James Licudine – Estimator

Hi, my name is James.

I’m a licensed Civil Engineer and a member of Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE). I have been in the construction industry since 2007 dealing mainly with the commercial aspects such as tendering, cost engineering and quantity surveying both in the Philippines and in the Middle East.

Growing up in a big family with five siblings and with parents working in the government was tough as government employees in the Philippines get low salaries compared with private companies. I remember during my college days I worked as a service crew in a restaurant and some part-time jobs in a government office to earn extra money for our allowance. Nevertheless with my perseverance and hardwork, things eventually got better.

After completing my degree in Civil Engineering in 2006, I started my professional career as an Office Engineer for one of the oldest and biggest construction companies in the Philippines. I was working in the estimating department responsible for conducting quantity take-off, coordinating with subcontractors and suppliers for efficient costing and evaluating items to be subcontracted.

Prior to relocating in the Middle East, I was transferred to my first project site as a Project Civil Engineer. I was responsible for project monitoring and accomplishment reports, preparing quantity take-off, evaluating subcontractors’ monthly progress claims and variations. Working for a big company particularly for an entry-level like me has greatly helped my career. It has taught me skills from formal training programs and mentoring from senior staff. However I realised that my earnings were not enough to start a family since I always wanted to have my own family early. Hence I decided to look for opportunities abroad.

In 2008, I met a recruitment agent that advised me of a job opening in Dubai. I immediately submitted my application and fortunately got hired. I relocated to the UAE and joined an Australian company as a Quantity Surveyor for one of their projects in the business bay in Dubai. My duties included preparation of tender packages, conducting thorough check regarding estimates, source out subcontractor/supplier of construction materials that conforms to the bid requirements and specifications.

Due to the global recession in 2009 that had badly affected Dubai, my project had been put on hold. I was then reassigned to our Qatar office as an Assistant Estimator where I was responsible for bid preparations, assessing material, labour and equipment required and analysing different quotes from sub-contractors and suppliers.

Then after a few years my hard work paid off again, I got promoted as an Estimator. My duties were – assessing scope and risks involved and providing feedback to the Commercial Manager, pricing of work items using estimating software, and overseeing the whole process of tender submission.

Working overseas has allowed me to develop not only the skills I gained from work but the right attitude to achieve success. I learned how to be adaptable to any working environment and it helped me grow my inner strength to cope with the challenges in life. Also I believe working for a single company for 10 years in progressive growth proves my reliability and ability to take on new challenges.

Currently I’m looking for a satisfying job where I can work from home anywhere in the world. As a stay-at-home dad, I’m looking for more flexibility in my work arrangements, so that I can be successful both as a father and a professional.

Thank you.

For a copy of James’s resume please click here.