What Should Be Included in a Construction BOQ?

Published 2026-08-15 · Faruk Hossain

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A Bill of Quantities does a different job from a quotation. Here is what belongs in one and how to structure it so it can be priced by anyone.

A Bill of Quantities is a measured document. Its purpose is to let different contractors price identical scope so their prices can be compared. That single purpose determines everything about how it should be structured.

Preliminaries come first. Site setup, hoarding, protection, temporary services, supervision, insurance, permits, cleaning. These are real costs and burying them inside trade items makes comparison impossible.

Group by trade, then by element. Demolition, civil, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, finishes. Within each trade, follow the logical order the work happens on site. A pricer should be able to read down the page and mentally walk through the job.

Every item needs quantity, unit and rate. The unit matters more than people think. Linear metres for pipework and skirting. Square metres for flooring, ceiling and painting. Cubic metres for concrete and disposal. Numbers for fixtures, doors and equipment. Item or sum only where measurement genuinely does not apply.

Descriptions must be measurable, not aspirational. \"Supply and install 100mm uPVC soil pipe including brackets, fittings and connections to existing stack\" can be priced. \"Plumbing works as required\" cannot.

Include provisional sums separately. Where scope genuinely is not defined yet, a clearly labelled provisional sum is honest. Hiding undefined work inside a measured rate is not.

Add a summary page. Trade totals carried to a single summary, then the grand total. This is the page the client actually reads first.

The test of a good BOQ is simple: hand it to three contractors who have never seen the drawings, and see whether their prices are comparable. If they are wildly different, the bill is not describing the work clearly enough.