Rod Malyshev Fractional Cost Estimator
An estimating desk you can turn on when the bid calendar fills up.
Conceptual through construction-document estimates, takeoffs, bid management and schedules for general contractors, developers, owners and design teams. Nearly four years in preconstruction at Swinerton Builders, California's largest GC, on hard-bid and design-build work from $1M to $250M+.
Who this is for
Built for teams that need estimating capacity, not headcount
General contractors
Fractional estimating and takeoff support through bid cycles, hard bid, design-build and GMP, with sub outreach and bid management handled.
Developers and owners
Pre-GC budgets, renovation pricing per door or per SF, bid leveling and a recommendation you can act on.
Architects and designers
ROM budgets on schematic sets, cost per SF benchmarks by asset type, and value engineering logs that guide design decisions.
What I do
Estimating, takeoffs, bids and schedules
Every estimate comes with a scope narrative, clarifications and exclusions, so nobody argues about what the number includes.
Cost estimating, conceptual through CD
Numbers that hold up when the bids come in.
- ROM and conceptual budgets from schematic drawings
- Trade-level hard cost estimates by CSI division
- Cost per SF and per unit benchmarks by asset type
- Budget narratives and clarification logs
Quantity takeoffs
Clean, auditable quantities that drop into your templates.
- Bluebeam and PlanSwift takeoffs by CSI division
- Trade-specific quantity reports
- Alternate and VE pricing support
- Excel outputs ready for estimate assembly
Bid solicitation and leveling
An apples-to-apples comparison, not a stack of PDFs.
- RFPs and bid packages by scope
- Sub and GC outreach, RFI management
- Comparison matrices that flag exclusions and assumptions
- Scope gap analysis and award recommendation
Value engineering
Savings that do not come back as change orders.
- Trade-level cost-saving opportunities
- Material and scope substitutions with cost impact
- VE log coordinated with owner, GC and design team
- Contractor feedback incorporated before pricing
Project scheduling
Preliminary, baseline and lookahead schedules.
- Trade sequencing and logic ties
- Schedule narratives for proposals
- Lookahead schedules for active work
- MS Project, Primavera P6 and Smartsheet
Estimating workflow and tools
For GCs who want the process fixed, not just the next bid.
- Estimating process audits
- Bid templates, folder systems and historical cost databases
- Procore, Buildertrend and BuildingConnected setup
- Precon SOPs and estimator training
What you receive
Estimates you can defend line by line
Each package includes the quantities, the unit pricing, the sources behind the unit pricing, and a one-page summary for the people who will not open the spreadsheet.
- Estimate workbook by CSI division with quantities and unit costs
- Scope narrative, clarifications and exclusions
- Bid tabulation and leveling matrix when bids are involved
- Schedule or lookahead when scope calls for it
Selected work
Recent estimating work
216-unit mixed-use building
San Diego, CA. 318,000 SF gross plus 8,300 SF retail. Full estimate.
Stoops Grayling dealership
Traverse City, MI. Full estimate for a new dealership.
Ziegler Subaru dealership
Fort Wayne, IN. Full estimate for a new dealership.
Client feedback
What clients say
Rod has been a great resource for our team as workflow fluctuates. He is detailed, independent, and has followed through to deliver results.
He was thorough, detail-oriented, and proactive in identifying scope gaps, exclusions, and potential cost risks that could have led to change orders later in the process. His work product was well organized, delivered on time, and provided valuable insights that helped us make an informed contractor selection.
He created a spreadsheet to point out the differences, highlighted areas of concern, suggested followup questions, and helped walk me through the process. I would gladly hire him again.
Questions
Common questions
What project types do you estimate?
Commercial TI and ground-up, industrial, multifamily renovation, healthcare, education, hospitality, dealerships and custom residential. Most independent work falls between $1M and $5M; the Swinerton Builders work ran to $250M+.
Which tools do you work in?
Bluebeam, PlanSwift and Excel for takeoffs and estimates. Procore, Buildertrend, Smartsheet and BuildingConnected for bid management and coordination. MS Project and Primavera P6 for schedules. I work inside your templates when you have them.
How do you price estimating work?
Per estimate or per bid cycle for defined scopes, or a monthly retainer for GCs who want standing capacity. You get a written scope and fee before I start.
Do you know regional subcontractor pricing?
I keep historical cost data from my own work and maintain an ongoing estimating relationship with a central Michigan GC, so Michigan sub pricing is current. For other markets I build from takeoffs, published cost data and sub quotes rather than guessing.
Send me the drawings
Tell me the project, the deadline and the format you need. I will confirm scope and fee the same day.
Book a call