Most money on a specialist job is lost before the first bag is opened: in the tender. A wall measured too low, a product hidden in another bill, a payment clause nobody read. A repeatable review catches these before you submit a price.
This checklist works for estimators and contractors in flooring, coatings, waterproofing and other specialist trades, on any standard contract. It takes the order that works best in practice: sort the package, find your scope, check the BOQ, read the terms, compare the documents, then turn gaps into questions.
Part 1: Sort the package
1. List every document with its revision and page count
Make a simple table: tender letter, instructions to tenderers, conditions of contract, contract data or appendix, specification sections, drawings, BOQ, addenda and returnable forms. The first hour decides how good your price can be.
2. Write down everything that is referred to but not supplied
BOQs and specifications constantly refer to other documents: "as detailed on drawing A-410", "refer to the architectural specification". Each one you cannot find is either an RFI or a qualification.
3. Check the page numbers for gaps
Large tenders are often scanned and stapled, and pages go missing. A missing BOQ page can hold scope you will never price. Flick through the page numbers of the BOQ and the conditions.
4. Note the key dates
Closing date, last date for clarifications, site visit (is it compulsory?) and validity period. Missing a compulsory site visit can get a tender rejected before anyone reads the price.
Part 2: Find all of your scope
5. Search the whole BOQ for your products and keywords
Your trade's work is rarely all in your bill. Search every bill, including preliminaries, finishes, external works and paintwork, for terms such as epoxy, polyurethane, membrane, screed, primer, coving, upstand and outlet. Ask of each item: is it really my trade, is it in a sensible place and unit, and would the main contractor expect me to price it?
Part 3: Check the BOQ before you price it
6. Run six quick BOQ checks
- Units. Is there a length among areas, or an area that should be a count? Items over 300 mm wide are normally measured by area, so a unit change at that width is correct.
- Splits and totals. Add up any quantities split by location. They must equal the total.
- Related quantities. Compare floor area with screed area, wall waterproofing with perimeter × height, skirting with room perimeters.
- Headings. A heading describes the items below it, not the item above.
- Unpriced items. Most conditions treat an unpriced item as deemed included, which makes it free. Price every line.
- Hidden allowances. Notes such as "quantities include 5% waste" change how you apply your own waste factor.
Part 4: Read the terms that decide cash flow
7. Complete a contract terms table
Look in the contract data, the appendix to tender and the particular conditions for payment period, pay-when-paid clauses, materials on site, retention, delay damages, performance security, levies and deductions, notice periods, the defects period and guarantees. You can price the work correctly and still lose money if you did not read how and when you get paid.
8. Read the amendments, not only the standard form
Standard forms are often amended in the particular conditions, for example by shortening a payment period or deleting a sub-clause that pays for materials on site. These changes do not appear in the BOQ.
Part 5: Compare the documents
9. Compare drawings, specification and BOQ item by item
They are written by different people at different times. Check that each BOQ item matches the specification's system and thickness, that the drawings show it where the BOQ says, and that nothing on the drawings is missing from the BOQ. Note the drawing status. "Preliminary" drawings will change.
Part 6: Turn gaps into action
10. Classify every gap as an RFI, a qualification or a priced risk
Write good RFIs: one question each, numbered, quoting the document, page and item, with the assumption you will make if there is no answer, sent before the clarification deadline. Where there is no time for an answer, put the assumption in your tender letter instead.
11. Price the risk you cannot remove
Estimate the cost of financing the job if payment is slow and materials are not paid on site. Price waiting time, phased access and return visits you really expect. Show provisional allowances for unclear items rather than leaving them out.
12. Do a final read before you submit
Every line priced, qualifications matching your assumptions, alternatives clearly marked, validity, payment terms and exclusions stated, and returnable forms complete and signed.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check first in a tender?
List every document with its revision and page count, and check what is referred to but not supplied. The first hour decides how good your price can be.
How do I find errors in a bill of quantities?
Check units, add up splits against totals, compare related quantities, read the heading structure correctly, and look for unpriced items and hidden allowances.
What contract terms matter most to a subcontractor?
Payment period, pay-when-paid clauses, payment for materials on site, retention, delay damages, notice periods and the defects period. Check the particular conditions for amendments.
When should I send an RFI and when should I qualify?
Send an RFI when there is time before the clarification deadline. Qualify in your tender letter when there is not, stating the assumption your price relies on.
This checklist is general guidance for contractors. Always read the actual tender documents and take legal advice on contract terms.