Supplier quotes
Three quotes, three different figures Which one is really the better deal?
Three builders, one renovation, a difference of €7,900. As long as each of them priced a slightly different scope of work, you are not comparing three prices but three different briefs.
The total is not enough. Send everyone the same list of work and quantities without your prices, known as an unpriced budget, and check what each quote includes and what it leaves out.
- Supplier A €47,800 Priced the whole brief
- Supplier B €43,200 Left three items unpriced
- Supplier C €51,100 Priced the whole brief
Flat renovation, 68 m², 48 items, prices excluding VAT. The lowest total is also the one with part of the work missing. Once the missing work is added, quote B is still the cheapest, but the gap to quote A shrinks from €4,600 to €2,142.
Unpriced budget
Same items, same quantities, blank prices
An unpriced budget lists the work, materials, quantities and units of measure, but leaves the prices blank. Each supplier prices exactly the same brief as everyone else.
Flat renovation, 68 m² · 48 items
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Your price | Supplier’s price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition and rubble removal | m² | 24 | €17.00 | blank |
| New partition walls, plasterboard | m² | 31 | €44.50 | blank |
| Electrical installation, new wiring | point | 18 | €74.00 | blank |
| Painting walls and ceilings | m² | 146 | €6.20 | blank |
Your budget. Items, quantities and units of measure are done; the prices are your planned ones for now. Unpriced budget. The brief is the same, but your prices never reach the supplier.
- Request for quote to Supplier A 48 items, same quantities, without your prices
- Request for quote to Supplier B 48 items, same quantities, without your prices
- Request for quote to Supplier C 48 items, same quantities, without your prices
One selection of items, three requests for quote. Each supplier gets their own link, but the brief behind it is the same. That is why their answers can be compared.
Why not send the budget with your prices
A supplier who sees your figure usually moves towards it. You get confirmation of your own estimate instead of the market price.
An unpriced budget keeps that information to yourself. Prices arrive independently of each other, and only then do you compare them with your plan.
Why sending the drawings is not enough
From the drawings, each supplier works out the scope in their own way. One includes scaffolding and rubble removal, another leaves them to you.
A list of items and quantities removes that freedom. The question is no longer what needs doing, but who will do it and for how much.
What Quotioo does with this
From the scope of work to quotes you can compare
Asking for more prices does not give you comparable quotes. Giving everyone the same brief and getting their answers back into the same table does.
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Prepare the scope of work
An itemised budget with sections, items, quantities and units of measure. Until it is clear what needs doing and how much of it there is, there is nothing to compare.
How a budget is built -
Create an unpriced budget
In the editor, you mark the sections and items you want the supplier to price. The selection is locked once the request for quote is created, so everyone you contact gets exactly the same brief.
Where the quantities come from -
Send the same brief to several suppliers
One request for quote reaches up to ten suppliers. Each gets their own link to the same selection of items and does not need to register. You set how long the link is valid and can attach photos of the site.
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Suppliers fill in their prices
They enter unit prices against your items and quantities. They can add other work and supplies you need to allow for, such as transport, scaffolding or moving materials around site.
How to read a unit price -
Quotes come back to your items
You see who opened the link, who has already priced it and which items they left blank. Once two quotes have arrived, you see them side by side in one table, item by item, next to your planned price.
Quotioo can email the link to the supplier, or you can send it yourself in a message. The supplier does not need an account to price the work and cannot get into your budget.
Quote comparison
Same items, three prices side by side
When everyone has the same brief, the comparison moves from the total to the individual lines. Only there can you see where the difference is in price and where it is in scope.
Flat renovation, 68 m² 48 items, prices excluding VAT
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Before the comparison
Supplier B is the cheapest. €43,200, which is €4,600 less than Supplier A. You could decide on that in ten seconds.
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After the item-by-item comparison
- Left three items unpriced: demolition and rubble removal; plumbing and drainage; painting walls and ceilings. At the lowest prices from the other quotes, that work costs €2,458.
- Quoted a unit price 21% lower than the others for electrical installation, new wiring. With a price this low, it is worth asking whether it includes materials.
- The only one that listed no other work and supplies. Those costs have not disappeared from the build; the quote just does not show them.
