Compare 10 construction cost estimating services for 2027, from global cost consultants to boutique estimators, with sectors, offices and what each does best.
An independent estimate is one of the cheapest forms of risk control on a building project. Owners, developers, lenders and architects use construction cost estimating services to set a realistic budget, test design options, check contractor bids and track cost through construction. A good estimate also feeds later work, from lender draws to the cost data used in tax planning.
This list focuses on independent cost consultants that work for owners and design teams, from global quantity surveying firms to smaller specialist estimators. We looked at each firm’s estimating and cost management services, the sectors it covers, its office footprint and how clearly it explains its methods. Every firm below was checked against its own website, and we only report figures the firms publish themselves.
Real estate investors often meet cost estimators again at tax time, because construction cost detail supports depreciation studies. See our guides to how cost segregation works and commercial cost segregation firms for that side of the process.
Construction Cost Estimating Services At A Glance
Company
Headquarters
Best For
Standout
Cumming Group
New York, New York
Large owners needing cost and project management
500+ estimators, QSs and MEP specialists
Rider Levett Bucknall
Global, 120 offices
Owners wanting quantity surveying depth
Over 240 years in the profession
Turner & Townsend
Global, majority owned by CBRE
Global programs and portfolios
23,000+ people in 63 countries
Linesight
Global, 44 offices
Data centers and life sciences
84% repeat business
AECOM
Global, NYSE listed
Infrastructure and public projects
First-principles and civil estimating
MGAC
Washington, D.C.
Complex commercial and institutional buildings
Founded 1996, 11 offices on three continents
Vermeulens
Offices in U.S. and Toronto
Design-stage estimates for public and institutional work
Estimates about $10B of construction a year
Dharam Consulting
16 locations worldwide
Owners wanting fast, data-led estimates
Founded 2013, 150+ professionals
Hanscomb
Canada, nine offices
Canadian projects and life cycle costing
Quantity surveying since 1957
Ellana
New York, New York
Public agencies seeking a certified WBE/DBE
Founded 1998
Best Construction Cost Estimating Services In 2027
1. Cumming Group — Project Management And Cost Consulting With 500+ Estimators
Cumming Group is an international project management and cost consulting company founded in 1996 by Finlay Cumming. It moved its headquarters to New York in 2023 and reports more than 2,000 professionals in over 50 offices worldwide. Engineering News-Record ranked it tenth on its 2024 list of the top 100 project management and construction management for fee firms in the United States.
Its cost and commercial management group includes more than 500 professional estimators, quantity surveyors and MEP specialists. The team provides conventional estimating at each design stage and broader commercial oversight through construction, tying budgets to current market data.
Cumming suits owners and developers who want estimating and project management from one firm, particularly on large commercial, healthcare, education and mixed-use programs.
Best for: Owners who want estimating combined with project management and project controls.
2. Rider Levett Bucknall — Independent Quantity Surveying Firm With 240 Years Of History
Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) is a global, independent construction, property and management consultancy. The firm says it has operated for more than 240 years and has about 4,500 employees in 120 offices across 36 countries. In North America its staff work from offices including Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland, Denver, Boston, New York and Honolulu.
RLB’s cost management and quantity surveying services include cost estimating and management, cost planning, feasibility studies, cash flow modeling, project analysis and reporting, and risk assessment and management. RLB also publishes regular construction cost reports, which help owners benchmark budgets between markets.
The firm is a strong fit for owners who want an independent cost manager with traditional quantity surveying depth, including in Hawaii and the western U.S., where it has a long presence.
Best for: Owners and developers who want independent quantity surveying and cost planning.
Turner & Townsend describes itself as a global program manager and lists cost and commercial management as one of its core services. The firm reports more than 23,000 people in 63 countries, more than 30,000 projects and work in 19 sectors, and says it has worked for more than 80 years. CBRE completed the acquisition of a majority interest in the firm in November 2021.
Its cost work covers budgeting, estimating and commercial control for owners running large or repeated programs, such as retail rollouts, infrastructure, data centers and corporate real estate portfolios.
Turner & Townsend is best suited to clients who need consistent cost standards and reporting across many countries or projects. A single small project may get more senior attention from a boutique.
Best for: Corporate and public owners running multi-country or multi-site programs.
4. Linesight — Cost Management For Data Centers, Life Sciences And High-Tech Projects
Linesight is a global construction consultancy that reports 50 years in operation, more than 2,500 people in over 20 countries and 44 offices. It says 84% of its business comes from repeat clients. Its U.S. primary offices include New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Boston and Raleigh, where its Americas estimating lead is based.
Linesight’s cost management team agrees the budget with the client and project team, manages changes, and supports decisions before changes are implemented. Its estimating draws on international, regional and local cost benchmarks.
The firm lists data centers, high-tech industrial, life sciences, healthcare, commercial and residential among its sectors, and it is especially active on technically complex projects where cost certainty is critical.
Best for: Owners of data centers, life sciences and advanced manufacturing projects.
5. AECOM — Large-Scale Cost Management For Infrastructure And Buildings
AECOM is a NYSE-listed infrastructure consulting firm that reported $16.1 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024. It describes itself as one of the largest cost management consultancies and says it maintains global benchmarking datasets built from its project history.
Its listed estimating services include quantity surveying, civil estimating, feasibility estimating, cost modeling and planning, first-principles estimating, whole-of-life costing, bills of quantities, repair and maintenance budgets, contract administration support, dispute resolution and final account settlement.
AECOM fits public agencies and owners with infrastructure, transportation or large civic projects, where civil estimating and first-principles pricing matter. Its cost teams are organized around client sectors and use change management and risk management reporting to control cost through delivery.
