Checking quantities before you order
The supplier asks whether to release the sheathing order from the tender estimate. A drawing revision added a mezzanine after that estimate was prepared. The foreman remembers the change, but its quantity never reached the buyer.
Check the order against current drawings and relevant site measurements, then show the waste allowance and package conversion separately. Ask someone other than the preparer to review the critical quantities. An estimate is a starting record, not proof that the current order is correct. Separating net need from allowances makes it easier to see whether a revision was missed or an allowance was counted twice.
- Confirm the drawing revision and approved scope for the order. Compare changes since the estimate, including additions, deletions and work transferred between trades.
- Prepare a quantity breakdown by location or work package. Show dimensions, units and deductions so another person can follow the calculation instead of seeing only a grand total.
- Check relevant dimensions in the field with the responsible person. Record discrepancies and resolve design questions before ordering; do not quietly change a design quantity because a site measurement differs.
- State the waste or cutting allowance as a separate assumption. Discuss the installation pattern and product constraints with the foreman rather than copying a percentage from another material.
- Convert the checked requirement into the supplier's units and package sizes. Identify rounding, minimum-order quantities and any stock already assigned to this work.
- Have the foreman or coordinator review the order summary and release it through the authorized buyer. Retain the takeoff revision and revisit unplaced quantities when the design changes.
Common mistakes
- Using the tender takeoff without checking later revisions.
- Applying a waste percentage to a quantity that already includes waste.
- Mixing square metres, sheet counts and bundle counts on the same total line.
- Ordering replacements without checking material already available for the area.
Checklist
Before the buyer releases the order
- Current revision and scope
- Quantity breakdown by area
- Relevant field checks
- Allowance shown separately
- Supplier units and rounding
- Independent review and retained takeoff
Check your understanding
Your total matches the estimate, but the revised scope added one area and deleted another. Is that a sufficient check?
