Do not rank quotations until every bidder has the same area schedule, drawings, specification and inclusion list. Compare normalized cost, payment risk and unresolved scope—not headline PKR per square foot alone.
Build a comparison sheet before reading totals
| Heading | Questions to resolve |
|---|---|
| Document basis | Which drawing revision, specification and area schedule were priced? |
| Scope | Are excavation, foundations, RCC, masonry, waterproofing, sleeves, boundary walls and external works included? |
| Materials | Who supplies cement, steel, bricks, sand, aggregate, water, formwork and testing? |
| Commercial terms | Are taxes, transport, pumping, machinery, supervision and overhead included? |
| Price adjustment | Is the rate fixed, time-limited or subject to an escalation formula? |
| Measurement and payment | Are payments based on area, BOQ quantities, milestones or actual measured work? |
| Provisional items | Which amounts can change after award? |
| Time and responsibility | What are start, duration, extension, delay and defect obligations? |
PEC's standard documents emphasize project-specific tender data, drawings, specifications, schedules and bills of quantities. A small residential job may use a simpler contract, but the same logic is useful: describe the work well enough that prices are comparable.
A normalized comparison example
Bid A offers PKR 3,300/sq ft for 3,000 sq ft, apparently PKR 9.9 million. Bid B offers PKR 3,450/sq ft, apparently PKR 10.35 million. If Bid A excludes PKR 350,000 of pumping, testing and waterproofing included by Bid B, its normalized comparison becomes PKR 10.25 million. The difference is then PKR 100,000, not PKR 450,000.
Normalized price = quoted total + priced exclusions + comparable provisional allowances
Questions that expose hidden scope
- What exactly completes the “grey structure” milestone?
- Are foundations based on current structural drawings or an allowance?
- Who pays for changes caused by revised drawings or soil conditions?
- Are formwork, scaffolding, curing water, power, security and debris removal included?
- How are material brands or grades approved and substituted?
- What evidence supports each payment claim?
- What happens to unused owner-supplied material and recoverable steel offcuts?
Price is only one selection dimension
Review references you can verify, current workload, proposed supervision, programme realism, safety practice, quality records and willingness to document changes. Do not publish or rely on fabricated testimonials. Speak to prior clients directly and inspect completed or active work with permission.
Contract note
This guide is a comparison framework, not legal advice or a residential contract template. Have the final scope and contract reviewed for the project's value, risks and jurisdiction.
Questions people ask
Is the lowest per-square-foot rate the cheapest quotation?
Not necessarily. The rate may use a different covered area, exclude materials or services, shift price risk, or leave major items provisional.
What is a provisional sum?
It is an allowance for work or cost that is not fully defined at tender stage. Compare it separately because the final amount may change.
Should labour-only and material-inclusive bids be compared together?
Only after converting them to a common scope and adding the owner's separately purchased materials, logistics, testing, taxes and risk.
Sources and verification
- Pakistan Engineering Council — Bidding Documents ImplementationOfficial context for project-specific tender data, schedules, specifications, drawings and bills of quantities.
- Pakistan Engineering Council — Standard bidding document for civil worksContract-document context for rates, risks, contingencies and Bill of Quantities pricing.
- Pakistan Engineering Council — Building Code of Pakistan 2021National building-code context for safety, administration, structural work and the authority having jurisdiction.
Sources establish the technical context. Calculator planning assumptions remain separately labelled and should be checked for the specific project.