Read before you sign
Contractor Quote Review
A contractor quote review is the cheapest hour you will spend on your renovation. We read the quotation the way an engineer reads it — looking for what is missing rather than what is promised.
- Scope gaps and unstated exclusions identified
- Payment terms assessed for your exposure
- Comparison across multiple quotes on a like-for-like basis
- Plain-English summary plus the questions to ask
Why quotes are hard to compare
Three Quotes, Three Different Jobs
Owners collect three quotations and compare the totals. But the totals describe different scopes, so the comparison is meaningless — and the cheapest number usually describes the smallest job.
One quote includes waterproofing. Another mentions it nowhere. A third lists it but does not say how many square metres or what system. On paper the second is cheapest. In practice it is the one that generates a variation in month two.
This is not usually dishonesty. Contractors quote against their own reading of your brief, and a vague brief produces vague quotes. But the cost of that vagueness lands on you.
The lowest quote is almost never the cheapest project. It is usually the one with the most missing from it.
What we check
What the Review Covers
We read the quotation against the drawings, the property and current market practice.
Scope Completeness
What has been left out entirely. Waterproofing, protection works, MEP upgrades, approvals, snagging support and making good are the usual absentees.
Exclusions and Assumptions
What the contractor has assumed you will handle. Unstated assumptions become variations, and variations are priced after you have already committed.
Level of Detail
Whether the quote is itemised enough to hold anyone to. Lump sums are not a pricing method, they are a negotiating position.
Payment Structure
How much you are being asked to pay before work is verified, and whether the milestones are defined tightly enough to argue about.
Timeline Realism
Whether the programme is achievable for the scope, and what the quote says about delays. A programme nobody believes is a programme nobody keeps.
Like-for-Like Comparison
If you send multiple quotes, we normalise them to the same scope so you can see what each one actually costs for the same job.
How it works
Three Steps, Two Days
- 01
Send Us What You Have
The quotation or quotations, any drawings, and a short note on what you actually want done. Photographs of the property help.
- 02
We Review
An engineer reads the documents against the property and current market practice. If quantities need measuring, we arrange a site visit.
- 03
You Get a Written Summary
Plain English, no jargon. What is missing, what is unclear, what looks fine, and a prioritised list of questions to put to each contractor before you sign.
What we will not do. We will not tell you which contractor to hire. We do not take referral fees from contractors, we do not maintain a preferred list, and we have no financial relationship with anyone who might quote you. Our review tells you what the documents say and what they leave out. The choice stays yours.
Common questions
Contractor Quote Review — Your Questions
How many quotes should I get?
Three is the usual advice and it holds, provided all three are quoting against the same written scope. Three quotes against three different assumptions tells you nothing useful.
How quickly can you turn this around?
48 hours for a standard residential quotation. Faster if you are under pressure to sign — call and tell us the deadline.
Can you review after I have already signed?
Yes, and it is still worth doing. You cannot renegotiate the contract, but you will know where the variations are likely to come from and can plan for them.
Do you look at the contract as well as the quote?
We review the commercial and technical content — scope, quantities, payment terms, programme. We are engineers, not lawyers, so anything that turns on contract law should go to a UAE-qualified legal advisor.
What if all three quotes are bad?
Then that is what the review will say, and it is useful to know before you commit. We will tell you what a properly scoped quotation should contain so you can go back out to the market with a better brief.
Are renovation contracts regulated in Dubai?
Contractor licensing and property-related contract requirements sit within the framework administered by the Dubai Land Department and Dubai Municipality. Always confirm your contractor holds a valid trade licence for the work being quoted.
Is this included in your other packages?
Quote review is included in the owner’s representative package and can be added to stage inspection packages. See pricing or our renovation inspection overview.
Send Us the Quote Before You Sign
Email the quotation and any drawings. You will have a written review within 48 hours.
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