Why two quotes for the same plan come back thousands apart

Planning workflow

1. Write your own scope list from the plan first, so you are comparing both quotes against your intent rather than against each other.
2. Map every line of each quote onto that list, and mark items that appear in one quote and not the other.
3. Separate fixed prices from allowances, since an allowance is a placeholder, not a price.
4. List the exclusions from both quotes together; the shorter exclusion list often explains the higher number.
5. Ask each bidder what they assumed about the items nobody priced, and record the answers with the quote.

Formula or decision logic

Normalize before comparing: adjusted total = quoted total + value of missing scope + difference between allowance and expected actual cost + items you will have to buy separately. A quote that excludes permits, temporary services, waste disposal, finish hardware, and site protection can look substantially cheaper while describing less work. Coverage is the variable that matters most: if quote A covers 90 percent of your scope and quote B covers 70 percent, comparing their totals directly compares two different projects. Where a bidder carries risk - a fixed price on unknown conditions - that risk has a price, and it belongs in the comparison rather than being treated as padding.

Worked planning example

Quote A totals less than quote B. Reading the exclusions shows A excludes permit fees, dumpsters, and the electrical panel work, and carries a lighting allowance well below the fixtures already chosen. Adding those four items back to A closes most of the gap, and A's remaining advantage turns out to be a shorter schedule with fewer site-protection measures. Neither quote was wrong; they answered different questions. The comparison only became useful after both were restated against one scope list.

Limitations and review boundary

• AtriBuild does not produce bids, and no quantity or scenario here is a price.
• Published cost indices describe aggregate movement, not what a specific contractor will charge you.
• Scope, risk allocation, and contract terms affect price as much as materials and labor do.

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