Billy Kai Wah Leung
“The Gold Seal Certification shows others that I know what I’m talking about. When you’re trying to coordinate all 30 divisions, you need to show how credible you are.”
Billy Kai Wah Leung, GSC, Estimator
Billy is a construction estimator. His current experience with estimating extends to construction development, which means his estimations are required for many different stages of a construction project. For example, perhaps a general contracting company would complete a general bid-to-spec estimation, Billy completes estimates for developers which encompass many of the preliminary and conceptual estimates using statistics, past-year costs and blue-prints. “I take the description of the building and create my estimates that way. I generate our results with much less information that general estimating requires. It makes it all that much more challenging.
Daily, Billy receives large amounts of new information from architects, development teams or trades people, which requires him to update his documentation dramatically. After more than half a days’ work, he transitions his focus to quantity take-offs, drawing and the creation of estimates. Once Billy gets the take-offs he can then establish unit rates that apply to the quantities, and from that point forward he can generate an entire estimate. However, this is a very broad explanation of Estimation and Billy’s role. As Billy said “the Gold Seal Certification exam for estimators for general contracting is probably one of the hardest tests I’ve seen, when compared to the other Gold Seal Certification tests. All the other candidates were done way before I was. When I took the test, I required the entire allocated time to complete it.”
Billy discovered the Gold Seal Certification after his career change from IT to estimating drove him to the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) as he searched for steps he could take for career advancement. The VRCA instructed Billy on what he needed to do to register and earn his Gold Seal Certification. After some time, Billy registered to the Gold Seal Program.
“I wouldn’t say that obtaining the Gold Seal Certification is too challenging (except for the exam mind you), there are a lot of friendly people along the way, you just have to ask for help. When you ask for help you meet new people, you build a rapport, you build a network!”
Some of the benefits Billy now feels as a Gold Seal Certified Estimator include quality recognition, “the things I do, my experience and education are backed up by a reputable organization. I know my estimates are at par with industry standards. It’s a good feeling to have obtained my Gold Seal Certification. I feel way more confident doing work and presenting my estimations.”
“If you’ve worked in the construction industry for 5 years or more, at least go get your Gold Seal Intern. Even that will help you stay focused and put you on a time limit to get yourself certified. The reward from being a Gold Seal Certified individual sets you apart from your competitors. It will help your career almost right away after earning it!”