Bill of quantities
A bill of quantities (BoQ) is an itemised list of the work in a project, each item with a description and a measured quantity, used so bidders price the same scope.
A bill of quantities (BoQ) is an itemised list of the work in a project, each item with a description and a measured quantity, used so bidders price the same scope.
What bill of quantities means
A bill of quantities, often shortened to BoQ, is a document that breaks a project into numbered work items and states a measured quantity for each one, such as 120 square metres of floor slab or 18 steel doors. It is normally prepared by a quantity surveyor or estimator from the drawings and specification.
Bidders then add a unit rate to every line. Because everyone prices the same quantities, the tender compares rates rather than each bidder’s own counting.
A plain example
Suppose a small building has an item “Interior partition, 100 mm steel stud, one layer board each side” measured at 340 square metres. A bidder writes a rate per square metre, multiplies, and the line total feeds the tender sum. The quantities here are placeholders to show the layout, not benchmarks.
Why it matters
A BoQ makes bids comparable and gives the owner a priced schedule to value progress and variations against later. A missing or mis-measured item surfaces as a dispute or a change order, so it pays to check the BoQ against the drawings before tender.
Common confusion
A BoQ lists work items with quantities and, once priced, rates. A bill of materials lists physical components of a product or assembly, and a material takeoff is the measuring step that often produces the quantities. Contracts differ on whether the BoQ quantities are guaranteed or only estimates, so read the contract terms.
Practical checklist
Use these checks when you receive or write a bill of quantities.
- Compare item descriptions to the specification wording so each line points to one clear piece of work.
- Check units of measure are consistent, for example square metres for boards and linear metres for track.
- Look for provisional sums and prime cost items, and ask what each one covers.
- Confirm whether quantities are fixed or remeasured, and how omissions are handled.
- Note exclusions, such as temporary works, that bidders must price elsewhere.
Related terms
Questions people ask
Who prepares a bill of quantities?
Usually a quantity surveyor or cost estimator working from the drawings and specification, though a contractor may build one for its own pricing.
Is a BoQ the same as an estimate?
No. A BoQ is the measured list of quantities. An estimate adds rates, overheads and risk to arrive at a price.
Can quantities in a BoQ change?
Depending on the contract, they may be remeasured as built or fixed. Check the contract and agree how variations are valued.
Sources and further reading
Have a project outline or drawings?
Organize your scope, then contact Digital Oro through its official channel. Availability, engineering, pricing and delivery terms need project-specific confirmation.
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