack. Scores out of 100.
Outsource estimating services to an estimator you hire
For Australian builders and trades that want to outsource estimating services: a Philippines-based estimator who does take-offs from your plans, prices them from your rates and prepares draft quotes for your review, hired and paid directly by you.
- Recruitment fee
- $5,000 once, excl. GST
- Monthly markup
- $0
- Shortlist
- 3–4 in about 2 weeks
- Replacement cover
- 6 months
What they take off your plate
- Review plans, specifications and scope documents and list items that need clarifying
- Complete quantity take-offs from PDF plans and drawings
- Build estimates from your cost database, rates and price lists
- Request and compare supplier and subcontractor quotes
- Prepare draft quotes and tender submissions in your templates
- Note inclusions, exclusions and assumptions for your review
- Price variations and keep cost databases and price lists current
- Track quote status and follow up clients and builders on outstanding quotes
Typical salary: $1,800 per month, paid by you directly.Source: Tarino’s typical salary for the role, October 2026.
Software we screen for
- Buildxact
- Cubit
- Groundplan
- Databuild
- Bluebeam Revu
- PlanSwift
- Microsoft Excel
What an offshore estimator does, from plans to quote
For many builders and trade businesses, quoting happens at night after a day on site, and slow quotes lose work. An offshore estimator takes the measuring and pricing at each stage:
- Plans in: review plans, specifications and scope documents, and list what needs clarifying before pricing starts.
- Take-off: measure quantities from PDF plans in Buildxact, Cubit, Groundplan or Bluebeam.
- Pricing: build the estimate from your cost database and rates, and request and compare supplier and subcontractor quotes.
- Quote out: prepare the draft quote in your template, with inclusions, exclusions and assumptions noted, then follow up outstanding quotes.
The role suits residential builders, renovators and trades such as electrical, plumbing, carpentry and concreting. Our page for builders and trades covers how they usually split estimating from office admin.
What stays with you onshore
- Site visits, technical scope and buildability decisions
- Margins, final pricing and approval of every quote
- Contracts, variation sign-off and client negotiations
Your estimator does the measuring and pricing. You make the commercial call.
How we test estimators
Construction estimating services usually put your plans in a queue with everyone else’s. We recruit one estimator for your business. Each search typically starts with 1,000+ candidates from job advertising, direct headhunting and referrals through vetted local networks in the Philippines. Of that starting pool, about 40% pass CV and quality screening, 20% the video screen, 10% the practical assessment and 5% the structured interview. Around 2% reach finalist review, and you receive a shortlist of 3–4, usually within about 2 weeks.
The practical assessment could include a take-off and estimate from a sample set of residential plans and a price list. When you interview, send a finalist a small set of your own plans. Look for quantities within a sensible tolerance of yours, questions about details missing from the drawings, and a clear list of assumptions you could hand to a client.
What an agency charges for the same estimator
With a managed agency, you pay a fee every month on top of your estimator’s salary, for as long as they quote for you. Staff Domain, for example, publishes $1,099 per person per month, about $13,188 a year, plus $1,200 per hire (checked October 2026). Over five years that is about $67,140 in fees.
With Tarino you pay a one-time fee, and your estimator keeps their full salary because you pay them directly. Compare agency fees with a one-time fee, or estimate the markup on an estimator salary.
Getting quotes out faster in the first month
Share your cost database, three recent quotes you were happy with and your supplier list. Review every estimate for the first few weeks, then move to spot checks. Our guide on how to hire Filipino staff from Australia covers contracts and pay. If the bottleneck is bookings and invoices rather than quotes, an admin assistant may be the first hire. An estimator gets faster as they learn your rates, and more than 95% of Tarino placements are still in the role at 6 months. Read how the hiring process works.
How we screen for this role
- 01
Candidate pool
Applicants, headhunted candidates and referrals from vetted local networks build a pool of 1,000+ per role.
100%1,000+ people - 02
CV + quality screening
Experience, stability, written communication, responsiveness and attention to detail.
40%about 400 of 1,000 - 03
Video screening
Communication ability, professionalism and personality.
20%about 200 of 1,000 - 04
Practical assessment
Role-specific tasks test real capability and quality of work.
10%about 100 of 1,000 - 05
Structured interview
Judgement, ownership, communication, problem-solving and independent operation.
5%about 50 of 1,000 - 06
Finalist review
The strongest candidates are reviewed across every assessment stage.
2%about 20 of 1,000 Your shortlist
3–4 finalists with scorecards, practical-task results and independent reference checks, in about two weeks.
3–4people you meet
What an estimator really costs, three ways.
Pick a role. We compare the full cost of the same role three ways: a local hire in Australia, an offshore hire through a managed agency, and an offshore hire made directly with Tarino.
Total cost over 2 years, excl. GST
$260,000 typical salary + 12% super
$43,200 salary + $27,576 agency fees
$43,200 salary + $5,000 one-time fee
$22,57632%
vs a local hire, you keep $243,000
Sources and method
Agency: Staff Domain's published rate, $1,099/month + $1,200 per hire, split across the month 3 and 4 invoices, checked October 2026. Salaries: Tarino’s typical offshore and Australian salary for each role, plus 12% super on the Australian figure. Excl. GST.
Estimator: common questions
Should I use construction estimating services or hire an offshore estimator?
Construction estimating services price jobs one at a time, which suits occasional large tenders. Your own offshore estimator suits builders and trades who quote every week, because they learn your rates, suppliers and quote layout. Through Tarino you hire that estimator directly, and they work only on your jobs.
Can an offshore estimator price our jobs?
They prepare the estimate from your plans, rates and supplier quotes. Your team keeps site assessment, technical scope, margins and final approval before anything goes to the client. Most builders start by reviewing every line, then move to checking totals and assumptions once the estimator's take-offs are consistently accurate.
Do they know Australian construction?
Experience varies. We assess familiarity with Australian plans, terminology and materials in the practical assessment, and the shortlist notes where each finalist would need training on your trade and region. Put the job types you quote most often in the brief, so candidates are tested on work like yours.
Who hires the estimator?
You do. You hire and pay your estimator directly, so they receive their full salary. Tarino charges a one-time recruitment fee per hire, with no monthly markup. Pricing is on our pricing page, and Tarino placements come with 6-month replacement cover for the same role, under the conditions in our terms.
Let’s find your next superstar.
Book a 30-minute call. No pitch, no pressure, just a straight conversation about your business and whether Tarino is the right fit.
Book a free call