How Do I Choose Between Build Quotes?

Q

I’m planning a self-build and I’m just about to go out to tender in the hope of receiving several quotes back from different builders. Once I receive quotes back, how do I choose between them? Robert Page

A

David snell says: No matter how hard you try to make sure that each builder gets the same tender documents and plans, they’ll always seem to cloud their replies so as to make it frightfully difficult to judge one against the other. That’s not always a deliberate tactic as there will always be grey areas, and each builder or, more likely, their quantity surveyors, will make different assumptions in areas where what you want is either unknown or unquantifiable.

The answer is to set out your requirements as clearly and definitively as possible and then to dissect each reply and judge every element in each quotation against the others.

One thing you could do, before you send the tenders out – and it’s something I always do – is to send the plans and specification to a company such as Estimators Limited for a full breakdown, trade by trade, of all of the materials, labour and plant. This will give you a template and a clear idea of what the correct prices should be. It’s a tool for negotiation and a learning curve about what’s needed.

I’ve used their estimate as the basis for my contract with the builders for the last four self-builds. It’s important to remember to put in realistic ‘provisional sums’ (allowances for items that are undecided) for certain materials such as bricks, tiles, sanitaryware and kitchen units.

If the prices you get back from the builders are way over the estimate then you need to strike out and find alternatives. If they are well below, then be careful — it may seem attractive at face value, but when they start to run out of money or realise that they’ve under-priced, your job could stop.