Independent review of a quotation, BoQ or contractor's claim

What I review

• A contractor's quotation or priced bill, before you accept it
• A bill of quantities prepared by someone else, before it goes to tender
• A payment application, before you pay it
• A claim for extra money or time
• The cost position of a project that has stalled or overrun

What I look for in a quotation

Whether the quantities match the drawings. Whether the rates are in line with current prices where the site is. What has been left out, because an omitted item is one you will pay for later at a price you did not agree. Whether early items are overpriced so that the contractor is paid ahead of the work. Whether the provisional sums are realistic.

You get a short report: the items that are fair, the items to query, the items missing, and what I think the work should cost. Most clients use it to negotiate; some use it to walk away.

Cost audit of a project in trouble

For a stalled or disputed project I measure the work in place, value it at the contract rates, and compare the result with what has been paid. The report states the position in plain figures: overpaid, underpaid, and by how much. It also estimates the cost to complete, which is the number you need before deciding whether to carry on with the same contractor.

How it works

Send the document and the drawings it is based on. I quote a fixed fee and a date. A review of a quotation for a house is normally quick, because the purpose is to help you before you commit. Everything you send stays confidential.

Independence

A review is only worth having if the reviewer has no stake in the answer. I take no commission from contractors or suppliers, and I do not review a document on a contract where I already act for the other side.

Questions clients ask