Estimating capacity, from an office you can actually visit. Buildesk provides construction estimating for contractors in Dubai and across the UAE — measured quantities, priced bills, and tender support, produced by a technical office based here.
That last part matters more than it should. Several firms ranking for estimating services in the UAE operate from overseas with no local address, and their published trade lists give it away — lumber estimating and shingle roofing, on a page aimed at a market that builds in reinforced concrete and blockwork.
Estimating support for contractors without a technical office
A full-time quantity surveyor in Dubai is a salary, a visa, a workstation and software licences — carried all year, whether or not you are bidding. Most small and mid-sized contractors cannot justify that, so estimating gets done at night by whoever is free, or not properly at all.
We are the department you turn on for the tenders that matter and off in between — as outsourced estimating or a dedicated estimator. Typical triggers:
- Three tenders landed the same week and you have one estimator
- A tender is outside your usual trade and you have no rate history for it
- You won a job priced optimistically and need to know your real exposure before you order materials
- A client-issued BOQ looks light and you want it re-measured before you sign
Trades we estimate — scoped for UAE construction
This list is what buildings here are actually made of.
- RC frame — concrete by grade and element, formwork by contact area, reinforcement by bar diameter, with full bar bending schedules where needed. See our focused concrete estimating and takeoff service.
- Blockwork — by area and block count, split by thickness, type and location
- Cement plaster and render — internal and external, by coat
- Ceramic, porcelain and stone — floor, wall, skirting, with stated wastage
- Waterproofing and thermal insulation — wet areas, roofs, basements, retaining faces
- Electrical — point counts, DB schedules, cable and containment
- Plumbing and drainage — fixture counts, pipe by diameter, drainage runs
- HVAC — equipment schedule, ducting, insulation, grilles and diffusers
- Aluminium, glazing and facade
- Joinery, false ceilings and painting
- External works — boundary walls, hardscape, landscaping, drainage
Measurement standards and rate basis
We measure to POMI by default — the most common basis on Gulf projects — and to NRM2, SMM7 or CESMM4 where your tender specifies otherwise. Tell us the preamble clause and we match it.
Rates are built on current UAE material and labour levels, not an imported cost database. A North American cost book will not tell you what blockwork costs in Al Quoz this quarter.
Bid-stage estimating versus post-award cost control
These are different jobs and it helps to be clear which you are buying.
Bid stage is speed and completeness under a deadline. The goal is a number you can submit with confidence and a scope register that protects you if you win.
Post-award is control. Procurement quantities, material scheduling, progress measurement for interim claims, and variation tracking as the design changes around you.
What you receive
- Priced or unpriced estimate in Excel
- Bill of quantities in your required format
- Takeoff backup sheets, auditable line by line
- Marked-up drawings showing what was measured
- Assumptions and exclusions register
Formats: Excel, PDF, DWG, and CostX where your client works in it.
Software
CostX, Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift and Excel, with AutoCAD and Revit for drawing work. We also measure directly from scaled PDF tender drawings, which on UAE tenders is often all that is issued.
How we work
- You send drawings, specification and the deadline
- We confirm scope and revision status, and flag missing or conflicting information before measuring
- We measure and price to the agreed standard
- A second person cross-checks the takeoff
- We deliver, and stay available for queries through your tender period
- If an addendum lands, we update the affected items
Turnaround and pricing
[To be completed with real turnaround bands by project type and drawing count, and the pricing basis.]
Recent project
[To be completed with one real project: type, location, tender value band, scope estimated, turnaround, outcome.]
Frequently asked questions
Where is your office and can I visit?
We are in Dubai and yes. It is a fair question to ask any firm offering this service — several ranking for it in the UAE publish only overseas numbers.
Do you apply rates, or only measure?
Both, separately. Many contractors take measured quantities and apply their own rates, because rates are where their commercial judgement lives. Others want a fully priced estimate. Either is fine.
Can you work from PDF drawings?
Yes. Scaled PDFs are workable. DWG is faster and marginally more accurate.
What if the drawings are incomplete?
We measure what is measurable, list what is not, and put the gaps in the assumptions register so the missing scope is visible rather than silently priced at zero.
Will you work for two contractors bidding the same tender?
No. If we are already engaged on a package we will tell you before you send anything.
How is this different from an offshore estimating service?
Local rates, local trades, local authority context, and a time zone that matches your deadline. An estimator who has never seen a Dubai site pricing a Dubai villa from a US cost database is a real risk to your margin.
Send your tender
Send the drawings and the deadline. We will tell you what we can estimate, in what time, and what it costs.
