Home / Services / Bills of quantities
Bill of quantities (BoQ) preparation in Kenya
A bill of quantities lists every item of work in your building with its quantity. Contractors price the same list, so you can compare their quotes line by line, and you have a yardstick for every payment during the build.
By Edwin, quantity surveyor, registered with IQSK. 10 years in practice. Fixed fee agreed in writing.
What a bill of quantities does for you
Without one, three contractors give you three lump sums for three different buildings, because each has assumed something different about finishes, foundations and fittings. With one, they all price the same items, and the differences between them are visible.
- Like-for-like tender comparison
- A basis for valuing work done at each payment
- Agreed rates for pricing any change you make later
- A document a bank will accept for construction finance
- A list of materials and quantities if you are managing the build yourself
What is in it
Preliminaries, which are the contractor's site costs. Then the measured work, section by section: substructure, reinforced concrete frame, walling, roofing, doors and windows, finishes, plumbing and drainage, electrical work and external works. Provisional sums cover anything not yet designed, and they are labelled as provisional so nobody treats them as fixed.
Quantities are measured from the drawings following the standard method of measurement used for building works in East Africa, so any contractor or quantity surveyor in the region can read the document without explanation.
Priced or unpriced
An unpriced bill goes to contractors to fill in their own rates. A priced bill carries my rates and gives you the expected cost before you go to tender: it is your check on whether the quotes coming back are reasonable. Most clients take both.
If you are building without a main contractor
Many houses in Kenya are built with a fundi and materials bought by the owner. A full bill is more than you need. I prepare a material schedule instead: how many blocks, bags of cement, tonnes of sand and ballast, lengths of steel and sheets of roofing each stage needs, with a labour estimate per stage. You buy what the stage needs and no more.
What I need from you
- Architectural drawings: plans, elevations and sections
- Structural drawings if they exist. Without them the concrete and steel are estimated, and the bill says so
- A finishes schedule, or tell me the standard you want
- The site location
Questions clients ask
How long does a bill of quantities take?
It depends on the size of the building and how complete the drawings are. You get a delivery date in writing with the fee quote, before any work starts.
How much does a bill of quantities cost?
The fee depends on the size and complexity of the building and the completeness of the drawings. It is a fixed fee, quoted in writing once I have seen the drawings.
Can you prepare a BoQ without structural drawings?
Yes. The reinforced concrete and steel are then estimated from typical ratios and marked as estimated. If structural drawings follow, those sections are re-measured.
Do I need a BoQ for a small house?
If you are getting quotes from contractors or borrowing to build, yes. If you are building in stages with a fundi, a material schedule is usually the better document.
Get a fixed-fee quote
Send your drawings for bills of quantities. You get a written scope, a fixed fee and a delivery date within two working days. No charge and no obligation for the quote.