Start with the same brief
How do you compare groundworks quotations fairly?
Check the same drawings, quantities and work boundaries first. Then compare excavation, spoil disposal, foundations, drainage, access and reinstatement. Mark anything unclear as Not stated and ask for a written clarification. Matching labels do not prove that specifications, responsibilities or prices are equivalent.
12 scope checks
What does each quote say?
Keep the written quotations beside you. Use A, B and C without entering business names, prices, addresses or other personal information.
What the status labels mean
- Included
- The quote explicitly describes it as included. Check the detailed specification too.
- Excluded
- The quote explicitly leaves it out. Clarify who will provide it if the project needs it.
- Allowance
- A provisional sum, assumption or limited quantity is stated. Ask what it covers and what changes it.
- Not stated
- You cannot find a clear statement. This is a question, not proof of omission.
- Not applicable
- You believe this item is outside this project. Confirm that with the people defining the scope.
0 of 24 entries labelled
A clear scope is more useful than a score.
Why there is no “best quote” badge
The tool does not inspect the documents, verify a contractor, assess workmanship or recommend a financial decision. It reports only the labels you select. An exclusion can be entirely reasonable if the same task is being provided by someone else; an inclusion can still be too vague to compare.
What to do with an allowance
Ask for the quantity, assumptions and limit behind it, together with the method for agreeing changes. Keep clarifications with the quotation and the version of the drawings they relate to. If the scope changes, ask for all quotations to be assessed against the revised brief.
Before you instruct the work
Use the questions to obtain a clear written record of responsibilities, exclusions, programme and relevant terms. The checklist is not a contract or legal advice. For complex procurement or contract questions, get project-specific professional advice.
The Federation of Master Builders recommends supplying comparable project information and checking what quotations include and exclude. Read the FMB’s guidance on building quotations.
Planning Portal explains how a written building contract can record arrangements and responsibilities. Read Planning Portal’s building-contract guidance.