The comparable price of quote B is €45,658. The gap to Supplier A is not €4,600 but €2,142. Quote B may still be the right one. The difference is that you are now asking about specific items, not the total.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition and rubble removal | m² | 24 | €18.50 €444 | unpriced | €21.00 €504 |
| New partition walls, plasterboard | m² | 31 | €46.00 €1,426 | €44.00 €1,364 | €49.50 €1,535 |
| Electrical installation, new wiring | point | 18 | €78.00 €1,404 | €62.00 €1,116 | €84.00 €1,512 |
| Plumbing and drainage | point | 9 | €120.00 €1,080 | unpriced | €132.00 €1,188 |
| Wall and floor tiling including adhesive | m² | 38 | €52.00 €1,976 | €49.00 €1,862 | €55.00 €2,090 |
| Painting walls and ceilings | m² | 146 | €6.40 €934 | unpriced | €6.90 €1,007 |
| Other work and supplies added by the supplier | €850scaffolding and moving materials | not stated | €620transport and waste removal | ||
| 42 more items rest of the brief | €39,686 | €38,858 | €42,644 | ||
| Total excluding VAT | €47,800 | €43,200 lowest total | €51,100 | ||
- Item the supplier did not price
- Unit price that differs sharply
- Difference in what the quote includes
Shell of a family house, 142 m² 96 items, prices excluding VAT
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Before the comparison
Supplier B is the cheapest. €110,800, which is €17,600 less than Supplier A. You could decide on that in ten seconds.
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After the item-by-item comparison
- Left two items unpriced: ground floor ceiling structure; scaffolding, erection and hire. At the lowest prices from the other quotes, that work costs €10,800.
- Quoted a unit price 26% lower than the others for roof structure including boarding. With a price this low, it is worth asking whether it includes materials.
- The only one that listed no other work and supplies. Those costs have not disappeared from the build; the quote just does not show them.
The comparable price of quote B is €121,600. The gap to Supplier A is not €17,600 but €6,800. Quote B may still be the right one. The difference is that you are now asking about specific items, not the total.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation slab, C25/30 concrete | m³ | 32 | €178.00 €5,696 | €165.00 €5,280 | €189.00 €6,048 |
| External walls, 380 mm clay block | m² | 186 | €62.00 €11,532 | €58.50 €10,881 | €66.00 €12,276 |
| Ground floor ceiling structure | m² | 96 | €88.00 €8,448 | unpriced | €94.00 €9,024 |
| Roof structure including boarding | m² | 168 | €46.00 €7,728 | €34.00 €5,712 | €49.50 €8,316 |
| Roof covering including membrane and battens | m² | 168 | €38.50 €6,468 | €36.00 €6,048 | €41.00 €6,888 |
| Scaffolding, erection and hire | m² | 240 | €9.80 €2,352 | unpriced | €10.50 €2,520 |
| Other work and supplies added by the supplier | €1,640transport and moving materials | not stated | €2,100crane and transport | ||
| 90 more items rest of the brief | €84,536 | €82,879 | €87,728 | ||
| Total excluding VAT | €128,400 | €110,800 lowest total | €134,900 | ||
- Item the supplier did not price
- Unit price that differs sharply
- Difference in what the quote includes
Roof replacement, 142 m² 6 items, prices excluding VAT
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Before the comparison
Supplier B is the cheapest. €6,517, which is €4,142 less than Supplier A. You could decide on that in ten seconds.
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After the item-by-item comparison
- Left two items unpriced: stripping the old roof covering and removal; roof flashings and metalwork. At the lowest prices from the other quotes, that work costs €2,455.
- Quoted a unit price 23% lower than the others for concrete roof tiles including fitting. With a price this low, it is worth asking whether it includes materials.
- The only one that listed no other work and supplies. Those costs have not disappeared from the build; the quote just does not show them.
The comparable price of quote B is €8,972. The gap to Supplier A is not €4,142 but €1,687. Quote B may still be the right one. The difference is that you are now asking about specific items, not the total.
| Item | Unit | Quantity | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripping the old roof covering and removal | m² | 142 | €8.50 €1,207 | unpriced | €9.80 €1,392 |
| Battens and counter-battens | m² | 142 | €9.20 €1,306 | €8.60 €1,221 | €10.00 €1,420 |
| Breathable roofing membrane | m² | 142 | €4.80 €682 | €4.50 €639 | €5.20 €738 |
| Concrete roof tiles including fitting | m² | 142 | €32.00 €4,544 | €24.50 €3,479 | €34.50 €4,899 |
| Guttering system | lm | 38 | €34.00 €1,292 | €31.00 €1,178 | €36.50 €1,387 |
| Roof flashings and metalwork | lm | 26 | €48.00 €1,248 | unpriced | €52.00 €1,352 |
| Other work and supplies added by the supplier | €380transport and skip | not stated | €520scaffolding | ||
| Total excluding VAT | €10,659 | €6,517 lowest total | €11,708 | ||
- Item the supplier did not price
- Unit price that differs sharply
- Difference in what the quote includes
In Quotioo you see the quotes received for one request in the same table: the rows are your items, the columns are the suppliers’ quotes. The lowest price in each row and any unpriced items are marked. The comparison total only counts items that everyone priced, so a quote that priced less does not come out cheaper. The supplier’s own items, such as transport, appear in the total of their quote.
