Construction estimate review checklist
A thorough estimate review traces each price to its source, checks quantities and cost calculations, identifies uncertainty, and confirms that the customer proposal matches the approved scope and price.
Prepare the review package
Set a review cutoff and gather the current drawings, specifications, addenda, bid form, scope documents, RFIs, quotes, and estimate. Record any information that arrives after the cutoff so the reviewer can account for it.
Save a dated copy before making corrections. Use it to compare and explain changes in quantities and costs.
- Estimate version and owner
- Drawing and addenda issue
- Bid form and instructions
- Quote and RFI cutoff
- Submission deadline and approver
Related: Takeoff, estimate, and quote — Understand the deliverable being reviewed at each stage.
Confirm scope and document coverage
Read the requested scope independently from the estimate. Check the drawing index, specifications, schedules, alternates, allowances, owner-supplied items, temporary work, access, phasing, and responsibilities shared with other trades.
Use a coverage list to show which documents and scope areas were reviewed. A polished total cannot compensate for an omitted sheet, specification section, or boundary between trades.
- Every relevant sheet reviewed
- Specifications and schedules covered
- Alternates separated
- Trade interfaces assigned
- Unclear scope logged
Related: Connected estimating workflow — Keep measurements, costing, review, and proposals together.
Test takeoff quantities and units
Spot-check plan scale and representative length, area, and count items. Look for unit conversions, duplicated areas, missing openings, mixed assemblies, unexplained round numbers, negative quantities, and large changes from the prior baseline.
Review high-value, high-variance, and hard-to-reverse work in greater depth. A second independent measurement may be appropriate where company procedure or project risk requires it.
- Scale spot-check complete
- Units and conversions consistent
- Waste applied once
- Outliers explained
- Quantity source traceable
Related: Drawing addenda checklist — Confirm issued changes before the final review.
Review labour, material, equipment, and quotes
Check that cost dates, currencies, units, delivery, taxes, minimum charges, escalation treatment, and quote scope match the estimate. Confirm labour productivity reflects the project method, crew, access, sequencing, and working conditions rather than an unsupported default.
Level subcontractor and supplier quotes against the requested scope. Record qualifications and gaps instead of assuming the lowest total includes everything.
- Rate source and date visible
- Productivity basis reviewed
- Quote scope levelled
- Freight and equipment addressed
- Currency and tax treatment checked
Related: Revision-control workflow — Preserve the evidence behind every estimate change.
Expose risk and commercial assumptions
Review allowances, contingencies, bonds, permits, insurance, warranty, schedule constraints, escalation, site logistics, overtime, and unresolved RFIs according to project and company requirements. Keep risk treatment distinct from known measured cost.
Confirm assumptions and exclusions are specific, consistent with the estimate, and suitable for the intended customer document. Do not use broad exclusions to disguise a missed scope item.
- Allowances identified
- Open RFIs have pricing treatment
- Schedule and access risks addressed
- Assumptions match the estimate
- Exclusions reviewed for clarity
Reconcile totals and approve the release
Compare the final estimate with the preserved baseline, relevant historical results, and simple project ratios where those comparisons are meaningful. Investigate large changes and apparent savings rather than forcing the total toward a target.
Verify markups and arithmetic, then compare the customer-facing scope and price with the approved estimate. Record the reviewer's comments, how they were resolved, who approved the estimate, the issue time, and the exact version released.
- Variance explained
- Arithmetic and markups checked
- Customer document reconciled
- Review comments resolved
- Approved version archived
Frequently asked questions
What should be checked first in a construction estimate?
Start with the source package and scope coverage. Quantity and rate review cannot reveal work that never entered the estimate.
Does every estimate need a second estimator review?
Review depth depends on company procedure, project value, complexity, and risk. High-risk items benefit from an independent qualified check.
How should estimate uncertainty be shown?
Record the unresolved issue and its approved treatment, such as an assumption, allowance, contingency, exclusion, or RFI. Do not hide uncertainty inside an unexplained total.