How we quote
The whole job scoped up front, priced fixed, with the extras optioned before you sign. That's the point of us.
The problem, named plainly
Most scaffold quotes price the one thing you asked for. That sounds reasonable until you think about what a scaffold actually has to do.
Nobody asks whether it also has to serve the painters. Or what the groundworks need. Or how the staging sequences against the pour. Or whether the truck fits down the side. Or where the power lines are and how long the clearance application takes. Or whose footpath it is and who is lodging the permit.
So you find the gap when the scaffolders are already on site. And then it's variations, variations, variations.
That's the complaint we hear about our trade more than any other, and it isn't usually anybody being dodgy. The scaffolder quoted exactly what was asked for. Nobody asked the next question.
We ask it first. That's the whole method, and everything below is just how we do it.
How we quote
The four steps
Send us the plans
Drawings and a rough outline of the program is enough to start. On most new builds there is nothing on site to look at yet, so the whole job gets scoped off the plans. If it is an existing building or the access looks tricky, we will come and walk it.
We strip the job top to bottom
Marked up and measured in Bluebeam Revu, so you can see exactly what we have taken off and what we have assumed. Groundworks, staging and sequencing, truck access, power lines, pedestrians, council permits, and the trades that come after us.
Full package, then a conversation
We pull every line apart with you and your trades. Anything you might not need gets priced as an option rather than built into the number, so the call stays yours and you can see what each decision costs.
Fixed price before we mobilise
You know what access costs before we set foot on site. Your program gets built on a number that holds, and the options you did not take are still priced if the job changes its mind later.
What you get
The marked-up take-off from Bluebeam, so you can see what we measured. An itemised scope. The optional items priced separately underneath the fixed number. Inclusions and exclusions stated plainly rather than implied. And the program assumptions we priced against, so if one of them turns out to be wrong we both know which one it was.
What we need from you
Drawings. Rough program dates. A site contact. And anything you already know is awkward, whether that's the neighbour, the access, the ground or the trades following you. The more of that we get up front, the tighter the number and the fewer conversations later.
Send it through and we'll price it.
Questions
Common questions
Do you need a site visit to quote?
Not for most new builds. The drawings carry enough to scope it properly, and that is why we can turn quotes around quickly. For existing buildings, remedial work, sloping blocks or anything with awkward access, we will want to walk it, and we will tell you which one you have got when you send the plans.
What happens if the program changes?
Programs move. Hire keeps running while the scaffold is up and inspections continue at least every 30 days. What we ask is early notice, because a fortnight is a re-book and a morning is a crew standing around. If the scope changes rather than the dates, we price the change the same way we priced everything else.
What is not included in a quote?
We state the exclusions rather than bury them. Typically council permits and their lead time, traffic and pedestrian management, out-of-hours work, engineering where the job needs it, and make-good to finishes. Where any of those are likely, we price them as options so you can see the number instead of finding it later.
How long does a quote take?
Usually within 24 hours of having what we need. Bigger tender packages take longer because the take-off is bigger, and we will tell you the date when you send it rather than leaving you guessing.
Can you quote from a tender package?
Yes, and it is a lot of what we do. You get the marked-up take-off back with the assumptions listed, one fixed number for the scope and the optional items priced underneath, so your estimator can see exactly what is in and what is out.