Estimator - Transmission

About Us

Brink Constructors, Inc. is an electrical contractor with over 75 years of experience in high-voltage transmission line and substation erection. With a long and industrious history, our experienced team continues to help power the nation now and into the future.

 

At Brink, our success stems from the skilled personnel that we employ and the philosophy we instill to follow and uphold our core fundamental ideals including Safety First. Becoming a member of the Brink team is more than “just a job” or satisfactory employment—at Brink, we build careers, and we invest in the future of our people. Bring your skills to light and power your future with our team.

About this Role

Brink Constructors, Inc. 

 

The Estimator is a Princeton, Minnesota–based estimating role within Brink's Pre-Construction department. The primary responsibility of this position is producing time-and-equipment (T&E) estimates, work-order pricing, and change-order pricing for two key utility clients served under master service, blanket, and alliance-type agreements. This work is high-volume, fast-turnaround, and rate-schedule driven: the estimator builds crew and equipment hour models against contract rate sheets rather than assembling full lump-sum bid packages.

When T&E workload allows, this position supports the broader estimating team on hard-bid and unit-price transmission and distribution pursuits — take-offs, quantity verification, vendor solicitation, and estimate assembly. The Estimator reports to the Lead Estimator – Transmission, who reviews and approves all deliverables before release.

 

Pay: This is an exempt/salary position. The pay range is $90,000 -$120,000. Pay may vary depending on your location, skills, and experience.

 

Location/Travel Requirements: Position is based at the Brink office in Princeton, MN and requires approximately 10% - 20% travel for site visits and client meetings. 

What You'll Do

Primary Responsibilities

• Prepare T&E estimates, work-order pricing, and budgetary pricing for assigned utility clients, applying the labor classifications, equipment rates, and markup structures defined in each client's contract rate schedule.
• Build labor estimates from crew composition and productivity — determining the correct crew makeup (foreman, journeyman lineman, apprentice, groundman, operator), crew count, shift structure, and hour build-up for each scope of work.
• Develop equipment hour and duration estimates for digger derricks, cranes, bucket trucks, dozers, matting equipment, and support vehicles, distinguishing operated, standby, and bare-rental rate applications per contract terms.
• Price material, subcontracted work, rental, per diem, subsistence, travel, and mobilization/demobilization in accordance with the allowable cost categories and markup limits of the governing agreement.
• Turn around routine T&E pricing requests within client-required timeframes — often days rather than weeks.
• Estimate maintenance, small-capital, emergency restoration, and storm-response work, including scopes with incomplete or evolving design information.
• Price change orders and extra work orders on active projects, confirming scope and schedule impact before pricing is released.
• Document all estimate assumptions, exclusions, clarifications, and rate-schedule references so that pricing is traceable and defensible during client review and audit.
• Maintain current, accurate copies of each client's rate schedules, escalation provisions, and contract billing terms.

General Estimating Support 

• Perform quantity take-offs for structures, foundations, conductor and OPGW, access roads, matting, and restoration from plan-and-profile drawings, specifications, and bid documents.
• Solicit and log vendor and subcontractor quotations; assist with bid leveling and scope comparison.
• Prepare staking sheets, bid hour sheets, and budget worksheets using company estimating tools and templates.
• Assist in assembling bid forms, schedules of values, and submittal packages to client formatting requirements.
• Review bid documents, addenda, and specifications and summarize commercial and technical requirements for the estimating team.
• Conduct or participate in site visits to verify access, terrain, soil conditions, staging areas, and constructability assumptions.

Estimate Accuracy & Cost Feedback

• Participate in post-job and post-bid reviews, reconciling estimated hours and equipment usage against actual field costs and T&E billing; identify variance drivers, capture lessons learned, and adjust future assumptions and department templates accordingly.
• Collect and maintain historical unit cost and productivity data specific to the assigned clients and to Minnesota operating conditions.
• Verify that all pricing released to a client is complete, arithmetically correct, and consistent with the governing contract before submitting it to the Lead Estimator for review and approval.

Collaboration & Client Support

• Serve as a consistent, responsive estimating point of contact for the assigned client accounts, building working relationships with client project managers, coordinators, and contract administrators.
• Coordinate daily with Brink project managers, superintendents, and general foremen to ground crew, equipment, and schedule assumptions in actual field capability and current resource availability.
• Communicate workload, pricing deadlines, and risk items to the Lead Estimator proactively; escalate scope ambiguity, contract questions, rate discrepancies, expiring rates, and scope falling outside the governing agreement rather than assuming.

What You'll Bring

Required: 

• 2+ years of relevant experience. Qualifying experience includes estimating, project engineering, or project controls in electric transmission and distribution (T&D) construction — or direct field experience in the trade (lineman, operator, general foreman, superintendent) with demonstrated cost and quantity aptitude, including working knowledge of overhead T&D construction and maintenance means and methods.
• Strong command of Microsoft Excel, including formulas, lookups, and cost model construction.
• Ability to read and interpret plan-and-profile drawings, blueprints, staking sheets, and construction specifications.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent pricing requests against firm deadlines.
• Comfort interacting directly with client representatives and field personnel.
• Valid driver's license.

Pre-screen: Upon offer, employees will be required to complete and pass a pre-employment drug screen, background, and MVR check.

 

Preferred: 

• Prior experience pricing time-and-equipment, unit-price, or MSA/blanket work against a contract rate schedule.
• Familiarity with Minnesota and Upper Midwest operating conditions — frost depth and winter construction, matting and access requirements, wetland and environmental work windows, and seasonal restrictions.
• Understanding of IBEW collective bargaining agreements, labor classifications, and applicable prevailing wage requirements.
• Working knowledge of NESC standards and OSHA 1926 Subpart V requirements.
• Proficiency with estimating software (HCSS/HeavyBid, B2W, InEight, or equivalent).
• Proficiency with Bluebeam Revu, AutoCAD, or GIS tools.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

What You'll Get

• 401(k) with company match (traditional & roth available)
• Paid Holidays and PTO
• Parental Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Additional Voluntary benefits available
• Employee Discounts
• Company paid:
• Health Plan (HDHP 5,000 -other plan options available for cost)
• Long Term Disability
• 1X Base Salary life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

#BRINKHP

 

Brink Constructors, Inc. does not sponsor applicants for work visas. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

 

Compensation Range

The anticipated compensation for this position is USD $90,000.00/Yr. - USD $120,000.00/Yr. depending on experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and/or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. We prohibit all types of discrimination and are committed to providing access and equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities. For additional information or if reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application, interview, or hiring processes or to perform the essential functions of a position, please contact us the Company’s Human Resources department.