Who We Are
Founders: Greg and Crystal Blanchard
In Memory of Greg Blanchard, who passed away December 1, 2020, Crystal continues the work her husband began back in 1988. Alongside her are her children, who strive to ensure the clients of CES receive accurate estimates, so they are able to move forward with their projects.
Our Story
The cost of construction of what can make or break a dream. It needs to be properly budgeted. In 1988, after years working for others, Greg was encouraged by his wife, Crystal, to start his own cost estimating business. He did the marketing and estimating, and she managed the administrative side of the business. They worked well together as a team, doing projects all around the country and around the world. Their children followed in their footsteps, assisting CES as the need arose.
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In 2020, Greg passed away, but the work is still continued by Crystal and their children.
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The main goal of CES has always been to help project managers and owners count the cost of their construction projects, so they may be more prepared moving forward.
We are here to
COUNT THE COST
Your Trusted Cost Consulting Collaborator
Computerized Estimating Services (CES) is a Women-Owned/HUB Certified firm established in 1988. We specialize in commercial construction cost estimating and scheduling services across the United States. We serve architects, owners, developers, and general contractors.
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At CES, our mission is to deliver every project with precision and provide our clients with peace of mind. We approach each endeavor with integrity and intention, always striving to “count the cost” to make each client's vision a reality — ensuring thoughtful planning, transparent communication which results in seamless execution of the project from start to finish.
Estimating Methodology
At the start of each project, CES collaborates closely with the client and design team to thoroughly evaluate the scope of work for each discipline. We engage with the design teams from the earliest stages of document development, during which we:
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Evaluate unique project requirements, including utilities, grading, storm drainage, and traffic flow.
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Identify existing above- and below-grade structures that may need to be removed.
We conduct comprehensive research on relevant site conditions in collaboration with the design team, ensuring all factors are seamlessly integrated into the estimate.​
Our estimates adhere to the MasterFormat standard at every design phase, leveraging tools like BlueBeam, RSMeans, CAD, and MII to deliver:

✔ Clear summary sheets

✔ Detailed exclusions and clarifications

✔ Itemized general conditions

✔ Detailed comprehensive pricing breakdowns
Quality Assurance & Transparency
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Collaboration Review: Draft estimates are shared via email for client review, and any agreed-upon revisions promptly incorporated into the final version.
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Clear Communication: Scope-related questions are addressed directly with the client’s team, fostering transparency and accountability.
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Market-Driven Pricing: Estimates reflect current local market conditions, with distinct escalation factors applied for projected start dates to midpoint of construction.
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Transparent Contingencies: A clear design contingency is included and adjusted as the project evolves, with no hidden costs.
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Change Tracking: Estimates beyond the Schematic Design Phase include a CSI 50-Division comparison column to clearly track changes from prior versions.
We are here to
OPPORTUNITIES INTO ACHIEVEMENTS
Project Budgets and Cost Control
The Computerized Estimating Services team designs projects with a keen focus on balancing cost, quality, and scope, integrating a robust cost control system into the design process. Every design decision is informed by immediate cost impact analysis, conducted and verified by our expert team. Costs are meticulously monitored at critical milestones across all project phases, with major systems and components selected based on comprehensive life-cycle cost analyses. Alternative designs are continuously evaluated against the budget to ensure alignment with financial constraints.
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Our team understands the critical importance of designing within fixed funding limits, which are often inflexible. To achieve this, we implement the following key strategies:
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Program Validation: Whenever feasible, we validate the project program to confirm that user requirements, regulations, equipment, and facility conditions remain consistent with the original plan. This ensures the project scope and cost are accurate before design begins. If time or budget constraints limit this step, an abbreviated validation is conducted during a preproposal scoping meeting.
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Frequent and Accurate Cost Estimates: To maintain alignment with budget limits, we generate precise cost estimates at every project phase. Designs are adjusted or alternative solutions incorporated as needed to keep costs within limits.
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Preventing Scope Creep: During design reviews, user or reviewer requests that could increase costs are swiftly identified by our project manager and designers, who collaborate with the client’s project manager to resolve these issues promptly.
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Developing Bid Options: We design bid options to maximize value within budget constraints, allowing flexibility in volatile bidding environments.
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Below is a representative sample of recent projects, showcasing our final construction estimates compared to contractors’ bids:
Compliance with Schedules
The CES team excels at delivering precise estimates for multiple, highly complex, concurrently running projects, consistently meeting accelerated schedules while staying within budget. Our mission is to develop and execute robust action plans that ensure schedule and budget goals are achieved with precision and efficiency. Drawing from extensive experience with various agencies, our team understands the critical importance of delivering estimating work on time and within budget constraints.
Contact
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