Gardner Builders Boosts Bid Rate With Procore Estimating

The Challenge

Gardner Builders, consistently recognized as a national Best Place to Work and steadily climbing the ENR 400 list, prides itself on raising the bar in construction. However, their self-performed work (SPW) estimating process, previously reliant on a fragmented, multi-platform system, began to fall short. Errors, delayed workflows, and missed opportunities were common, causing miscommunication and avoidable cost overruns. The cumbersome process also limited the SPW team’s ability to pursue internal bids. Recognizing the need to evolve, Gardner sought streamlined solutions to enhance efficiency and quality.

The Solution

After evaluating several tools, Gardner Builders chose Procore Estimating, a comprehensive platform that centralizes takeoffs, estimates, bids, and field playbooks. By storing previous cost data and automating workflows, the platform eliminated guesswork and significantly improved the accuracy and speed of their estimates.

The Results

• Procore Estimating cut the time required for estimates from eight hours to just two, streamlining the process and freeing up valuable staff time.
• With Procore’s efficiencies, Gardner increased its bid submissions from 66% to 100% of all internal RFPs received each week, establishing greater trust.
• More accurate estimates, seamlessly translated into detailed field playbooks, have helped Gardner maintain budgets and reduce rework.

Overcoming an Outdated Process

Gardner Builders, a general contractor committed to creating a supportive work environment, faced a significant challenge in their self-performed carpentry, drywall, and demolition estimating workflow. The old process was a disjointed, multi-platform workflow that relied on several disconnected tools like Bluebeam for takeoffs, Excel for data entry, and static rate sheets, leading to errors, miscommunication, and inefficiency. The scattered nature of the process often confined data to individual computers, making collaboration between offices challenging.

This manual and time-intensive workflow forced Gardner’s SPW team to pass on numerous Requests for Proposal (RFP) opportunities each week, limiting their ability to scale SPW operations. Instead of accessing accurate historical data or real-time insights efficiently, teams would painstakingly and manually assemble the information that lived in multiple places, which led to higher risks of budget overruns and missed opportunities.

Beyond estimating, communication between estimating teams and field crews was problematic. Once a bid was won, there was no formal process to share detailed cost estimates with the field teams, resulting in frequent misalignment between budgets and field execution. Misunderstandings about labor hours, material costs, and scope expectations led to budget overruns, affecting project performance and profitability.

Recognizing the growing need for a solution, Gardner set out to find a comprehensive tool to overhaul their process. The objective was clear: they needed an all-in-one platform that would replace their multi-tool system, reduce time spent on estimates, and empower teams with more reliable, data-driven insights.

A New Era with a Single Platform for Estimating

After evaluating multiple cloud-based construction estimating solutions, Gardner chose Procore Estimating for its ability to centralize takeoffs, estimates, bids, and field playbooks in one unified platform. This allowed the SPW team to streamline workflows—building takeoffs directly in the platform, generating reliable estimates, and delivering clear project playbooks to field teams.

SPW Project Manager John Moga saw immediate benefits. "We went from spending eight hours on an estimate to completing it in just one or two," he said. The 75% time reduction enabled Gardner to submit more bids and focus on higher-value activities.

Procore’s platform also allowed the Gardner team to store historical cost data, run real-time data backchecks, and use a master template with common cost codes for future projects. “We created a master template with all our commonly used cost codes, which we can easily update and use for future takeoffs,” Moga added. This not only increased the accuracy of estimates but ensured data-driven decision-making.

The tool also improved cross-office collaboration. "Our Milwaukee hub does their estimates differently, but with Procore, they can jump in and edit what I’ve done if needed," Moga said. This consistency across offices allowed for flexibility in adapting to local conditions.

Procore Estimating didn’t just improve the estimating process—it also transformed how estimates were communicated to the field teams. With the ability to create detailed, organized project playbooks, Gardner’s project managers could now hand off clear, accurate estimates to their field foremen, reducing the likelihood of budget overruns and ensuring smoother project execution.

“We create a playbook that includes everything the field team needs, from the number of hours we bid for specific tasks to the exact materials required,” Moga explained. This structured handoff process ensured that the field teams had a full understanding of the project’s budget, timelines, and material requirements from the start.

The additional use of the tool’s color-coded takeoffs and detailed templates allowed the field teams to visualize the scope of work more effectively and take ownership of the project’s budget and timeline. The result was a more connected, informed, and empowered field team that felt accountable for delivering projects on time and within budget. 

Increasing Opportunities and Growing the Business

One of the most transformative impacts of implementing Procore Estimating was the significant increase in Gardner’s SPW team’s ability to bid on more projects. Self-performing carpentry and demolition on more construction projects allows Gardner to control the platinum standard of excellence they are dedicated to. Prior to using Procore, Gardner was only able to submit bids for about 66% of the internal bid opportunities they received each week, leaving numerous potential opportunities untapped for their dedicated team of craftspeople. The time-consuming nature of their old process simply didn’t allow them to take on more bids.

However, with the newfound efficiencies provided by Procore, Gardner’s bid submission rate increased to 100%. “We get about a dozen invitations to bid per week, and we used to hit maybe eight of them. With Procore Estimating, we’re able to hit 100%,” said Moga.

This increase in bid volume, coupled with more accurate, data-backed estimates, positioned Gardner to self-perform more projects and also win more bids with greater confidence in their ability to execute them successfully. The team’s enhanced estimating capabilities, combined with their improved internal processes, allowed Gardner to grow its business while maintaining its high standards of quality and employee satisfaction.

Empowering Growth Through Efficiency and Accuracy

By adopting Procore Estimating, Gardner Builders has transformed its estimating process from a cumbersome, error-prone workflow into a streamlined, data-driven system that improves accuracy, reduces time spent on estimates, and enhances communication between teams. The new system has not only empowered Gardner to utilize their internal SPW team as competitive bidders when presenting proposals to clients, but it has also helped reduce budget overruns and improve overall project success.

Procore Estimating has provided Gardner’s team with the tools they need to continue growing their business while maintaining their core values of creating a workplace where people feel valued, challenged, and excited to work. As Gardner continues to expand, Procore Estimating will remain a critical component of their success, enabling them to deliver more accurate estimates, win more bids, and maintain their reputation as one of the best places to work in the industry.