Proposals Engineer

Role Purpose

The Costing Engineer is responsible for developing technically sound and commercially accurate project cost estimates and proposals for minerals processing and materials handling projects. The role integrates preliminary engineering, equipment selection, supplier engagement, and commercial proposal development to support successful project acquisition.

Key Responsibilities:

• Client Liaison & Scope Definition
• Act as the primary technical–commercial interface with clients during the proposal and costing phase.
• Engage with clients to extract, clarify, and confirm all technical, commercial, and operational requirements relevant to the project.
• Translate client objectives, constraints, and expectations into a clearly defined scope of work, including capacities, design criteria, battery limits, and performance requirements.
• Identify gaps, ambiguities, risks, and assumptions in client-supplied information and proactively resolve them.
• Document scope assumptions, exclusions, and clarifications to ensure alignment between client expectations and the proposed solution.
• Conceptual & Preliminary Engineering
• Develop basic process concepts for proposed projects in collaboration with process and project engineers.
• Prepare Block Flow Diagrams (BFDs) and basic process descriptions to define scope and plant configuration.
• Draft General Arrangement (GA) layout drawings reflecting equipment arrangement, material flow, access, and footprint requirements.
• Ensure layouts are practical, constructible, and aligned with operational and maintenance considerations.
• Equipment Selection & Technical Definition
• Select appropriate equipment based on process duty, capacity, material characteristics, and client requirements.
• Prepare preliminary equipment datasheets and specifications for costing and enquiry purposes.
• Identify long-lead items and technical risks that may impact pricing or delivery.
• Supplier & Subcontractor Liaison
• Liaise with equipment suppliers, subcontractors, and service providers to obtain budgetary pricing, technical data, and delivery information.
• Evaluate supplier quotations for technical compliance, scope alignment, and commercial competitiveness.
• Maintain a supplier pricing database to support future estimates.
• Project Costing & Estimating
• Compile capital cost estimates including equipment supply, fabrication, installation, transport, commissioning, and indirect costs.
• Develop cost breakdown structures (CBS) aligned with project scope and proposal requirements.
• Identify cost risks, assumptions, exclusions, and contingencies appropriate to the project development stage.
• Support internal reviews of estimate accuracy and commercial risk.
• Quotation & Proposal Development
• Draft formal quotations and technical–commercial proposals in accordance with company standards.
• Define scope of supply, battery limits, technical descriptions, and commercial terms.
• Coordinate inputs from engineering, fabrication, procurement, and project management teams.
• Ensure proposals are clear, professional, and aligned with client expectations and tender requirements.
• Client Engagement & Proposal Presentation
• Participate in client meetings and technical presentations to explain proposed solutions, layouts, and cost structures.
• Present project concepts, technical approaches, and commercial justifications to clients and stakeholders.
• Respond to technical and commercial clarifications during the tender or negotiation phase.
• Continuous Improvement & Support
• Contribute to the development and refinement of standard costing tools, templates, and proposal documentation.
• Provide feedback to engineering and management on market trends, pricing benchmarks, and competitor positioning.
• Support post-award handover to project execution teams.

Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor’s Degree or National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong technical literacy in minerals processing and materials handling systems.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification or additional certification in Project Management, Cost Engineering, or Commercial Management.
• Formal training in cost estimating, proposal engineering, or EPC project development.
• CAD training (e.g. AutoCAD or equivalent).

Professional Experience

Essential Experience

• Minimum 3–8 years’ experience in an engineering, costing, proposal, or project development role within:
• • Minerals processing
    • Mining equipment supply
    • Materials handling
    • EPC or EPCM project environments
• Demonstrated experience in developing capital cost estimates for engineering projects or plant installations.
• Proven involvement in technical–commercial proposal preparation, including scope definition and pricing.
• Hands-on experience in equipment selection and preliminary engineering for process plants or systems.
• Experience producing or coordinating Block Flow Diagrams (BFDs) and GA layout drawings for concept or tender stages.

Client & Commercial Exposure

• Direct experience liaising with clients to define scope, extract requirements, and resolve ambiguities.
• Participation in client meetings, tender clarifications, and proposal presentations.
• Experience managing assumptions, exclusions, and commercial risk in proposals.

Supplier & Market Exposure

• Experience engaging with equipment suppliers and subcontractors to obtain budget pricing and technical data.
• Ability to technically and commercially evaluate supplier quotations.
• Familiarity with lead times, market pricing trends, and cost drivers in mining and processing equipment.

Technical & Systems Experience

• Proficiency in CAD software for preliminary layouts and GA drawings.
• Strong competency in Excel-based estimating models and cost breakdown structures.
• Experience with document control, proposal templates, and engineering deliverables.
• Working knowledge of fabrication, installation, logistics, and commissioning cost elements.

Advantageous Experience

• Experience working for or with an OEM or specialist equipment manufacturer.
• Exposure to modular plants, skid-mounted systems, or bespoke process equipment.
• International project or export project experience.
• Involvement in project handover from sales to execution.