Benedum Builders Make a Winning Bid

Engineering school isn’t just coursework and labs. Sometimes it’s also hands-on, fast-thinking, real-life experience. Take for example the Benedum Builders, a group of civil engineering undergraduate students who were part of a recent regional estimating competition.

This team from the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering placed second at the ninth annual CAWP Student Estimating Competition Championships. Eleven teams from seven universities competed in the event, held on February 20 – 22 at the Marriott Hotel in Cranberry and hosted by the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania (CAWP).

The CAWP Student Estimating Competition Championships provides civil engineering students with experience working together to estimate a real-world project. Teams prepare during the school year with the help of industry mentors and compete over three days.  

For the 2025 challenge, teams were given plans to demolish the existing SR 4012 Brush Creek Bridge and rebuild it using a steel structure. Each team had eight hours to develop their bids and compile all their work and reasoning into a workbook, both which were submitted to eight judges, all experts in the field.

After submitting their bid and workbook, teams created a presentation that explained their proposal, and the next morning they delivered presentations to the judges, who provided constructive feedback and asked questions.

In addition to the competition, participants attended a career fair and networked with construction companies from across the region.

Pitt students Farrah Alkanaan, Fernanda Morales-Viveros, Joshua Zielinski, Tyler Jacobson, Justin Winslow, and William Jacobs competed for the Benedum Builders. John Sebastian, professor of practice and director of the McKamish Construction Management Program, serves as the faculty advisor. Jason Koss from CAWP and Bob McCall from Masters Builders Association of Western Pa. Inc. sponsored the team.

Also competing for Pitt were the Pitt Pavers team of Adam Holden, Christian Kohut, Matthew Macey, Chase Sikenberger, Angelina Sweeney, and Philip Williams.

Both teams are part of Pitt’s Association of General Contractors (AGC) Student Chapter, an organization dedicated to providing students with opportunities to develop experience and exposure to the contracting field.

“I’m so proud of these students,” Sebastian said. “All year they have prepared, working with generous mentors Joseph Neubert from Independence Excavating and Kurt Karanovich from Kokosing, who have shared their valuable insight and experience in the construction industry. These students are learning real-world skills far beyond estimating a project. They’re learning about working as a team, solving problems under pressure, organizing their work, and making their pitch.”

Check out CAWP’s recap of the event.

Read how CAWP estimating competitions and construction site visits, inspired Pitt’s AGC Student Chapter president Farrah Alkanaan.