Best for: Infrastructure, transportation and public sector projects.
6. MGAC — Global Boutique For Cost Management And Project Controls Since 1996
MGAC was founded in 1996 by Mark Anderson, who still leads the firm, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has opened offices in Seattle, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, the U.K. and Melbourne, and reports more than 370 employees across 11 offices on three continents. In 2014 it added a specialist team from the former Davis Langdon to expand its cost management practice, and in 2021 it acquired RLF, a London consultancy founded in 1885.
MGAC offers cost management, project controls and project management. On the Century Plaza project in Los Angeles, its design-stage estimating work grew into full project controls.
The firm calls itself a global boutique, which suits owners who want senior estimators on complex office, hospitality, institutional and mixed-use buildings.
Best for: Developers and institutions with complex commercial or mixed-use buildings.
7. Vermeulens — Design-Stage Cost Planning With Market Forecasting Since 1972
Vermeulens has worked in estimating and cost control since 1972. It has offices in Boston, New York, Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Denver and Los Angeles, and describes itself as a small business. The firm says it prepares estimates for more than 150 new or renovation projects each year, representing about $10 billion in construction, and that 43% of its team are engineers.
Its preconstruction services include estimates from programming through contract documents, reconciliation of scope to budget, bid review, value engineering and value management. It also offers market outlook forecasting, escalation contingencies, benchmarking and cost modeling, and it has reported on construction market trends for about 30 years.
Vermeulens is a good choice for architects and owners who want design-stage estimates with clear escalation assumptions.
Best for: Architects and institutional owners needing design-stage estimates and escalation forecasts.
8. Dharam Consulting — Preconstruction Estimating With In-House Data Tools
Dharam Consulting was established in 2013 and has grown to more than 150 professionals across 16 locations, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, London and Riyadh, plus delivery centers in India.
The firm’s services fall into four lines: preconstruction and cost estimating, budgets and viability, cost management and project controls, and project management. It covers 13 sectors, including healthcare, aviation, data centers, government and hospitality, and it runs DHARAMetrics AI, an insights offering, alongside published market reports.
Its mix of U.S. offices and offshore delivery makes it a practical option for owners and contractors who need detailed estimates on tight timelines.
Best for: Owners and design teams needing quick-turnaround preconstruction estimates.
9. Hanscomb — Canadian Quantity Surveyors Since 1957
Hanscomb is a Canadian quantity surveying and cost consulting firm working since 1957, with nine offices across Canada in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Its services follow the project life cycle: feasibility studies, business cases and options analysis; milestone estimates, value engineering and constructability reviews; post-contract work such as loan monitoring, change order review and payment certification; expert witness and claims support; life cycle and maintenance costing; and end-of-life costing such as replacement costs and decommissioning. It also offers an escalation calculator based on Statistics Canada data.
Hanscomb is a strong pick for Canadian public and private projects and for lenders who need independent cost monitoring during construction.
Best for: Canadian projects, lender monitoring and life cycle cost analysis.
10. Ellana — Certified WBE And DBE Cost Estimating Firm Founded In 1998
Ellana is a New York-based construction consulting firm founded in 1998, with its headquarters at 32 Broadway in Lower Manhattan and offices in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and California. It offers cost estimating as part of its cost management service.
The firm is certified as a Woman-owned Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, which matters for public agencies and prime consultants with participation goals. Its portfolio spans the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East across 18 sector categories, from aviation to transportation.
Ellana fits public owners and design teams that need an experienced estimator and a certified diverse business partner on the same contract.
Best for: Public agencies and prime consultants with WBE or DBE participation goals.
How To Choose A Construction Cost Estimating Service
Do You Need An Owner’s Estimator Or A Contractor’s Estimator?
The firms on this list mostly work for owners, lenders and design teams. Subcontractors who need quantity takeoffs to submit bids often use different, lower-cost takeoff services. Be clear about whose interests the estimate should protect.
Has The Firm Estimated Your Building Type Recently?
Ask for recent examples in your sector and region. A data center, a hospital and a multifamily building have very different cost drivers, and current local pricing matters more than a long project list.
How Will Escalation And Contingency Be Handled?
Good estimators explain their escalation assumptions and separate design, construction and owner contingencies. Ask how often estimates will be updated as design develops.
Will The Estimate Be Useful After Construction?
Detailed, component-level cost data can support lender draws, insurance values and depreciation work later. If you plan a cost segregation study, ask the estimator to keep line items detailed. Our guide to what a cost segregation study costs explains why that detail helps.
What Does The Fee Cover?
Confirm how many estimate milestones are included, whether bid reconciliation and value engineering are part of the scope, and how change orders will be reviewed during construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Difference Between Cost Estimating And Cost Management?
Cost estimating produces a price for a design at a point in time. Cost management covers the whole project, including budgets, change control, cash flow and final account settlement.
When Should I Hire A Construction Cost Estimator?
As early as feasibility or concept design. Early estimates have the most influence on the design and avoid costly redesign later.
What Is A Quantity Surveyor?
A quantity surveyor measures the quantities in a design and prices them, then manages contract costs. The title is common in the U.K., Canada and Australia, and many U.S. cost consultants use the same methods.
Conclusion
Large programs and multi-country portfolios fit firms such as Cumming Group, Turner & Townsend, Rider Levett Bucknall, Linesight and AECOM. Owners who want senior attention on a single complex building will find strong options in MGAC, Vermeulens, Dharam Consulting, Hanscomb and Ellana. Whichever you choose, keep the estimate detailed enough to use after construction, including for tax planning. If you own investment property, our list of real estate CPA firms is a good next read.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice.
