Before You Approve That Contractor's Quotation, Check These 10 Things

Scope of work - Is everything you expect the contractor to execute actually included? 2. Quantities - Are the quantities realistic, or have some items been overstated? 3. Unit rates - Are the rates reasonable for the specification, location and current market conditions? 4. Material specifications - Does the quotation clearly identify the quality, grade and specification of materials?

5. Labour costs - Are labour costs reasonable for the work involved? 6. Omissions - Are important construction activities missing from the quotation? 7. Provisional sums - Are provisional sums clearly explained, or are they being used to hide uncertain costs? 8. Contractor's overhead and profit - Are these clearly identifiable and reasonable?

9. Variations - What happens if the contractor later says that additional money is required?

10. Payment structure - Are you paying in line with actual work completed, or are you paying too much too early? Why this matters A construction project can lose substantial money through small errors in quantities, rates, specifications and payment assessments.

This is one of the reasons an independent Quantity Surveyor can be valuable before a contractor is appointed and throughout the project.

For anyone currently planning a building project: don't only ask, "How much is the contractor charging?" Ask: "How was that amount calculated?" That question can save you a lot of money.