Heavy civil and site development
Civil estimating built on equipment spreads, trench depths and unit-price schedules
Civil bids rarely fail on the big numbers. They fail on a pipe run that was measured flat when the invert says twelve feet deep, a haul that ignored the detour, or a paving section priced at the wrong thickness. LEEDS estimators quantify earthwork, utilities, structures and surfaces from plan, profile and cross-section sheets, then build production-based prices around the equipment spread you will actually mobilize.
- 5.0 Google
- 4.9 Trustpilot
- 4.9 Clutch
From upload to bid day
- 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.
Most estimates delivered in 24–48 hours
Scope of takeoff
Civil quantities we take off
Measured from plans, profiles and sections, then priced by production rate and equipment spread.
Mass and trench excavation
Bulk cut, structure excavation and trench volumes with sloping, benching and payment limits
Cross-sections and surface models
Storm drainage pipe
RCP, HDPE and CMP by diameter and depth bracket, with bedding, backfill and end sections
Plan and profile sheets, inverts to rim
Sanitary sewer and force main
Gravity PVC and DIP, force mains, cleanouts, services and testing
Utility profiles and manhole schedule
Water distribution
Main by size, valves, hydrants, fittings, thrust restraint, services and disinfection
Utility plan and detail sheets
Manholes, inlets and structures
Precast and cast-in-place structures with depth adders, frames, grates and channel work
Structure tables by invert and rim
Aggregate base and subbase
Crushed stone and select fill by pavement section with compaction and proof-rolling
Typical sections times surface area
Asphalt and concrete paving
Surface and binder lifts, tack coat, PCC pavement, curb and gutter, and sidewalk
Paving plan and section details
Retaining walls and headwalls
MSE, block and cast-in-place walls with leveling pads, geogrid and drainage aggregate
Wall elevations and structural details
Erosion and sediment control
Silt fence, inlet protection, stabilized entrances, basins, matting and seeding
SWPPP sheets and phasing plans
Dewatering, shoring and conflicts
Trench boxes, sheeting, pumping and utility crossings carried as priced lines
Geotechnical report and profile depth
Maintenance of traffic
Barricades, signs, flaggers and phased lane closures for work within the right-of-way
Traffic control plans and schedule
Equipment spread and labor hours
Crew and machine hours from production rates by soil, haul and working conditions
Daily output per activity
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.
Then step 2
- 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.
Then step 3
- 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.
Then step 4
- 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.
Bid-ready
Overview
What a civil estimate has to capture
Civil estimating is the discipline of turning grading plans, utility profiles, paving details and erosion control sheets into a priced bid schedule. Unlike a building estimate, most of the cost sits in the ground: bulk earthwork in cubic yards, pipe in linear feet by diameter and depth, structures counted by type, and pavement measured in square yards and tons by layer. A small error in a trench depth or a base thickness compounds across thousands of feet. Each activity ties back to a sheet number.
Pricing follows production. Each activity is built from crew and equipment spreads such as a 336-class excavator with two haul units, a paving train or a pipe crew with a trench box, and the hours come from realistic daily outputs adjusted for soil, groundwater, restricted access and weather windows. Dewatering, shoring, traffic control and utility conflicts are carried as explicit lines. Quantities are grouped by utility run, structure and pavement section so a foreman can walk the takeoff against the staking and see exactly where each number came from.
Where the owner issues a bid form, we price to its pay items and units, including lump sum, unit price and allowance items, and keep a reconciled backup so you can defend any line during bid review or a change-order negotiation. The workbook also separates owner-furnished material, contractor-furnished material and subcontracted scope, which keeps the bid schedule clean when the same trench carries water, sewer and storm lines side by side. Allowances, exclusions and unit prices for added quantities are listed at the back, giving you a ready answer when an owner asks what an extra hundred feet of pipe or an extra foot of depth would cost.
Estimate types
What type of civil estimating can you get?
Match the estimate to where your project is. Every option is priced as a flat fee before work begins.
Unit-price bid schedule
Full civil pricing by pay item from construction documents, with quantities reconciled to the owner's bid form and backup for every unit price.
Accuracy
±5–6%
Turnaround
48–72 hours
Best for
Public and private site bids
What's included in your estimate package
Every deliverable is formatted so it can go straight into a proposal, a purchase order or an owner report.
Estimate workbook
Marked-up plans
Material procurement list
Labor hours by task
Estimate workbook XLSX
Quantities, unit costs, labor hours and totals organized by CSI division, with subtotals, markups and a bid summary tab.
