Takeoff & Bid Coordinator – Remote

Apex Works is a licensed California design-build studio working in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. We bid commercial work through BuildingConnected — sometimes a defined trade scope for a larger general contractor, sometimes a full project as the design-builder. We're hiring one fully remote Takeoff & Bid Coordinator to own the production half of that pipeline.

What this role is

You turn an invitation to bid into a decision-ready package: accurate quantities, leveled subcontractor quotes, every addendum accounted for. The principal prices the job and signs the number. Your job is to make sure that when they sit down to price it, nothing is missing and nothing is guessed.

Bid volume is one to two pursuits per week.

What you'll own

• The BuildingConnected inbox. Triage incoming invitations, log every one, flag bid / no-bid with a one-line reason. Nothing expires unread
• Package control. Download and organize drawings, specifications, bid forms, geotechnical reports, and wage determinations, and always know which sheet set is current
• Quantity takeoff. The core of the job — on-screen takeoff from PDF drawing sets across concrete, framing, envelope, drywall, finishes, and sitework. Your quantities have to be auditable by someone who did not build them
• Addenda and RFI tracking. When drawings change, re-run the affected quantities and report what moved and by how much. Silent revisions are how bids get lost
• Subcontractor and vendor quotes. Solicit, chase, and level them into a side-by-side comparison with inclusions and exclusions called out. A quote that looks cheap because it excludes half the scope is not cheap
• Bid assembly and submission through BuildingConnected, ahead of the deadline
• Draft pricing on defined trade scopes, against our unit costs
• The bid log — what we bid, what we won, what we lost, and why

What you won't own

The final number on full-project bids, contract terms, and anything that binds Apex Works. Those stay with the principal. You'll be asked for your read, and your read matters — the signature stays here.

What you bring (required)

• 3+ years of quantity takeoff on US commercial construction drawings
• Fluent reading of US architectural, structural, and MEP sets and CSI-division specifications
• On-screen takeoff in Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, STACK, Autodesk Takeoff, or an equivalent tool
• Spreadsheet discipline — structured, formula-driven, and traceable back to a sheet and a measurement
• Writing clear enough to email a US subcontractor and get a complete answer back on the first try
• At least four hours of daily overlap with US Pacific business hours, extended on bid days. Addenda drop late and quotes land in the last twenty-four hours
• Your own computer, takeoff software, and reliable internet

Helpful, not required

BuildingConnected or Autodesk Construction Cloud · California commercial experience · public works and wage-determination familiarity · design-build delivery

How we work

We run our own estimating system rather than an off-the-shelf package, and we're actively improving it. Do your takeoff in whichever tool you're fastest in, then land the quantities in our system. You'll be among the first people using it on live pursuits, and a real part of your value is telling us where it's wrong.

Engagement

Full-time independent contractor, fully remote, open worldwide. You handle your own taxes and equipment.

Compensation

• Hourly contract rate, negotiated per candidate on demonstrated commercial takeoff experience, and reviewed on performance
• Because the role is fully remote and open worldwide, the rate is set against your market and your proven output rather than one fixed band
• The hiring test takeoff is paid at your quoted rate

How we hire

After a short application, shortlisted candidates get a paid test takeoff: a real bid package from a project we already built, three to four hours, paid at your quoted rate. We compare your quantities against what the job actually used. That test tells us more than an interview, so we lead with it.

Benefits

• Fully remote — work from wherever you are, judged on output
• Direct work with the principal, no layers of coordinators
• The hiring test takeoff is paid at your quoted rate