Compare the scope before comparing the price
Two totals can describe very different projects. Use a simple comparison to make assumptions, exclusions and allowances visible.
Give everyone the same starting information
A meaningful comparison begins before the figures arrive. Give each party the same current drawings, written scope and explanation of the desired standard. Note which documents are still provisional. If one quotation includes a new kitchen and another assumes you will supply it, the totals do not describe the same task. Keep a simple issue list with dates so that later clarifications reach everyone being asked to price. The more clearly the work is described, the easier it becomes to distinguish a genuine price difference from a difference in understanding.
Build a comparison with four columns
For each major element, record the stated inclusion, the allowance, the exclusion and the question still to answer. Useful rows might include demolition, structure, windows, finishes, services, fittings and external work. Keep unknown items visible rather than filling them with an optimistic guess. Ask whether a figure covers supply, installation, preparation and making good. For example, the price of a floor finish may be a small part of the work if the substrate requires repair. The table is most useful when it makes these boundaries easy to discuss.
Keep project costs beyond the works visible
Your overall budget may need to cover design and specialist fees, surveys, application charges, temporary accommodation, storage, furniture and other project-specific items. Tax treatment also needs to be stated rather than inferred from a headline total. Keep a separate contingency so that uncertainty is acknowledged. The percentage used by an early online model is only an assumption; the right allowance depends on the available information and risk. Review the total against the same list each time the design changes, so that a saving in one area does not conceal an additional cost elsewhere.
Resolve uncertainty in writing
Before choosing a route, ask for a clear response to the differences you have identified. Record what is fixed, what is an allowance and what remains outside the offer. Discuss the process for changes, payment stages and the information needed before work can start, with appropriate professional advice where required. A low total is not automatically better value, and a detailed document is not automatically complete. The aim is a proposal you can understand, with responsibilities and unresolved items visible enough to make an informed decision.
Zink field notes · 23 October 2026 · General project guidance; the brief and site conditions need individual review.