Contractor field guide · SaguaroScope
Outsourcing Xactimate estimating, with a clear handoff.
Use outside estimating support when a defined assignment can leave your desk without losing the field knowledge that makes the estimate accurate.
01 / Define the work
Estimate writing and scope development are different assignments.
Outsourced Xactimate estimating is the preparation or development of an estimate by a provider outside your company. The useful question is what that provider is being asked to do: write your defined scope, review an existing estimate, or develop supported additions for your review.
A clear assignment starts with one sentence: “Write the roof replacement scope we supplied,” “Review this completed water mitigation estimate,” or “Compare this carrier baseline with these documented repair requirements.” These jobs need different inputs, deliverables and fee rules.
You already know the scope.
Estimate Only turns the contractor’s defined scope into one project-specific estimate with correctly sourced and identified line items and one corresponding sketch, for a fixed price. Estimate + Sketch Only. No F9 Notes. Code arguments, manufacturer documentation, advanced technical positions, embedded claim photographs, supplement arguments and carrier communication are excluded. SaguaroScope confirms the workload classification before work begins.
The scope needs supported development.
Simple F9 Documentation supports targeted disputed items where most principal scope is approved. Advanced F9 Documentation supports materially under-scoped or technically difficult claims with comprehensive notes, code research and manufacturer documentation when applicable. SaguaroScope’s estimating team assigns Simple F9 Documentation or Advanced F9 Documentation after reviewing the complete file. The client does not select the documentation level and cannot require the lower tier. The client may accept or decline the assigned service before work begins. Progressive fees apply only to attributable additional carrier-approved RCV, excluding the original carrier estimate. Minimum fees are $399 for Simple F9 Documentation and $499 for Advanced F9 Documentation. The entire F9 Documentation fee, including the applicable minimum, is billed after approval. No F9 deposit or handoff minimum is billed before approval. Carrier Technical Coordination may be available by written Service Order with Simple F9 Documentation or Advanced F9 Documentation. F9 Documentation and Carrier Technical Coordination are separately priced services. Your company reviews and approves every deliverable.
Water mitigation has its own writing and review services. A water file does not automatically enter the Estimate Only roof/interior classification schedule or the F9 Documentation percentage schedules.
02 / Decide what to keep inside
Outsource a defined task, then compare the total work involved.
Outside support can make sense when completed jobs are waiting to be written, your estimating demand fluctuates, or a documented file needs attention beyond your current team’s capacity. An in-house estimator may be a better fit when the job requires continuous site decisions, frequent field revisions or close daily coordination across many active projects.
Compare the outside fee with the full handoff and review effort. Someone still needs to gather measurements, explain exclusions, resolve conflicting dates and approve the final scope. A lower writing fee is not useful if the assignment leaves those responsibilities unclear.
- Capacity: How many files are ready now, and how many are merely waiting for field records?
- Repeatability: Can your team provide the same organized input package on every assignment?
- Review: Who has authority to approve quantities, materials, assumptions and exclusions?
- Timing: When is the complete file available, and what delivery date can the provider accept in writing?
Start with one representative file. Measure your preparation time, clarification requests, delivery quality and revision effort. Use those observations to decide whether a larger workflow would help; a single quoted turnaround does not establish capacity for every future file.
03 / Compare the actual offer
Ask these questions before choosing an estimating service.
- What is included in the accepted price?Separate estimate writing, sketching, completed F9 notes, technical research, supporting documents, revisions and communication. Ask which items need an additional written order.
- What must your company supply?Confirm responsibility for measurements, photographs, scope decisions, equipment records, the current estimate and the relevant carrier baseline.
- What files will you receive?Specify the review PDF and any editable ESX deliverable included in the assignment. A limited review may produce a marked-up PDF and issue list without an ESX rewrite.
- How are changes handled?Distinguish correction of a drafting error from new field information, changed scope or a second assignment. Ask how a price or delivery change is approved.
- Who approves and submits the estimate?Your company reviews and approves the estimate and technical package before submission. Without an accepted Carrier Technical Coordination Service Order, your company handles carrier submission and communication. With an accepted Carrier Technical Coordination Service Order for Simple F9 Documentation or Advanced F9 Documentation, SaguaroScope may transmit and technically explain the client-approved materials. The estimate should be reviewed against your actual field records before release.
- How is the fee calculated?For fixed writing work, confirm the accepted classification. For percentage work, confirm the baseline, attributed increase, brackets, minimum and any eligible credit. Compare the same assignment across providers.
The free service-fee calculator illustrates SaguaroScope’s published rules. It does not classify a file, accept a scope, calculate an insurance settlement or charge a payment.
04 / Make the file usable
A good handoff makes each quantity traceable.
Give the estimator a short project summary followed by organized evidence. Label rooms and exterior areas consistently across the scope, photographs and measurements. Identify what is included, what is excluded and what still needs a contractor decision.
| Include | Make it specific |
|---|---|
| Project identity | Property, contractor contact, service requested and current job status. |
| Defined scope | Area, operation, material, measured quantity and exclusions. |
| Evidence | Photographs and measurements that can be matched to the same area labels. |
| Existing estimate | The version being reviewed and its date; identify the accepted baseline when relevant. |
| Open questions | Conflicting records, missing dimensions, pending work and decisions still needed. |
| Water records | Dated logs, equipment identities, locations, actual intervals and changes when applicable. |
For a completed water job, use the mitigation preparation checklist to build a missing-records list without entering a client’s personal information. Do not fill gaps by inventing measurements, equipment dates or field determinations.
The annotated scope examples show why a demolition area, a paint area and an equipment record can require different quantities even within one job.
05 / Approve the actual file
Review and approve the estimate before any carrier transmission.
Check the location and version, scope inclusions, measured quantities, selected operations and materials. Reconcile equipment dates and counts with the records. Review potential overlap between mitigation and reconstruction. Confirm that assumptions are visible and that supporting notes are attached when the accepted service includes them.
Make one consolidated revision list that references the relevant area or estimate line. Identify whether each item corrects the supplied scope, adds new information or requests a new service. That distinction helps the provider respond accurately and quote any changed work before proceeding.
Can an outside estimator guarantee carrier approval?
The estimate and evidence support a submission; the carrier’s decision is separate. SaguaroScope’s service fees, scope and credits follow the accepted order and applicable agreement. A package name does not promise every possible documentation item or a particular claim result.
Does a simple-looking water file automatically qualify for $249 writing?
No. The file must qualify for the fixed schedule and fit every Simple ceiling: up to 3 rooms, 1 zone, 5 inclusive calendar days, 12 deployment rows and 1 floor. Specialty conditions or missing core information can require individual review. See the full water pricing rules before selecting a service.
Where do I start if I do not know which service fits?
Send the project summary and records you have. Explain the result you need. SaguaroScope reviews fit and missing information, then confirms the service, scope and price before accepting production.
Put one file through the process
Bring the scope. We’ll clarify the assignment.
SaguaroScope supports roofing, reconstruction and restoration contractors nationwide with remote estimating services.