The figures in this example are for demonstration. They explain how quotes are compared and are not market prices; they are based on the Slovak market. Real prices vary by region, supplier, season and the material you choose. The Bill of quantities page also shows how the same quantities turn three answers into comparable quotes.
Making the decision
Quotioo will not pick a winner for you It shows you the differences
The point of a comparison is not to pick the lowest figure. A good quote is above all complete and comparable. Only then can you sensibly judge its price.
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Total price
The figure you start with, not the one you finish with. It only means something when it covers the same scope of work as the other quotes.
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Unit prices
This is where you see where a supplier differs sharply from the others. An unusually low price is often the answer to a different question, such as labour without materials. Ask what it includes.
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Missing items
The most common reason a quote is cheap. An unpriced item does not disappear from the build. It just gets paid for later, and usually at a higher price.
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Differences between parts of the build
One supplier is strong on the shell, another on finishing work. An item-by-item comparison shows this sooner than a single figure at the end.
The decision is yours and it does not have to come down to price. Timing, references, willingness to document changes or experience with a particular method are reasons no table can add up. The comparison only has to make sure of one thing: that you are choosing between like for like.
After choosing a supplier
The chosen quote does not end up as a PDF in a folder
You write the prices of the chosen quote into the budget items, and when you approve the budget they become part of the plan. From then on you are not comparing quotes with each other, but recorded costs with what you agreed.
- Unpriced budget the same brief
- Quotes prices filled in
- Comparison item by item
- Chosen supplier prices in the budget
- Construction changes during the build
- Plan vs actual budget tracking
Accepting a quote and writing in its prices are two different things
Accepting a quote is your decision and does not change the budget yet. Writing in the prices is a second step: the quoted prices are saved against the items next to your planned prices and are used when you approve the budget as the plan.
Your original prices are kept and the change can be undone, so you can try it without worry.
The budget becomes a yardstick, not a record of the past
With the agreed prices in the budget, every receipt from site has something to be added to, and every change has something to deviate from.
You then see extra work before the final invoice. You record it in a change order before you decide on it.
Frequently asked questions
Questions that come up before you contact the first supplier
Answers to what people think about when their budget is ready and they are about to send it out.
Cannot find your answer?
Write to us →It is your itemised budget without your prices. The supplier sees the items, quantities and units of measure and fills in their own unit prices. Because everyone you contact gets the same brief, their quotes can be compared line by line, not just by the total.
Because you would get an answer to your figure, not the market price. A supplier who sees your price usually moves towards it, even if they would otherwise have quoted less. You also lose the most valuable part of the comparison: knowing what the others charge for the same work.
No. They get a link and fill in prices directly on the request page. If they want to log in, they can, and their quote in progress is then saved as a draft and they find their requests and sent quotes in one place. Logging in does not give them access to your budget or project.
Yes. One request can go to up to ten suppliers. Each gets their own link, but all get the same selection of items, so their quotes can be compared line by line. Quotioo can email the link to them, or you can send it yourself. You can send requests on the free plan; side-by-side quote comparison is in the Construction plan and above.
You will see it. While filling in, the supplier has a counter of priced items, and the page warns them if the quote is incomplete. In the quote you receive, unpriced items are marked, so you can tell whether a difference in the total comes from a lower price or a missing scope.
The supplier’s own items, the other work and supplies, are shown separately from your brief. The shared part stays comparable, and you also see what one supplier allowed for and another did not. These lines are often what explains the difference between quotes.
Not automatically. The lowest total is a good reason to ask more questions, not a reason to sign. A quote is good when it is complete and you understand why it is cheaper. Quotioo shows you the differences and leaves the decision to you.
Accepting a quote and writing its prices into the budget are two separate steps. Accepting is your decision. Writing the prices saves them against the budget items, next to your planned prices, and they are used when you approve the budget. Your original prices are kept and the change can be undone. Writing prices in bulk from a quote with several items is part of quote comparison in the Construction plan and above.
Read next
Before the quote and after it there is the budget
Comparing quotes is one step between the brief and the build. These pages follow on from it in both directions.
Expert sources outside Quotioo
Once accepted, a quote becomes part of the contract for work. This is what Slovak law says about a price based on a budget. Both links lead to the official texts in Slovak.
- Slovak Civil Code, contract for work (Section 631 onwards) www.slov-lex.sk Applies when a private individual orders the work. Section 635 says that a price set according to a budget cannot be increased without the client’s consent.
- Slovak Commercial Code, contract for work (Section 536 onwards) www.slov-lex.sk Applies between businesses. A price set according to a budget is covered by Section 547.
The same brief for everyone
Prepare an unpriced budget and compare quotes on the same basis
Choose items from your budget, send the same brief to several suppliers and compare what they actually offered you. Not just what it costs.
No itemised budget yet? Start with a construction budget.
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