Preconstruction Project Engineer

About the Company

RNGD is a rapidly scaling organization emerging as a nationally recognized leader in construction through our unique Renegade mindset focused on innovation, creativity, and culture. The team is made up of a highly engaged group of seasoned professionals and emerging leaders. We are creators who believe that what we build drives the growth of our cities and that to fulfill our mission, we must constantly challenge the old way of doing things. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, we thrive on building communities, building teams, building leaders, and growing the business throughout the Southeast region with additional offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Preconstruction Project Engineer that will support the development of accurate, competitive, and well-coordinated preconstruction deliverables while building practical knowledge of estimating, construction documents, scopes of work, trade partner engagement, and project planning. Success in this role means assigned work is accurate, organized, and completed on time; missing information and scope concerns are identified early; stakeholders receive reliable information; and open items receive consistent follow-through. Final pricing, commercial decisions, trade partner selections, and client commitments remain with the appropriate preconstruction leaders.

This is an early-career role designed for someone with foundational estimating experience who wants to develop broader expertise in cost planning, scope analysis, constructability, bid coordination, and project development. Working under the guidance of Preconstruction Managers, Estimators, and other experienced team members, the Preconstruction Project Engineer completes assigned work with increasing independence while receiving continued coaching and review.

This role supports projects from pursuit and early design through estimate development, proposal submission, and turnover to Operations. Responsibilities include quantity takeoffs, drawing and specification review, scope development, trade partner outreach, proposal comparison, cost analysis, preconstruction documentation, and milestone coordination.

Core Responsibilities

Pursuit and Preconstruction Coordination Support

Support pursuit and preconstruction schedules, milestones, deliverables, and assigned coordination activities.

Prepare materials for kickoff, design, estimate-review, bid, and coordination meetings.

Participate in meetings, document decisions and action items, and distribute information to the appropriate stakeholders.

Coordinate information among Preconstruction, Operations, design partners, trade partners, vendors, and internal support teams.

Track assigned deadlines, open questions, and required deliverables and communicate potential delays or concerns early.

Maintain organized logs, files, current documents, and supporting records throughout the preconstruction process.

Document Review, Quantity Takeoffs, and Scope Development

Review drawings, specifications, narratives, addenda, and other procurement documents to understand assigned scope and project requirements.

Perform quantity takeoffs and organize supporting calculations and source information for assigned scopes of work.

Assist with developing scope sheets, bid-package narratives, and trade-specific requirements.

Identify apparent scope gaps, drawing conflicts, missing information, and coordination concerns for review by experienced preconstruction team members.

Support constructability analysis by documenting potential logistics, sequencing, safety, procurement, and execution considerations.

Participate in site visits and existing-condition reviews as directed and incorporate relevant observations into assigned work.

Trade Partner Outreach and Bid Administration

Assist with developing and maintaining bidder lists based on project scope, trade coverage, and preconstruction direction.

Prepare and distribute bid invitations, scope information, drawings, specifications, addenda, and other solicitation materials.

Confirm trade partner and vendor interest, track bid coverage, and conduct routine follow-up regarding required submissions.

Collect and organize proposals, quotations, and supporting documentation for review.

Perform preliminary reviews for completeness and general scope alignment and identify apparent gaps, exclusions, or inconsistencies.

Support bid comparisons and leveling by organizing scope, pricing, alternates, qualifications, and proposal information without making selection or award commitments.

Estimate Development and Cost Analysis

Assist with preparing conceptual, schematic, design-development, and detailed estimates under the guidance of experienced preconstruction team members.

Develop assigned trade-level or system-level pricing using quantity takeoffs, subcontractor quotations, historical information, unit costs, and approved assumptions.

Reconcile assigned quantities and pricing and communicate unusual variances, missing information, or cost concerns.

Organize estimate assumptions, allowances, alternates, clarifications, exclusions, and supporting documentation.

Research materials, systems, and constructability alternatives to support value analysis and cost-planning discussions.

Participate in estimate reviews, incorporate approved revisions, and maintain clear backup for assigned estimate components.

Proposal, Review, and Operations Turnover Support

Prepare assigned proposal exhibits, scope narratives, estimate summaries, clarifications, assumptions, and presentation materials.

Review assigned deliverables for completeness, accuracy, consistency, and alignment with current project information before senior review.

Incorporate approved estimate, scope, and proposal revisions and maintain current versions of supporting documents.

Assist with assembling turnover matrices, estimate backup, trade coverage information, identified risks, and outstanding items following project award.

Participate in turnover meetings and support the transfer of preconstruction information to Operations and project teams.

Cost Data, Technology, and Continuous Improvement

Assist with maintaining historical cost information, estimating databases, trade partner records, templates, and lessons learned.

Use RNGD’s takeoff, estimating, bid-management, project-management, and collaboration platforms to maintain accurate and accessible information.

Follow established preconstruction workflows, file structures, documentation standards, and quality-control practices.

Seek feedback and build knowledge of construction methods, materials, cost drivers, project delivery, and estimating practices.

Identify recurring issues or practical improvement opportunities and communicate recommendations through the appropriate preconstruction team member.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant education and experience may be considered.

One to three years of experience in construction estimating, preconstruction, project engineering, or a related environment preferred; relevant internship or cooperative education experience may be considered.

Foundational experience performing quantity takeoffs, reviewing drawings and specifications, soliciting quotations, or supporting estimate development.

Basic knowledge of construction methods, materials, trade scopes, and project-delivery processes, with a strong interest in developing deeper estimating and preconstruction expertise.

Familiarity with Microsoft Excel, PDF-markup software, takeoff or estimating platforms, project-management systems, or bid-management tools.

Strong analytical, organizational, written communication, and follow-through capabilities, with the ability to manage mul