Compare construction quotes on what they actually include.
Two construction quotes rarely describe the same job in the same way. QuantDoc lines them up item by item, puts units and GST on one basis, and shows the provisional sums, exclusions and missing items that sit behind each total, so you know the real cost before you commit.
Concrete, with and without pump hire
Incomplete- Supplier AAs quoted $3,300.00Full scope priced
- Supplier BAs quoted $2,400.00Scope to confirm
As quoted, ex GST.
INCOMPLETE — Supplier A is the lowest fully-priced quote, but Supplier B has unknown costs. No overall winner can be declared yet.
Why construction totals are hard to compare
On a construction job the bottom line of a quote is the least reliable number on the page. One concreter includes the pump and another assumes you will book it. One earthworks contractor gives a fixed price for rock and another carries it as a provisional sum. One supplier prices per tonne and another per cubic metre. Each of those differences can move the real cost by more than the gap between the two totals.
Comparing them properly means reading every line, deciding which items are genuinely the same, converting units, removing or adding GST consistently and noting everything that is excluded or simply not mentioned. That is slow, and in a spreadsheet it is easy to drop a line, double-count GST or quietly treat a blank as zero.
QuantDoc does that groundwork for you and shows its working. Every extracted figure carries a source reference to the page and line, or the sheet and row, that it came from. Every adjustment, such as converting 10,000 kg to 10 t or removing GST from an inclusive price, is recorded so you can check it.
What QuantDoc checks on every construction quote
Line items and quantities
Descriptions, quantities, units, rates and line totals are extracted and re-calculated with decimal arithmetic, so a 12 m² × $45.00 line written as $560.00 is flagged as a possible calculation issue.Provisional sums and allowances
Estimates that may be adjusted to actual cost are flagged separately from fixed prices, so a low total built on a provisional sum is visible as such.Inclusions and exclusions
Delivery, installation, disposal, mobilisation and equipment are tracked per quote as priced, included, excluded, to be advised or not mentioned.GST treatment
GST is only removed or added where the quote states its treatment or its totals prove it. Mixed and GST-free lines are supported, and conflicts are flagged rather than guessed.Specification differences
N32 vs N25 concrete, 20mm vs 10mm aggregate or a 5 t vs a 13 t machine are classed as not equivalent and kept out of the price comparison.Validity and payment terms
Expired or short validity periods and differing payment terms are listed in the risk register so they are part of the decision.
Worked example: a missing concrete pump
Two concrete quotes for the same 10 m³ of N32. Supplier B’s rate is lower, but Supplier A also prices a concrete pump that B doesn’t mention. The figures below are produced by the QuantDoc engine from these two synthetic quotes.
Example data · calculated by the QuantDoc engine
A line item one supplier didn't quote
What was quoted
- Supplier A: 10 m³ N32 concrete at $250/m³ plus concrete pump hire $800 (ex GST).
- Supplier B: 10 m³ N32 concrete at $240/m³ (ex GST). No pump mentioned.
INCOMPLETE — Supplier A is the lowest fully-priced quote, but Supplier B has unknown costs. No overall winner can be declared yet.
Line-by-line matching (2 items)
| Item | Supplier | Match | Normalised rate (ex GST) | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N32 concrete | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $250.00 / m³ | $2,500.00 |
| Supplier B | Exact equivalent | $240.00 / m³ | $2,400.00 | |
| Concrete pump hire | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $800.00 / each | $800.00 |
| Supplier B | Missing item | — | Unknown |
| Supplier | As quoted (ex GST) | Like-for-like | Complete scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier A | $3,300.00 | $2,500.00 | $3,300.00 |
| Supplier B | $2,400.00 | $2,400.00 | Incomplete |
1 flag raised · 3 clarification questions drafted
- Supplier B: no matching item for "Concrete pump hire"
Because this requirement only asks for the concrete, Supplier B’s complete-scope price is lower. The engine still raises a missing-item flag for the pump, because a pump is often needed and Supplier B’s quote is silent on it. If you do need one, add pumping to the requirement and the comparison changes: B’s pumping becomes an unknown cost, the comparison is marked incomplete, and you are shown the price at which B stops being cheaper.
Worked example: a provisional sum vs a fixed price
Two excavation quotes. Supplier A has the lower bulk excavation price but carries rock excavation as a $5,000 provisional sum. Supplier B prices rock at a fixed $4,000.
Example data · calculated by the QuantDoc engine
A provisional sum vs a fixed price
What was quoted
- Supplier A: Bulk excavation and cart away $6,800 lump sum, plus rock excavation as a $5,000 provisional sum (ex GST).
- Supplier B: Bulk excavation and cart away $7,400 lump sum, plus rock excavation $4,000 fixed (ex GST).
