Quotation: scope and price
Match locations, quantities, units, materials and amounts. List exclusions. Distinguish a fixed price for defined work from work charged on measured quantities.
SIISTANDARD
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE
BEFORE YOU SIGN / DOCUMENT ALIGNMENT
Before you sign,put the missing details in writing.
Read the contract, quotation and drawings together. Check what is included, what you will pay, when payments fall due and how changes are agreed. Ask for revised documents wherever the answers do not match.
A way to organize your questions—not a contract template or a substitute for legal review.
Illustrative document comparison · Not a real case
Drawn does not always mean priced.
- Drawing
- Shows base units and wall cabinets.
- Quotation
- Lists a lump sum for kitchen base units only.
- Contract
- Allows “equivalent” materials without defining the substitution process.
Ask: Are the wall cabinets included? Which board and hardware are specified? Put the answer into a matching set of dated, versioned documents.
Read the attachments, not just the signature page.
A contract refers to “the quotation”, but which version? The drawing changes, yet the attachment does not. Start by resolving these mismatches.
Contract: arrangements and responsibilities
Check payment conditions, timing, changes, handover, warranty and contacts. Identify every referenced attachment by name, date and version.
Drawings: location, size and appearance
Compare dimensions, positions, finishes and equipment with the quotation. Where documents differ, ask what changes and which revised versions both parties will use.
Do not guess which document takes priority. Record how conflicting information will be resolved and which versions are agreed. Seek appropriate professional advice on disputed rights or obligations.
Ten agreements to clarify—and record.
Each topic gives you a question to send and a record to keep. Opening or closing a topic does not change the complete inquiry further down this page.
01 / People and scope
01Who signs, gets paid, does the work and handles warranty requests?
Ask this
Please identify the contracting party, relevant registration details and address, and the signer's role. Also identify the payment recipient, invoice issuer, team carrying out the work and warranty contact. If these differ, explain their responsibilities and who will handle problems.
Keep a record ofNames, contact and payment details, signing authority, and the division of responsibilities between different parties.
02What is included—and what is not?
Ask this
Please list included and excluded work by area or work package, including protection, demolition, waste removal, making good, finishing edges and cleaning. List unresolved items separately rather than treating them as included or free.
Keep a record ofDefined scope, exclusions, unresolved items and the corresponding quotation and drawing versions.
03How are quantities measured and the final price calculated?
Ask this
Please state quantities, units and measurement boundaries. For fixed-price work, define the included scope. For remeasured work, explain how and when quantities are agreed and how additions or reductions are priced.
Keep a record ofFixed-scope or remeasurement arrangements, units, measurement records and the process for agreeing adjustments.
04Which materials are specified, and how are substitutions agreed?
Ask this
Please list the relevant brand, model, size, grade, colour and any required origin information. Before proposing a substitute, provide its specification, price difference and timing impact, and explain who will approve it and how that decision will be recorded.
Keep a record ofMaterial schedules, samples or colour references, and the comparison and agreement for any substitute.
02 / Money and changes
05What might be payable beyond the contract price?
Ask this
Please confirm whether the total includes tax, delivery, carrying and known building-management-related charges. List additional or unpriced items, how they are calculated, the quotation's validity and the conditions for price changes.
Keep a record ofTotal and tax treatment, additional and unresolved costs, quotation validity and adjustment conditions.
06What makes each payment due?
Ask this
Please list each amount or percentage, its due date or trigger and the supporting information needed. Explain deposits, material-order payments and progress payments separately, including their purpose and conditions.
Keep a record ofPayment schedule, triggers, payment or order documentation, and how the parties confirm each stage.
07When does the programme start, and how are delays handled?
Ask this
Please state start and completion dates, starting conditions and whether time is counted in calendar or working days. If materials, building restrictions or requested changes affect timing, who gives notice, when, and how are revised dates agreed?
Keep a record ofProgramme, starting conditions, identified timing dependencies, notices and agreed date changes.
08How are extra work, omissions and drawing changes agreed?
Ask this
Please explain how changes are proposed and confirmed. Record added or omitted work, costs, materials, timing effects and the person confirming each change. For urgent site decisions, explain the contact process and how the decision will be documented.
Keep a record ofChange records covering both additions and deductions, not just extra charges.
03 / Handover and support
09How is completed work checked, and unfinished work followed up?
Ask this
Please explain completion notice, inspection, handover documents and how a list of outstanding work is agreed. Who makes corrections and when is the work rechecked? Please also state the agreed payment arrangements for final and incomplete work.
