The 12-point quote check.

Three painters once quoted the same house at $37k, $65k and $93k. Quotes that far apart are pricing different jobs. Check every quote against these 12 points before you sign, and spot the red flags.

1. Your details and the site addressIt names you, the site and the date, and says how long the price holds.
2. The exact scopeWhat is included, tied to the drawing numbers and revision it was priced from.
3. What's excludedExclusions written down, so nothing is "assumed" later.
4. Who supplies whatMaterials, fixings, bins, scaffold, access equipment and power: theirs or yours.
5. Preparation and making goodSite prep, protecting your work, cleaning up, and fixing what they disturb.
6. Quantities or ratesSquare metres, lineal metres or item counts, so you can check the maths.
7. Allowances, clearly markedProvisional sums and prime cost items are estimates, not fixed prices. Know which is which.
8. GSTWhether the price includes GST.
9. Payment stagesA small deposit, then payments tied to finished work you can check.
10. TimingThe start date, how long it takes, and what must be ready before they start.
11. VariationsHow changes are priced, and that they are agreed in writing before the work.
12. Licence, insurance and warrantyTheir licence or registration number, public liability insurance, and how defects get fixed.