BOQ (bill of quantities): definition and example
A document that lists the work item by item, with quantities, for pricing.
By Jack Butler-Kettle · Updated
Guidance for England and Wales. Check the contract, amendments and facts that apply to your job.
What it means in practice
Read this alongside NRM 2: Detailed measurement for building works.
A bill of quantities separates work into descriptions, units and quantities for pricing. Whether those quantities are fixed or remeasured depends on the contract. A rate may help value a change, but only if the valuation rules and the character of the changed work make it applicable.
Keep the original bill, revisions and measurement records together. Variation recovery involves connecting changed work to its contractual valuation basis.
Worked example
The facts
A bill lists 100 metres of ductwork at £40 per metre, giving £4,000 for that item.
What happens
A later instruction adds 20 metres of comparable work.
The subcontractor checks whether the same rate is applicable before calculating a proposed £800 addition.
What this shows
The arithmetic is straightforward, but the right to use that rate still comes from the subcontract.