Cost estimation is treated as a back-office function in most architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, something that happens downstream of strategy, after the decisions that matter have already been made. Thalia Andre-Noel, who leads operations, business development, and marketing at McKnight International, argues that this positioning is precisely what limits a firm’s growth. Estimation is not administrative support. It is the first and most consequential decision in any project, and the firms that treat it that way build reputations and relationships that compound over time. “You can’t make a move without money,” Andre-Noel states plainly. “And you need to know how much money you need, and how much potential money you might need if there’s a problem down the line. That can’t happen without an estimate.”
Reliable Estimation Builds the Relationships That Build the Firm
The growth path most AEC firms are chasing – more bids, wins, volume – misidentifies what actually generates a sustainable market position. Andre-Noel’s view, shaped by watching McKnight’s trajectory from near-invisibility to recognized market player, is that relationships drive growth and relationships are built through the quality of the work.
“It’s not the project that makes the win for the firm,” she reflects. “It’s the relationship.” When estimation is done reliably, when clients receive a comprehensive baseline that keeps every stakeholder continuously aware of cost implications, and when scope changes can be evaluated against a credible master estimate rather than a moving target, trust accumulates. That trust generates referrals.
In McKnight’s case, it has produced a pattern in which industry contacts, when asked to recommend a firm for scheduling and estimation, name McKnight without hesitation. Word-of-mouth in a sector where procurement is relational is not incidental. It is the growth engine.
Accuracy Under Pressure Requires Tools, Not Improvisation
The pressure to produce estimates faster is intensifying across the AEC market. Material costs are volatile. Labor shortages reshape project economics between the bid and execution phases. Tariff exposure creates budget uncertainty that did not exist 12 months ago. The instinct in many firms is to compress the estimation process to meet speed demands, sacrificing accuracy.
McKnight’s approach runs in the opposite direction. Every estimate at McKnight is built from established, reliable data sources rather than judgment calls under deadline pressure. The process is mathematical and traceable; determining how many workers a task requires, calculating the time each timeline option produces, and presenting clients with choices backed by verifiable data. “We can tell you the proposed change can increase the project timeline by two weeks or a month. You decide. We can do that with accuracy because we have the data.”
Beyond the baseline, every estimate includes a contingency buffer, a built-in reserve that gives projects financial flexibility when the unexpected arrives. This is not a workaround. It is standard practice across construction, and formalizing it in the estimation process means that when problems occur, the project is often still technically within budget because the problem was already accounted for.
Estimation Belongs in the Front Office
Architects and engineers are trained as designers. Asking them to own the mathematical and analytical rigor of cost estimation is asking them to operate outside their scope, and it shows up in estimates that lack the depth projects require. Project controls specialists exist precisely to carry this responsibility, and offloading it from design professionals to dedicated estimators reduces the burden on one side and adds measurable value for stakeholders on the other.
As data centers, modular builds, and digital workflows reshape what AEC firms are being asked to price, the methodology does not fundamentally change; the scope of what must be estimated does. Data center estimates must factor in both construction and long-term maintenance costs. Modular builds require the same resource-based approach applied to a different delivery model. The firms that will lead in these emerging categories are those with established, data-driven estimation processes already in place, not those improvising pricing for new project types while trying to stay competitive on speed. Estimation is not the last step before a project begins. It is the first step in every decision that follows. Treat it accordingly, and the resulting growth will be built on something that holds.
Follow Thalia Andre-Noel on LinkedIn for more insights on cost estimation strategy, project controls, and building AEC firms that compete through operational excellence.
