Pricing andturnaround

How a fee is set

Four things drive it, in roughly this order of weight.

The size of the set

Not the size of the building. A 97 page set and a 592 page set are different amounts of reading before a single quantity is measured.

How many trades are in scope

A single trade package and a sixteen trade whole building estimate are different jobs. Each trade carries its own units, its own scope traps and its own rate research.

The condition of the documents

A clean, complete, well dimensioned set is faster than one with missing sheets, conflicting information and no usable scale. This is exactly what a plan review tells you before you commit.

The turnaround you need

A normal delivery window and a compressed one are not the same price, and we would rather charge for the compression than quietly do worse work to hit the date.

The fee models

Per project

The standard arrangement. A fixed fee for a defined scope, quoted before the work starts. This is how most engagements run.

Plan and scope review, priced separately

A small fee to find out whether a set is complete enough to price. The sensible first engagement if you have not worked with us before, and it can roll into the estimating fee.

Retained estimator

A monthly arrangement for contractors bidding continuously, where you get an agreed amount of estimating capacity each month instead of quoting job by job. Ask if that fits how you bid.

What moves the price after the quote

Only these, and each is quoted before it is done. A fee never changes silently.

• An addendum that adds or changes scope after work has started.
• A change of scope you ask for, such as adding a trade or splitting the estimate by phase.
• A set reissued at a different revision, where the changes are material enough to need re measuring.
• A turnaround you need to bring forward after the fee was agreed.

Questions about money