Money

Reading a bill of quantities without getting caught out

What a quote must contain trade by trade, and the omissions that make one offer look cheaper than another.

Published September 2, 2026

Two offers for the same house can differ by forty per cent without either being dishonest: they are not measuring the same thing. A comparison only means something if both documents cut the job up the same way, in the same units, covering the same scope.

The usual omissions

• Earthworks and spoil removal, priced “to be confirmed”.
• Utility connections, often left to the client.
• Site set-up: hoarding, water, security.
• VAT and local taxes, when the headline figure excludes them.