Estimator – Substations

Location: Various (Otsego, MN - Montgomery, IL)
Employment Type: Full-Time

Estimating the Infrastructure That Powers the Grid

Strengthening our nation’s power grid isn’t easy—but reliable electrical service is essential to everyday life. Every time someone powers a home, business, or critical system, Michels Power, Inc. is behind the scenes making it happen.

Michels Power, Inc. is one of the largest and most respected power delivery contractors in the United States. We execute projects across substations, transmission, distribution modernization, renewable energy, and oil & gas infrastructure, as well as emergency power restoration.

Our Substation Group plays a critical role in building and maintaining the backbone of the electrical grid—from greenfield construction to complex brownfield upgrades.

Position Objective

The Estimator – Substations is responsible for evaluating bid specifications and drawings to ensure all requirements are fully understood and accounted for in order to successfully bid and win projects. This role works closely with subcontractors and Project Management teams to develop competitive bids, track budgets, and support successful project awards.

Key Responsibilities

• Promote and maintain a strong safety culture, ensuring compliance with all safety and environmental policies and regulations
• Review bid requirements for projects ranging from approximately $500K to $10M, ensuring full scope coverage
• Prepare detailed quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for substation construction projects
• Partner with Procurement to secure vendor and supplier pricing
• Identify, manage, and maintain relationships with subcontractors, ensuring timely and complete bid coverage
• Aggressively follow up with subcontractors to ensure competitive bid participation
• Develop project schedules and cost forecasts
• Track and analyze budget-to-actual comparisons during the estimating process
• Collaborate with Project Management teams to follow up on bids, budgets, and award status
• Properly turn over bid documents and subcontractor buyout information to Project Managers
• Review drawings with Project Management teams and highlight risks, scope gaps, and constructability concerns