Scope and changes

Writing the clarifications in your quote so the scope is clear

By Review.LivePublished October 2, 20263 min readHow we write

An hour before quotes close, the painting estimator finishes a quote for a farmers' market building with the company's usual line: "Painting as per plans and specs, $148,500 plus tax". On the last job, a general contractor read those words to include the parking garage ceiling, the stair railings and weekend work.

A hand-sketched floor plan lies on a wooden table. — Photo: Ryan Ancill on Unsplash

Say in the quote what your price is based on, what it includes, what it excludes and what it assumes, in short plain lines a buyer can compare with other quotes. A buyer levelling quotes may read "as per plans and specs" more broadly than you intended. Clear clarifications help the buyer see gaps before award. Resolve them while both sides can still change the price, and check the final subcontract against that agreement.

Name the basis: the drawings and their issue date, the specification sections, and every addendum by number; see tracking addenda.
List what is included by area and system, with the numbers that set the price: coats, finish levels, colours, heights.
Name each exclusion and who you assume does it: "shop priming of steel, by the fabricator", not "by others".
State the assumptions that drive cost: working hours, mobilizations, access, heat and power, and areas ready when you arrive.
Price likely extras as rates: another coat, deep colours, evening work, touch-ups after other trades.
Add the commercial terms: taxes, how long the price holds, and what would change it.
Check the subcontract against your quote before you sign, and ask for your clarifications to be attached or listed.

Example (fictional)

One painting quote, rewritten

Fictional quote. Estimator Nikhil rewrites the line: "Based on drawings A-001 to A-601 issued for tender on 14 February, the interior painting section and addenda 1 to 3. Includes: walls and ceilings in the offices, washrooms, kitchen and meeting room, primer and two finish coats; doors and frames, two coats; up to 12 colours, none deep-tone. Excludes: market hall deck and joists (not shown as painted; $6.40/m² if added), mechanical and electrical piping, exterior. Assumes: weekdays 07:00–15:30, heated areas free of other trades. Extra coat: $2.90/m². Taxes extra; valid 30 days."

At award, the general contractor added the market hall deck and joists at the quoted rate: 2,300 m², $14,720, agreed before anyone mobilized.

Names, companies and figures are invented.

Common mistakes

Writing "by others" without naming them, or blanket lines such as "anything not shown".
Copying the last job's clarifications without reading this job's documents.
Quietly excluding work the specification requires, hoping the buyer will not notice.
Burying a price-driving assumption, such as day work only, on page three.

Checklist

Every quote you send

Drawings, sections and addenda listed
Inclusions by area, with coats and finish levels
Each exclusion named, with who does it
Hours, access and site conditions stated
Rates for likely extras
Taxes and validity stated
Checked against the subcontract before signing

Check your understanding

A general contractor asks you to delete all your exclusions "so the quotes are comparable". How do you answer?

Show the answer

Offer to price each exclusion separately instead, so they can add the items they need and still compare like with like. Deleting them silently turns known gaps into free work at your risk; pricing them keeps the comparison fair and leaves the decision with the buyer.