Provisional — check before relying on this: Supplier A: no quoted total to check the lines against; Supplier B: no quoted total to check the lines against. Supplier B has the lowest complete-scope cost at $11,400.00 ($400.00 below the next quote).
Line-by-line matching (2 items)
| Item | Supplier | Match | Normalised rate (ex GST) | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk excavation and cart away | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $6,800.00 / lump sum | $6,800.00 |
| Supplier B | Exact equivalent | $7,400.00 / lump sum | $7,400.00 | |
| Rock excavation (provisional sum) | Supplier A | Exact equivalent | $5,000.00 / lump sum | $5,000.00 |
| Supplier B | Conditional match | $4,000.00 / lump sum | $4,000.00 |
| Supplier | As quoted (ex GST) | Like-for-like | Complete scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier A | $11,800.00 | $6,800.00 | $11,800.00 |
| Supplier B | $11,400.00 | $7,400.00 | $11,400.00 |
2 flags raised · 4 clarification questions drafted
- Supplier A: provisional sum
- Supplier B: match needs confirmation
On the item both contractors quote equivalently, bulk excavation, Supplier A is $600.00 lower. Once rock is included, Supplier B is $400.00 lower overall, and A’s rock figure is an estimate that can still change. The rock rows are a conditional match because one price is provisional and the other is fixed, so you are asked to confirm the scope before relying on the difference.
How items are matched
Similar wording is never treated as proof that two items are the same. Every row in a construction comparison receives one of six classifications:
- Exact equivalent
- Same item, same specification, same unit basis.
- Comparable with adjustment
- Same item after an exact, recorded adjustment, such as kg→t, inc→ex GST or a different quantity.
- Conditional match
- Probably the same, but something must be confirmed first, such as a density for m³→t or a product description that differs.
- Not equivalent
- A different specification, grade, size or rating. Not compared on price.
- Missing item
- Quoted by one supplier and not by another. It is flagged, not assumed to be free.
- Uncertain
- There isn’t enough evidence to decide. Shown for your review.
Four views instead of one ranking
A single “cheapest quote” figure hides the decisions behind it, so QuantDoc shows four views side by side. As quoted shows what each contractor or supplier actually asks for. Like-for-like covers only the items every quote prices equivalently, after unit and GST normalisation. Complete scope appears only when every required component, such as delivery, installation or disposal, is priced or explicitly included. Risk and uncertainty lists exclusions, provisional sums, conditional matches and possible calculation issues.
When information is missing, the result says so plainly: the comparison is labelled INCOMPLETE and break-even thresholds show how much an unknown item would have to cost before the ranking changes. You can test labelled what-if scenarios, but they never overwrite the figures that came from the documents.
For each gap QuantDoc drafts a specific clarification question and an email per supplier. Nothing is sent automatically; you review, edit and send it yourself. The finished comparison exports to PDF, Excel or CSV for your file, your client or your approver.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of construction quotes can QuantDoc compare?
Supplier quotes for materials, trade and subcontractor quotes, equipment hire quotes and service quotations, provided as PDFs with a text layer, Excel (.xlsx) files or CSV files. Scanned PDFs have limited support: they are read by OCR on QuantDoc’s own servers, every figure read that way is flagged for checking against the original, and photographed or handwritten quotes are often only partly read.
How does QuantDoc handle a provisional sum?
A provisional sum is kept in the quoted price and flagged as an estimate that may be adjusted to actual cost. It is not compared as if it were a fixed price, so you can see how much of a quote could still move.
If one builder leaves out an item, is it treated as free?
No. A line that one quote includes and another doesn’t is classed as a missing item and flagged. Unknown costs are never treated as zero, and the comparison is labelled incomplete when a required part of the scope has no price.
Does QuantDoc check whether a price is fair for the market?
No. QuantDoc compares the quotes you upload against each other and against your stated requirement. It does not consult external pricing sources or market rate databases.
Can I rely on the result for a contract decision?
QuantDoc shows the arithmetic, the matching decisions and the source of every figure so you can check them. Possible scope and contractual points are listed as issues for professional review; the decision, and any legal or contractual interpretation, stays with you and your advisers.
Related
- Subcontractor quote comparisonItemised vs lump-sum trade prices, exclusions and qualifications.
- Scope gap analysisFind what each quote leaves out and the break-even cost of the gap.
- Comparing excavation quotesRock, provisional sums, cart-away and machine size.
- QuantDoc for buildersTrade and supplier quotes across a whole job.
- Live exampleThree real-format aggregate quotes analysed end to end.
- PricingFree preview, then monthly plans in US dollars, billed monthly.
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