Marked-up plans PDF
Color-coded takeoff drawings showing exactly where every measured quantity came from.
Material procurement list XLSX
Consolidated material quantities with waste factors applied, ready to send to suppliers for quotes.
Labor hours by task XLSX
Crew-based labor hours and productivity rates so you can check the schedule against the estimate.
Assumptions and exclusions log PDF
Every clarification, allowance and exclusion documented so your proposal scope is defensible.
Bid summary sheet PDF
A proposal-ready one-page summary with overhead, profit, bonds and contingency applied.
Why LEEDS
Why contractors switch to LEEDS
An estimating desk that behaves like an extension of your team, not a software subscription.
- 01
Estimators who read plan and profile sheets, structure tables and typical sections, and who understand how excavation is actually paid.
- 02
Pipe quantities separated by diameter, material and depth bracket, so deeper trenches carry their shoring and productivity penalties.
- 03
Production-based pricing from equipment spreads, not a percentage of material, adjusted for soil, groundwater and haul conditions.
- 04
Quantities reconciled to the owner's bid, form and pay-item descriptions, which makes bid review and change orders easier to defend.
- 05
Erosion control, maintenance of traffic and, dewatering carried as visible lines instead of buried in overhead.
- 06
Marked-up civil sheets color-coded by utility and surface type, with a quantity log tied to sheet numbers.
- 07
Regional pricing for aggregates, pipe, precast and fuel gathered from current supplier quotes for the project location.
- 08
Experience across municipal, DOT-adjacent and private development work, from single lots to multi-phase subdivisions.
Nationwide coverage
Local pricing in every US market
We adjust labor, material and equipment to the project zip code and account for the code, climate and logistics that drive cost in each region.
Union labor markets, dense urban logistics and strict code review priced in.
CTMEMANHNJNYPA+2Weather-dependent schedules and regional material supply reflected in every line.
ILINIAKSMIMNMO+5Fast-growth metros where subcontractor capacity, not material, drives price.
ALARDEFLGAKYLA+9Seismic detailing, energy codes and the highest labor rates in the country.
AKAZCACOHIIDMT+6Clients
Who relies on our estimates
From single-trade subs to national developers, every client gets the same measured-twice standard.
FAQ
Civil Estimating FAQs
Straight answers on scope, turnaround, pricing and deliverables.
How do you quantify underground utilities by depth?
We read inverts and rim elevations from the profile sheets and sort pipe into depth brackets, usually zero to six, six to ten and over ten feet. Each bracket carries its own excavation volume, bedding, backfill, shoring and production rate, so deep runs are not priced like shallow ones.
Can you price directly to a DOT or municipal bid form?
Yes. We carry the owner's pay item numbers, descriptions and units, and reconcile our measured quantities to the bid form. Where the form includes lump sum or allowance items, we document what is included so there is no ambiguity during bid review. We also list the trench width assumed at each depth, since wider cuts at depth add excavation, backfill and haul volume.
Do you build prices from equipment spreads?
Production activities are priced from crew and machine spreads with realistic daily outputs for the soil and haul conditions. Equipment ownership, operating cost and operator rates are shown separately, so you can swap in your own fleet rates quickly. We show your fleet rates next to ours when you share them, which makes it easy to tune the bid.
Do you include erosion control and maintenance of traffic?
Both are quantified from the SWPPP and traffic control sheets when they are in the set. If the documents are silent, we carry a stated allowance and list it in the assumptions log so you can confirm it with the owner before bid day. We then flag any gaps between sheets.
What do you need to start a civil estimate?
The full civil sheet set with plans, profiles, details and typical sections, the geotechnical report, the bid form and any addenda. Existing and proposed surface files help, but we can build surfaces from contours when only PDFs are available. Expect questions from us if profiles and plan views disagree, and we document every answer in the quantity log.
How long does a civil estimate take?
Most site packages are delivered in 48 to 72 hours. Large linear projects or multi-phase subdivisions are scheduled individually. We confirm the date and scope first, and rush delivery is available for tight bid dates. We can often start sooner when a single utility package or one pavement area needs to be priced first, then add the rest.
Related
Related estimating services
Most projects need more than one trade. Bundle them into a single upload and we price the whole scope together.
Ready for a civil estimating quote?
Upload your plans and get a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Most estimates are delivered in 24–48 hours.