Notes for owners · Sales management
How to quote a bill of quantities for building materials
A reply to a builder's bill of quantities should state rate, unit, basis of price and validity on every line. How to lay it out so the argument at delivery never starts, with a worked tile example.
The GullySales team · Updated 17 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
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Quote a bill of quantities line by line. On every line say four things: the item with its make and size, the unit, the rate for that unit, and what the rate includes. Then add a validity date and a note on how delivered quantity is measured. Many arguments at the gate start where one of these was left to assumption.
Why do BOQ quotes go wrong at delivery?
Because the builder and the dealer were each reading a different sheet. The builder's BOQ says "vitrified tiles, 600 x 600, 2,400 sq m". The dealer quotes per box. The builder thinks the price is per square metre, the dealer thinks per box of four tiles, and the difference appears on the invoice.
Other classic gaps are a rate that never said "delivered to site" or "ex-godown", and a wastage allowance the builder never agreed. Then there is GST shown in one place and not another, and a rate valid on Tuesday but not on Thursday. None of these is dishonest. Each is a line the quote left blank.
What does a good quote line carry?
Here is a layout that works on one sheet or one spreadsheet:
Quote ref: Q-117 Date: __ Valid till: __ Site: __
Basis: delivered to site, unloading by builder, GST extra at ___%
No | Item (make, size, grade) | Unit | Qty | Rate/unit | Amount | Note
1 | Floor tile 600x600, ____ | sq m | ___ | ____ | ____ | Batch-matched
2 | Adhesive, 20 kg bag | bag | ___ | ____ | ____ | Coverage per bag as per maker
3 | Spacers, 2 mm | pack | ___ | ____ | ____ |
Not quoted: item 9 (reason). Alternative offered for item 12: ____
Rate moves: after the validity date rates are reconfirmed in writing.
The two lines that matter most are "Basis" and "Not quoted". The first answers every "does this include" question in advance. The second shows you read the whole list.
Which words need defining on the sheet?
| Term | What to write |
|---|---|
| Unit | Say whether the rate is per piece, per box, per square metre or per tonne, and give the conversion where it differs |
| Basis | Delivered to site or from your godown; unloading by whom; any transport extra |
| Quantity | The quantity priced, and whether billing is on delivered quantity |
| Wastage | Whether the quantity includes wastage, and how much, if any |
| Taxes | Whether GST is included or extra, and at what rate as applies |
| Validity | The last date the rate holds and what happens after |
| Batch or lot | Whether the full quantity comes from one batch, and what happens if it cannot |
For regulated or standard-linked items, state the grade as the specification names it, and do not claim a standard the product has not been checked against. Rules and standards change, so ask the manufacturer or your adviser if unsure.
How do you handle a rate that moves?
For items whose price moves within a quarter, say so on the sheet and give a validity of a few days, after which the rate is reconfirmed. If the builder wants to lock a rate for a long project, offer staged rates for fixed quantities with a date for each lot, and agree in writing who carries a move in between. Never promise a year-long fixed rate with no conditions and then try to claw it back.
Steel buyers meet this constantly. The post on quoting steel buyers when the rate moves daily and the one on open quotes when raw material prices change both give a way through.
For example: a tile dealer in Coimbatore and a 24-flat block
A made-up tile dealer in Coimbatore gets a BOQ for a 24-flat residential block: floor and bathroom tiles, adhesive and grout. The dealer sends one total per category.
Trouble appears at delivery. The builder had already counted wastage in the quantity. The dealer added another allowance on top and billed per box where the BOQ said per square metre. The builder's engineer refused part of the lot, and the two of them spent a week reconciling.
The dealer redid the sheet in the layout above. Every line gave the unit and the box-to-square-metre conversion. A note said wastage was already inside the builder's quantity. Basis read delivered to site, unloading by the builder, with a validity date at the top. On the next BOQ the engineer ticked the sheet in an afternoon, and the lot was delivered against it. The first dispute had cost the dealer roughly ₹21,000 in returned boxes and a second delivery, and the new sheet took longer to prepare for every BOQ afterwards. The dealer, the builder and the figures are invented.
When is a line-by-line quote too much?
When the buyer is a householder buying a few boxes, or a mason who wants a rate and a day. For them, a short message with item, unit, rate, basis and validity will do. Use the full sheet when the quantity is large, the BOQ has more than a handful of lines, or an engineer will check your quote against the drawing.
The builder's own sheet may arrive with odd formatting. Ask for a clean copy, or build one and send it back with "please confirm this is your list". The earlier post on how a plumbing distributor quotes a builder's list shows the same discipline in another trade.
Rebuild your last BOQ reply from scratch
Take your last big BOQ reply and rebuild it in the layout above without looking at the old one. Wherever the new sheet answers something the old one left blank, a dispute was waiting. Save the new version as your template. Where quoting sits in the wider buying path is on the construction materials page, and if you want the template built for your counter with proposal development, tell us what you need.
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