Scope of work and request for quote

Get more than one written estimate, each for the same scope of work. This template writes the job down once, so every contractor prices the same thing.

What's in it

• The project, with your contact details, the address, a one-line description, the hoped-for dates and the date quotes are due.
• The work, area by area, a table with a row for each room or area, the work, the materials and any notes.
• The site, with access, parking, working hours, who handles the permits, cleanup and any drawings or photos.
• What to include in the quote, a checklist the contractor fills in from their side.
• A Before you send box with four checks.

How to fill it in

Walk the house room by room and write one row for each area. For example: "Replace the vanity and faucet, keep the existing tile."

Name the materials wherever you have a preference, down to the maker and brand, not just "install kitchen cabinets." Then every quote prices the same product. Where you don't mind, write "contractor to propose" and compare what comes back.

In the site section, write where a crew can park, the hours they can work, and anything on site they should know about, from pets to a shared driveway. Leave who handles the permits as a question for the contractor. A contractor who asks you to get the permits yourself is showing a sign of a scam.

The checklist at the end asks for what a written estimate should cover: the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. It also asks for the license number and a certificate of insurance, to check before you hire. On a large job, ask each quote to set out milestone dates for each stage and to name any subcontractors.

Attach any drawings or photos you have, and fill in a date the quotes are due. Send the same document to every contractor you ask. When the quotes come back, the bid comparison worksheet puts them side by side. When one quote comes in far from the others, ask why, and don't take the lowest automatically.

When a contractor comes to look

Walk each contractor through the same rows, in the same order. Ask for a copy of the contractor's license when they come to give a bid, and check it with the office that issued it. If a question from one contractor changes the scope, update the document and send the new version to all of them, so the quotes still match.