Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Management and business operations / 13-1051.00

Cost Estimators

Prepare cost estimates for product manufacturing, construction projects, or services to aid management in bidding on or determining price of product or service. May specialize according to particular service performed or type of product manufactured.

US jobs
224,220
Median wage
$78,740 a year
Job family
Management and business operations

Can agents do the work of cost estimators?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Management and business operations:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. On TheAgentCompany, which gives agents workplace tasks inside a simulated software company, the best agent resolves 42.9% of tasks (a November 2025 result). No task-level benchmark in our collection maps directly to management or business operations.
  • Project levelPartialMixed. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, and the best agent passes 73.5% of APEX-Agents tasks on the first try. Running a business is weaker: on Vending-Bench 2 the best model ends a simulated year with $15,515, about a quarter of Andon Labs' estimate for a good strategy.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in management and business operations, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
  • Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
  • Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
  • Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
  • Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
  • Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
  • Prepare estimates for use in selecting vendors or subcontractors.
  • Prepare estimates used by management for purposes such as planning, organizing, and scheduling work.
  • Set up cost monitoring and reporting systems and procedures.
  • Review material and labor requirements to decide whether it is more cost-effective to produce or purchase components.
  • Prepare cost and expenditure statements and other necessary documentation at regular intervals for the duration of the project.
  • Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or to reduce cost.
Other job titles for this occupation (39)

Acquisition Cost Estimator · Analyst · Construction Estimator · Cost Analyst · Cost Consultant · Cost Engineer · Cost Estimating Analyst · Cost Estimator · Estimating Specialist · Estimator · Building Construction Estimator · Building Estimator · Civil Estimator · Commercial Construction Estimator · Commercial Estimator · Commercial Roofing Estimator · Concrete Estimator · Construction Job Cost Estimator · Cost Recovery Technician (Cost Recovery Tech) · Crating and Moving Estimator · Drywall Estimator · Electrical Estimator · Flooring Estimator · Heavy Civil Estimator · Industrial Estimator · Investment Recovery Technician (Investment Recovery Tech) · Job Cost Estimator · Job Estimator · Mechanical Estimator · Plumbing Estimator · Print Estimator · Printing Estimator · Production Cost Estimator · Project Estimator · Quantity Surveyor · Sales Estimator · Service Advisor · Service Writer · Structural Steel Estimator