The cost of in house estimating - What contractors think
Gross CTC (cost to company) of estimator / number of working hours per year. This translates anywhere between 45 to 55 dollar per hour as average in house cost of a construction estimator in the US.
The cost of outsourced estimating services - What contractors think
US based services cost typically between $70 to $100 per hour. While outsourcing outside the US costs $10 to $15 per hour typically.
The real cost of in house and outsourced estimating
In truth, the real cost of estimating includes estimating error, missed bids / opportunities and idle time of estimators. Often, these costs outweigh the per hour costs of estimating given above.
Accurate estimates and bidding more (winning more) is the engine of every construction business to grow and be profitable. Estimator salary or outsourcing cost is often a rounding error. It is much more important to win bids while maintaining margins.
The best solution
Have a Core in house team that is experienced and understands your business, supplemented by a quality, affordable outsourced team.
I have written a whole blog on how to outsource estimating and leverage your in house estimating team to grow your construction business.