Two estimating companies can quote different fees for the same drawing set because they are offering different work. One may supply a quantity workbook for a single trade; another may include multiple divisions, labor pricing, markups and a review of subcontractor exclusions. Compare the accepted scope before comparing the fee.
This guide concerns the fee for an estimating service. Comparing subcontractors’ construction prices is a different exercise; see the subcontractor bid-leveling guide for that process.
Start with one document issue and one scope brief
Send each estimator the same drawing index, specifications, addenda, project location and bid deadline. Identify the buildings, floors, phases and trades you want included. If you send one company an architectural PDF and another the full coordinated set, the resulting proposals are not directly comparable.
Choose the output before asking for the fee:
- Quantities only: measured counts, lengths, areas, volumes or weights for your team to price.
- Priced estimate: the agreed quantities plus identified material, labor and equipment cost inputs.
- Review: a defined check of an existing workbook, its rates, its scope, or a combination of those tasks.
The quantity takeoff service and construction estimating service pages describe these separate deliverables. A lower fee for quantities only should not be compared with a priced, multi-trade estimate as though the packages were identical.
Use this proposal comparison checklist
| Check | What to ask the estimator | Why it changes the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Document basis | Which drawing issue, sheets and addenda are included? | A superseded or incomplete set changes the measuring work. |
| Trade boundaries | Which divisions and shared items are covered? | Excavation, sleeves, controls or protection can sit between packages. |
| Quantity structure | Can items be separated by building, floor, room or bid package? | A combined total may not fit your supplier or subcontractor enquiry. |
| Pricing inputs | Whose rates, which location and which pricing date will be used? | A quantity workbook does not establish a current market quotation. |
| Drawing evidence | Are marked-up PDFs and references included? | You need a way to trace a quantity back to the supplied documents. |
| Review and questions | Who handles queries about the delivered numbers? | The handover should include a route for resolving discrepancies. |
| Revisions | Which addenda or later drawing changes are included? | A low initial fee may exclude a large remeasurement task. |
| Fee and delivery | What is the accepted fee, payment basis and delivery date? | Confirm commitments against your actual bid deadline. |
Inspect a sample rather than relying on a deliverables list
Pick one line from a sample workbook and ask what its unit means, where it came from and whether an allowance is already included. For concrete, distinguish geometric CY from an ordering allowance. For electrical work, distinguish conduit length from conductor length. For finishes, keep the finish code with its room or drawing reference.
You can inspect the published source quantity excerpts and their available drawing crops. The commercial source case studies demonstrate how selected rows can be read. These excerpts show a format and source trail; they do not establish a complete priced client project.
Also check that the proposed sample matches your requested scope. A clean residential summary does not by itself demonstrate the requested breakdown for a multi-building MEP bid. Ask for the relevant format, and agree any project-specific schedule requirements before work begins.
Compare the total agreed work, not the initial fee alone
Consider a worked comparison with no market prices assumed. Proposal A covers drywall quantities and one Excel workbook. Proposal B covers the same quantities, marked drawings and a separately identified addendum allowance. Before choosing, ask A whether markups and the expected revision will require an additional fee. Ask B what its allowance covers and what happens if the addendum changes another trade.
Do not invent a saving by subtracting the two initial fees. First bring both proposals to the same scope. If you no longer need a priced estimate, ask both companies to quote quantities only instead of paying for output your team will replace.
Keep open information visible
A drawing gap should appear as a clarification, exclusion or stated allowance. It should not disappear inside a precise-looking total. Ask how missing fixture selections, undecided assemblies or unissued details will be recorded, and who is responsible for approving assumptions before the bid is submitted.
For a priced estimate, distinguish the estimating service fee from the construction cost in the workbook. The former pays for preparing the agreed deliverable. The latter depends on quantities, rate sources, installation conditions and the scope accepted by the contractor.
What to send for an F&K estimating proposal
Send the current drawing set or available project information, requested trades, project ZIP code, bid deadline and output requirements. Identify whether you need quantities only, a priced estimate or a review. Include an existing workbook if the request is to check work already prepared.
Review how estimating fees are quoted and how quantities are checked. Use the enquiry form on this page to request a written proposal confirming the included documents, deliverables, fee and delivery date. Review those terms before authorizing the work.