Send each bidder the same information pack and ask them to identify missing information. Clarify the differences before comparing the total.
Your quotation comparison checklist
For each quotation, mark every item clear, needs clarification or not included. Put unresolved questions in writing.
| Check | What a useful answer contains |
|---|---|
| 1. Drawings and revision | Drawing numbers, revisions and specification documents used to price the work |
| 2. Price basis | Lump sum, measured item rates, labour-only or cost-plus; how the final amount is calculated |
| 3. Area measurement | Defined chargeable area and treatment of balconies, stairs, voids, porches and other separately charged work |
| 4. Ground conditions | Basis for excavation, rock, groundwater, disposal, access and foundation assumptions |
| 5. Structural scope | Identified RCC members, reinforcement, formwork, concrete and associated work against the structural design |
| 6. Masonry and plaster | Unit type, thicknesses, mortar and finish specification, openings and limits of work |
| 7. Materials and allowances | Named specification or measurable performance requirement; allowance values and what each covers |
| 8. Services | Exact plumbing and electrical scope: routes, points, fittings, testing, connection limits and competent trade involvement |
| 9. Specialist interfaces | Roofing and waterproofing appointment, civil preparation, sequencing and protection responsibilities |
| 10. External works | Compound walls, gates, drainage, retaining structures, tanks, paving and landscaping separately identified |
| 11. Site facilities | Water, electricity, temporary connections, storage, access equipment, protection and cleaning responsibilities |
| 12. Professional work and approvals | Surveys, soil investigation, design, submissions, fees, deposits and statutory charges allocated |
| 13. Quality and tests | Inspection stages, test plan, records, routine testing cost and treatment of failed work |
| 14. Programme | Start conditions, baseline schedule, monsoon strategy, owner decisions and lead-time assumptions |
| 15. Changes and escalation | Written approval process, valuation method, material-price adjustment basis and time implications |
| 16. Payments | Deposit purpose, assessment basis, invoicing, due dates, retention if agreed and final-account process |
| 17. Handover and defects | Completion definition, documents, snag closure, defect-reporting period and exclusions |
| 18. Commercial identity and price | Contracting entity, applicable tax details, tax inclusion/exclusion, quotation validity and relevant insurance arrangements |
Understand four terms before comparing totals
Fixed amount: A price for a defined scope on stated assumptions. Check how the contract treats approved changes and expressly identified risks.
Measured item rate: A price per unit multiplied by the measured quantity. Check the measurement method and whether the quantity shown is estimated or fixed.
Product allowance: Money set aside for a selection not yet finalised. Confirm whether it covers supply only, delivery, wastage, installation and taxes.
Provisional allowance: Money set aside for work that cannot yet be fully defined. Confirm the assumptions, supporting records and agreed method of adjustment.
An owner's contingency is separate: it is a reserve for identified uncertainties, not permission to spend without agreement.
Small allowance differences can change the comparison
Consider an illustrative 130 sq m tile purchase. One quotation allows ₹900 per sq m and another allows ₹1,200 per sq m for the same supply-only category. The allowance difference is ₹39,000 before wastage, taxes, delivery and installation adjustments.
Neither rate is a Goa market recommendation. The example shows why an apparently cheaper package may simply carry a lower selection allowance.
Compare the total budget, including separately purchased work
| Budget component | How to treat it |
|---|---|
| Defined contractor scope | Compare equivalent inclusions and quantities |
| Selected upgrades | Use the same selection or allowance in each comparison |
| Provisional work | Bring competing assumptions to a common basis without presenting uncertainty as a fixed price |
| Excluded services and owner purchases | Add realistic, separately obtained budgets for the items you still need |
| Taxes, fees and deposits | Identify separately and avoid double counting |
| Contingency | Keep an owner-controlled reserve appropriate to the unresolved risks |
Clarify these warning signs
- A single per-sq-ft rate with no area definition or scope schedule.
- “All included” alongside a long list of unpriced essentials.
- “As required” without a quantity, specification, allowance or valuation method.
- A payment request unrelated to the agreed advance or work-assessment process.
- Guarantees without written coverage, exclusions or a reporting route.
- Pressure to approve structural or material changes verbally.
Bring your drawings and quotations to a scope-review discussion. We will explain the assumptions behind our own price so you can compare the work fairly.
Take the checklist to your discussions
Download comparison checklist PDF
Use one column per quotation and leave notes for the questions still unanswered. The worksheet is a way to compare scopes, not a certificate that one contractor is always the best choice.
Questions about comparing prices
The lowest quote says “everything included”. What should I ask?+
Ask for the actual specification, area basis, quantities and exclusions in writing. Check external works, services, fittings, site facilities, tests, fees and taxes. The phrase alone does not establish a comparable scope.
Should I reject a quote just because it has provisional work?+
No. Some information may genuinely be unresolved. The important questions are what assumption was used, how the work will be measured/valued and who approves the adjustment. Uncertainty should be visible rather than disguised as a fixed total.
Will you explain a difference between your price and another quote?+
We will explain the basis of our own scope, quantities and allowances so you can make a fair comparison. This is not presented as an independent certification or paid audit of another contractor's quotation.
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