What's Actually In A Proper Cost Estimate

An estimate is not just a total figure. If you've had one back that's only a number, you've been shortchanged. What you should get is a breakdown by trade or by element, a list of what's actually been priced, and a separate list of anything that hasn't, along with the assumptions behind it. That last part matters more than most contractors think. If the assumptions aren't written down, arguments happen at valuation stage instead of before the price goes out.

Preliminaries And Provisional Sums

The measured work is usually the easy part. Where estimates fall down is preliminaries, attendances and provisional sums. A proper estimate separates these out so you can see what's fixed price and what's a placeholder waiting for more information. If a subcontractor package hasn't been firmed up yet, that should be flagged as a provisional sum, not buried inside a lump total where nobody can find it later.

Quantities You Can Check

You should be able to hand the take off to your own site team or your QS and have them check it against the drawings. If the quantities can't be traced back to a drawing reference, they aren't much use to you when a variation turns up six months into the job. Measured under NRM2, with a reference back to the drawing it came from, is the standard we work to.

What This Means On Site

When the estimate is broken down properly, valuations are quicker, variations are easier to price because you already know the rates used, and there are fewer disputes with the client's QS about what was and wasn't included. That's the whole point of paying for an estimate in the first place, not the total on the front page.

If you want to see what one of our breakdowns actually looks like before you commit anything to us, See a sample estimate. If you've got drawings ready to go, Send your drawings and we'll tell you what we need to get started.

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