Keep a record ofHandover list, inspection record, outstanding items, correction dates and related payment arrangements.
10What does the warranty cover, and who responds?
Ask this
Please list coverage, duration, start date, exclusions and the contact for each relevant work package. Explain how requests are answered and repairs arranged. Show product and workmanship warranties separately where they differ.
Keep a record ofWork-specific warranty terms, product documents, contacts and the process for reporting and handling issues.
Six phrases that need the next sentence.
These phrases do not prove that a contractor is doing anything wrong. Ask whether both parties can tell what the same words mean in practice.
“Subject to actual site conditions”
What may change: quantity, method or cost? Identify what is unknown, when it will be checked, who provides the information and how price or timing effects will be agreed.
“Lump sum”
A lump sum can cover a defined package. Ask for locations, work, materials, exclusions and the process for work outside that scope. A separate unit price is not essential for every item.
“Or equivalent”
Equivalent in which specifications or performance? Record the proposed product, differences, price adjustment and approval process—not just an assurance that the quality is similar.
“Payment according to progress”
Which stage, confirmed by whom and supported by what information? Name the trigger for each payment rather than relying on different ideas of “nearly finished”.
“Additional work charged separately”
Who requests, prices and confirms it? How are omissions deducted? Record cost and timing effects, and keep a checkable record after verbal discussions.
“One-year warranty after completion”
This is an example, not a recommended or universal warranty period. Define completion, covered items, exclusions and contacts. Separate product warranties from workmanship coverage.
A payment schedule needs more than percentages.
These are four possible payment situations to discuss—not a recommendation for four instalments or any standard ratio. Deposits and material orders may precede construction; their purpose and conditions still need to be clear.
Signing or mobilization payment
Identify the type of payment, amount and trigger, plus the agreed arrangements if work has not started or plans change.
Material orders or early work
Identify the materials or work, supporting order or work records, and what happens if the order is changed, cancelled or delayed.
Progress payment
Replace a vague reference to progress with defined work or a stage, and identify the confirmation and documentation needed to request payment.
Inspection and final payment
Match handover items, inspection records and outstanding work with agreed correction, reinspection and payment arrangements. Do not assume an automatic right to deduct or withhold money.
Send all ten questions together.
Add your project name and the document versions before sending. Ask for the answers to appear in the documents, not just in a reply saying “everything is included”.
When the reply arrives
- Check that the answers resolve the mismatches. Keep unresolved items separate; do not assume they are included.
- Ask for updated attachments and version details. Keep drawings, material schedules and change records together.
- Keep both parties' confirmation records. Seek appropriate professional help if costs, timing or responsibilities remain disputed.
STANDARD INTEGRITY INSTITUTE
READ → COMPARE → DISCUSS
Still unsure what your quotation leaves unexplained?
SII reviews documents for Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability to help identify useful follow-up questions. It does not rate contractors, determine a fair market price or approve a contract for signing.
Choose your next step
Seven questions before signing
Do I need to read the contract if I already have a quotation?
Read them together. The quotation usually describes work and prices; payment, timing, changes, handover and responsibilities may sit in the contract or other attachments. Check the referenced versions, not just whether the totals match.
Does signing or stamping a quotation make it a complete contract?
A signature or stamp alone cannot answer that. Legal effect depends on the contents, communications, facts and applicable law. This checklist helps identify missing information; ask a qualified legal professional to review legal questions.
Can a fixed-price package show only one total?
First check whether the work covered by that total is defined. Locations, work, materials, exclusions and changes still need to be checkable. Not every item needs its own unit price, and a total does not mean everything is included.
What payment percentages are reasonable?
There is no ratio here that fits every project. Material orders, work sequencing, payment purposes and the allocation of risk all matter. List each amount, condition and supporting record before discussing terms for your project.
Can we leave extras until work starts?
Some details may need site confirmation, but you can agree the process now: who proposes a change, who explains cost and timing effects, who confirms it and how it is recorded. “Charged separately” does not itself settle a price; remember deductions as well as additions.
Can SII tell me whether the price is fair?
SII reviews the documents supplied. It does not provide a market valuation or contractor rating. Whether scope, quantities, materials and costs can be compared is a document question; fit with your budget and available market choices needs separate comparison.
Can I use SII's results as a legal review of the contract?
No. SII does not determine enforceability, liability or whether you should sign, and it does not replace an on-site engineering inspection. Refer legal or engineering questions to appropriately qualified professionals with the actual project information.
This page organizes document checks and questions. It is not legal advice, an engineering assessment, a payment recommendation or approval to sign. The example is illustrative, not a real case.