Prepare a BOQ, quote it and control changes
To prepare a BOQ, break the approved design into rooms and items, measure each item in its unit (sq ft, running ft, number), and price it from a fixed rate card. Turn the BOQ into a quotation with scope, exclusions, timeline and payment milestones. Number every revision, and record each change order in writing with its cost and time impact before work starts.
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Prepare a BOQ from the approved design
A bill of quantities is the line-by-line list of what will be built. Prepare it only from an approved layout and site measurements, never from a phone call.
- Start from the site measurement sheet and the approved 2D layout.
- List items room by room: false ceiling, wardrobes, modular kitchen, TV unit, painting, electrical points.
- Give every item a unit: sq ft for ceilings and painting, running ft for lofts, number for points and fittings.
- Write the material and finish against each line, such as BWP plywood with laminate, so the rate means something.
- Price each line from your current rate card, not from the last project's quote.
- Have a second person check quantities against the drawing before it leaves the office.
In the D&B Operating System, quotes are built from your own rate cards and BOQ, with GST-ready totals.
Make a quotation the client can say yes to
The BOQ is for your team. The quotation is for the client. It should read clearly on a phone.
- Open with the project name, site address, quote number and validity date.
- Summarise the cost room by room, with the full BOQ attached.
- List inclusions and exclusions clearly: civil work, appliances, loose furniture, electrical fixtures.
- State the timeline from design sign-off to handover.
- Set payment milestones linked to stages, such as booking, design sign-off, material delivery and handover.
- Show GST as a separate line and confirm the treatment with your CA.
In the D&B Operating System, the accepted quote moves into the agreement, where scope, milestones and payment terms are locked in before work starts.
Revise a quotation without losing track
Clients usually ask for two or three rounds. Confusion over which version was agreed is the real cost.
- Never overwrite a quote. Save each revision as R1, R2, R3 with the date.
- Add a short change summary at the top: what was removed, added or re-specified.
- Keep rates fixed across revisions unless the material changes, and say so.
- Mark old versions Superseded in the file name.
- Get the final version accepted in writing before taking the booking amount.
The D&B Operating System keeps quote versions the client can approve, so everyone works from the accepted one.
Record change orders before the work changes
A change order is any change to scope after the agreement: an extra loft, a different shutter finish, a moved electrical point.
- Write the change, the reason and who asked for it.
- Price it from the same rate card and add any time impact in days.
- Send it to the client for written approval.
- Raise the change order amount on the next milestone invoice.
- Keep a running log per project so the final bill reconciles with the original quote.
In the D&B Operating System, change requests sit inside the agreement alongside scope and milestones.
Questions people ask
How do I prepare a BOQ in an interior design firm?
List every item room by room from the approved layout and site measurements, give each a unit and a material specification, and price it from your current rate card. Have a second person check quantities before sending.
What is the easiest way to prepare a BOQ?
Use a fixed BOQ template with room, item, unit, quantity, specification, rate and amount columns, plus a rate card sheet that the rates pull from. Software that builds BOQs from rate cards saves the copy-paste.
How do I make a quotation in an interior design firm?
Turn the checked BOQ into a client-facing document with a room-wise summary, inclusions and exclusions, timeline, payment milestones, GST shown separately and a validity date. Attach the full BOQ for detail.
What is the easiest way to make a quotation?
Start from a standard quotation format with your terms already written, and fill it from the BOQ. Only the room summary, timeline and milestones should change per project.
How do I revise a quotation in an interior design firm?
Save each revision as a new numbered version with the date and a change summary at the top. Keep rates the same unless the specification changes, and get the final version accepted in writing.
What is the easiest way to revise a quotation?
Duplicate the last version, rename it R2 or R3, edit only the changed lines and list those changes at the top. Never overwrite the earlier file.
How do I record change orders in an interior design firm?
Write each change with its reason, cost from the same rate card and any time impact, then get written client approval before the work starts. Add approved amounts to the next milestone invoice.
What is the easiest way to record change orders?
Use a one-page change order form per change and keep a running log sheet per project. The log makes the final invoice easy to reconcile.