Estimating since 2009
The estimating desk behind your next winning bid
Landmark Estimating, Engineering & Design Services is a team of trade-specialist estimators who turn drawings into numbers contractors can bid, defend and build.
Our story
Built by estimators who were tired of guesswork
LEEDS started with a simple observation: contractors were losing good work to bad numbers. Estimates built from rules of thumb, stale price books and rushed takeoffs were either too high to win or too low to build.
So we built an estimating desk the way we wished one existed. Every trade is priced by someone who has worked in it. Every quantity is traceable to a sheet. Every estimate is reviewed by a second senior estimator before it leaves.
Today that desk serves general contractors, subcontractors, developers and design teams in all 50 states, on projects from a single bathroom remodel to a 400,000 square foot distribution center.
What we believe
Four rules that shape every estimate
Accuracy before speed
We deliver fast because the process is disciplined, not because steps are skipped. Every quantity is measured twice.
Scope you can defend
Assumptions, allowances and exclusions are written down, so your proposal says exactly what it covers.
An extension of your team
You get a named estimator who learns your templates, your markups and the way you like to bid.
Confidential by default
Your drawings and pricing stay with the people assigned to your project and are deleted on request.
Milestones
How the desk grew
2009
Founded as a two-estimator desk
LEEDS begins by pricing commercial interiors for regional general contractors.
2013
MEP desk opens
Dedicated mechanical, electrical and plumbing estimators join to serve trade subcontractors.
2017
Coverage in all 50 states
Zip-code-adjusted pricing and regional cost benchmarks roll out across every market.
2020
Fully digital takeoff standard
Color-coded, sheet-referenced takeoffs become the default deliverable on every project.
2023
5,000th project estimated
Civil, residential and specialty-systems desks round out more than 40 trade categories.
2026
Senior review on every estimate
A second estimator now signs off quantities and pricing before any deliverable leaves the building.
The team
Six desks, one standard
Your project is routed to the estimators who price that scope every week.
Commercial desk
General contractor estimates across every CSI division, with bid leveling and general conditions.
MEP desk
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, piping and low-voltage takeoffs with trade labor units.
Residential desk
Custom homes, production builders, multifamily, additions and remodels.
Civil desk
Earthwork, utilities, paving, bridges and DOT unit-price bids.
Preconstruction advisory
Feasibility budgets, milestone estimates, value engineering and owner-side bid reviews.
Client success
Scoping, scheduling and bid-calendar management so nothing reaches bid day late.
Standards our estimators work to
98%
takeoff accuracy on awarded projects
Why LEEDS
What working with LEEDS looks like
An estimating desk that behaves like an extension of your team, not a software subscription.
Trade-specific estimators who have priced, your scope hundreds of times, not generalists working from a template.
Live, zip-code-adjusted pricing from RSMeans, data and current supplier quotes, so numbers reflect your market this month.
24–48 hour turnaround on most projects, with rush delivery available for bid-day emergencies.
Every quantity is measured twice and signed, off by a senior estimator before it leaves our desk.
Deliverables formatted to your template: Excel workbook, PDF summary and color-coded marked-up plans.
Unlimited revisions until bid day at no additional, cost.
Process
How our estimating process works
Four steps from upload to a bid-ready estimate, with a senior estimator signing off before anything leaves our desk.
- 1
Upload plans and scope
Send your drawings, specifications and bid invitation through the secure upload form. We confirm scope, deadline and a fixed price within two business hours.
- 2
Digital quantity takeoff
Estimators measure every item from calibrated plans in Bluebeam and PlanSwift, color-coding each layer so quantities can be traced back to the drawing.
- 3
Pricing and labor
Quantities are priced with location-adjusted material costs, crew productivity rates and equipment, then marked up to your overhead and profit targets.
- 4
Senior review and delivery
A second estimator audits quantities and pricing, documents assumptions and exclusions, and delivers your Excel workbook, PDF summary and marked-up plans.
Tools
Estimating software and cost data we work in
Deliverables fit the tools your team already uses.
Bluebeam Revu
Calibrated PDF markup and measurement
PlanSwift
Digital takeoff and assemblies
RSMeans Data
Localized unit cost database
Trimble Accubid
MEP estimating and pricing
Xactimate
Insurance and restoration pricing
Sage Estimating
Database-driven cost estimating
Autodesk Takeoff
2D and 3D quantification
STACK
Cloud takeoff and estimating
On-Screen Takeoff
Quantity takeoff from plans
ProEst
Preconstruction estimating
Procore
Bid management and documents
Microsoft Excel
Deliverables formatted to your template
Clients
Who relies on our estimates
From single-trade subs to national developers, every client gets the same measured-twice standard.
General Contractors
Bid more work without adding estimating headcount. We deliver division-by-division numbers you can level against sub quotes.
Subcontractors
Trade-specific takeoffs with labor hours and material lists, ready to drop into your proposal.
Developers & Owners
Feasibility budgets and bid reviews that tell you whether the numbers you are seeing are fair.
Architects & Engineers
Design-stage estimates at every milestone so value engineering happens before documents are finished.
Design-Build Firms
Conceptual through GMP pricing that moves as fast as your design iterations.
Construction Managers
Independent cost checks, change-order pricing and schedule-of-values support.
Home Builders & Remodelers
Lumber lists, finish schedules and allowance-based budgets homeowners understand.
Lenders & Insurers
Replacement cost and draw-schedule estimates documented to underwriting standards.
Reviews
What contractors say after their first bid with us
What general contractors, subcontractors and developers say after bidding with our numbers.
“We were turning down bids because our two in-house estimators were buried. LEEDS gave us division-by-division numbers in 48 hours that leveled cleanly against our sub quotes. We bid 40% more work last quarter and our hit rate went up, not down.”
Marcus Whitfield
Chief Estimator, Whitfield Commercial Builders · Charlotte, NC
Put our estimators on your next bid
Upload your plans and get a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Most estimates are delivered in 24–48 hours.