The finishing BOQ: every line that should be written down

What a BOQ is, and why it matters

A BOQ is the job written down line by line: what will be done, in which material, to what specification, and measured in what unit. The prices sit against those lines, and the total is simply their sum.

It matters because a single figure for ‘full finishing’ tells you nothing. Two quotations can look far apart and describe different jobs, or look close while one hides a missing bathroom, a lower grade of tile or no debris removal. Only when both are written against the same lines can you see what you are actually being offered.

A good BOQ also protects the job after signing. It is the reference for what was agreed, for checking the work at handover, and for pricing any change along the way.

The main sections, and what each line should say

Most finishing BOQs follow the order of the work. The units below are the usual ones. Quantities and prices belong to your own unit, so they are left out here on purpose.

Every line: unit, specification, supplier

Each line should answer these questions. If one is missing, the line can be read two ways, and it usually is.

• The unit: square metre, linear metre, each, point or lump sum. A lump sum is fine for a small item, but a large one hides quantities you cannot check.
• The specification: material, brand or grade, size, thickness and finish. ‘Porcelain 60×120, first grade’ can be compared; ‘good porcelain’ cannot.
• Who supplies it: the contractor, you, or a named supplier, and whether the line is supply and install or install only.
• What is included: preparation, adhesives, trims, protection and cleaning for that item.
• How it is measured: net area as built or area on the drawing, and whether the final account is re-measured.

How to compare two quotations line by line

1. Put them in the same order

   List both quotations against one set of sections, using the table above. Any line that appears in one and not the other is your first question.

2. Match the units

   If one prices floors by the square metre and the other as a lump sum, ask for the quantity behind the lump sum so the two can be compared.

3. Compare specifications, not totals

   The same tile size and grade, the same paint system and number of coats, the same door core. A difference in the total usually traces back to a difference here.

4. Read the exclusions

   Debris removal, protection of finished work, water and power on site, scaffolding, and anything marked ‘by the client’. Every exclusion is a cost that has moved to you.

5. Check the provisional items

   Some lines are left as an allowance because the item has not been chosen yet. Make sure each allowance describes a real item and has not been set low to make the total look smaller.

6. Check the terms around the numbers

   How long the quotation is valid, payment stages tied to finished work, how changes are priced, and whether quantities are re-measured at the end.

Red flags in a quotation

• One line for the whole job: ‘super lux finishing, all inclusive’ with no breakdown.
• ‘Inclusive’ with no specification: inclusive of what, and to which grade?
• Materials described by adjective, such as ‘excellent’, ‘imported’ or ‘first class’, with no brand, size or grade.
• A total given before anyone has visited and measured the unit.
• Missing lines that every job has: debris, protection, waterproofing tests, cleaning.
• Quantities well below what the drawing shows, to be ‘adjusted later’.
• No date, no validity period, and no company name or address on the document.

When something changes during the job

Changes are normal; unwritten changes are where disputes begin. Every change should be written as a line added to or removed from the BOQ, with its unit, specification and price, and agreed before the work is done.

Keep the original BOQ exactly as it was signed, and add changes as numbered variations. At the end, the final account is the original plus and minus those variations, and nothing else.

How Itmam writes the quotation

We visit and measure first, then give you a written, itemised quotation before any work starts: every job and every material on its own line. You can hold it up against any other quotation, line by line.

On a finishing contract you pay each supplier directly and the tax invoice is in your name, so materials appear on the supplier's own invoice. Our fee is for supervision and execution, and it is agreed in writing before work starts.

If you only need materials, supply-only is available: send the quantities or the drawings and you get a written quotation for exactly what you sent.