Free BOQ pricing template

The pricing sheet layout

Copy this header row into a spreadsheet. The amount column is quantity multiplied by rate.

The bracketed row shows what goes in each column. It holds no real rates.

What each column is for

• Rate source. Say where the rate came from: a published schedule, a supplier quote, your own recent job or a build-up. A reviewer must be able to tell.
• Source ref. The schedule item number or quote reference and its date. Without a date the rate cannot be checked for age.
• Confidence. Your own judgement of how well the rate fits the item. Low flags the line for a second look.
• Assumption. Anything you took for granted: grade, thickness, access, who supplies what.

A rate build-up block for unmatched items

For any item with no reference rate, add a small build-up beneath the sheet or on a second tab.

Checks before you issue it

1. Every row has a rate source and a source date.
2. Units in the rate match units in the BOQ line.
3. Rates from different editions or years are labelled, not mixed silently.
4. Totals by section add up to the grand total.
5. Assumptions are listed in one place the reader will see.
6. Lines with low confidence have been reviewed by a second person.

How to use the sheet on a live tender

1. Paste the BOQ lines into the first four columns exactly as issued. Do not retype descriptions.
2. Price the lines where you hold a rate from a schedule or a recent job first, and fill the source columns as you go.
3. Filter the confidence column for low, and work through those lines with the build-up block or a quote request.
4. Write the assumptions as you meet them, since you will forget some by the end.
5. Add a summary tab with section totals, overheads, profit and tax as separate lines.
6. Keep a copy of the sheet as submitted. When the client asks why a rate changed, you will have the answer.

Columns worth adding

• Risk flag. A simple marker for lines where price movement before award could hurt, such as imported material.
• Supplier or subcontractor. The name behind a quoted rate.
• Quote validity. The date after which the rate must be reconfirmed.
• Alternate. A marker for lines priced as an alternative to the specified item.

The pricing check below uses the same ideas: a source on every line and a list of assumptions.

When to stop pricing and ask

If a line has no source, no quote and no build-up after a reasonable effort, stop and raise a clarification with the client. A guessed rate with no assumption written beside it is the line most likely to hurt after award. If the client cannot clarify, price it, mark the confidence low and write the assumption in plain words.

The alternative to filling it in by hand

If you would rather not fill in the sheet, send one BOQ and we will do it in EstimateNext. This is a free pricing check, with no card and no sales call first.

• What you send: one bill of quantities in any format, such as PDF, Excel, Word or a scan.
• What you get back in 24 hours: a priced BOQ with the rate source on each line, the assumptions listed and a short note on margin risk.

The markets we price against most often are the US, the UK, India and the Gulf. Tell us which one your BOQ is for.