Two contractors can price the same drawings yet return incomparable offers. Temporary works, testing, and site logistics may be included, excluded, or buried in qualifications. A well-prepared bill of quantities exposes those differences before award.
A bill of quantities, or BOQ, is a structured list of construction work with descriptions, units, and measured quantities. Tenderers enter rates and prices against it. Depending on the contract, it can support tender analysis, price breakdowns, progress valuation, and change valuation.
The test is whether the BOQ reflects the issued design, explains its measurement basis, covers interfaces, and aligns with the other tender documents.
What a bill of quantities is for
RICS New Rules of Measurement 2 defines a BQ as a list of the component items of a building, with identifying descriptions and quantities. It describes two central purposes: enabling contractors to prepare tenders efficiently and providing a basis for valuing executed and varied work after contract award.
For an owner, a construction BOQ can:
- give bidders a consistent place to price the same work
- make scope gaps and qualifications more visible
- support rate and quantity comparisons between bids
- create a structured basis for payment and change valuation
- connect tender prices with later cost reporting
These benefits depend on the contract and document quality. A BOQ does not replace drawings, specifications, contract conditions, site information, or tender instructions. It does not guarantee the final cost or override the contract’s document precedence.
The tender package should state whether the BOQ is contractual, informational, firm, approximate, or subject to remeasurement. The contract should state how discrepancies, quantity errors, omissions, and changes are treated.
A BOQ is not universally mandatory. Applicable procurement, contract, funding, and agency rules must be checked for the specific tender.
BOQ vs RAB vs quantity take-off
These terms are related, but they describe different outputs or activities.
| Term | Practical meaning | Typical content | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantity take-off | The measurement process and its resulting quantity record | Dimensions, calculation sheets, model quantities, drawing references, waste assumptions where applicable | Establish and verify quantities |
| Bill of quantities | An organised pricing document built from measured work | Item codes, descriptions, units, quantities, rate columns, amount columns, summaries, and pricing rules | Tender pricing, bid comparison, and contract valuation where adopted |
| RAB | Rencana Anggaran Biaya, commonly used in Indonesia for a project cost estimate or budget plan | Quantities, unit-rate build-ups or adopted rates, totals, assumptions, overheads, taxes, and allowances as defined for the project | Budgeting, estimating, approval, or owner cost planning |
A quantity take-off may feed both a BOQ and an RAB. The BOQ normally presents quantities to bidders in a controlled structure. The RAB usually expresses expected cost using selected rates and assumptions. Indonesian organisations may use the labels differently, so check each document’s purpose, basis, and contractual status.
The quantity surveyor’s role includes establishing that chain from source measurement to pricing document and cost report.
Inputs required before BOQ review
A reviewer cannot prove completeness by reading the BOQ alone. Assemble a controlled tender set first:
- drawing and specification registers with revision and issue dates
- scope of work and package boundaries
- design reports, schedules, and model information
- site data, access restrictions, existing-condition information, and surveys
- procurement strategy and proposed contract form
- construction programme, phasing, and key milestones
- employer-supplied materials or equipment lists
- interface matrix for contractors, vendors, utilities, and owner teams
- testing, commissioning, training, handover, and document requirements
- tender instructions, pricing rules, currency, and tax basis
- risk register and the intended treatment of allowances or provisional sums
If design is not developed for firm measurement, say so. An approximate BOQ or another pricing structure is more honest than firm quantities built on broad assumptions.
Owner-side pre-tender BOQ review checklist
Assign each checklist item an owner, status, evidence reference, and close-out date.
| Review area | What to verify before tender | Evidence to retain | Exposure if unresolved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Document control | Every measured item is based on an identified drawing, specification, schedule, or model revision | Measurement source register and tender document index | Bidders price different design information |
| 2. Scope boundaries | The BOQ states what is included, excluded, supplied by the owner, or delivered by another package | Scope matrix and package interface register | Duplicate pricing or unpriced gaps |
| 3. Measurement rules | The selected method of measurement, units, rounding, deductions, and item coding are declared | Project measurement rules and worked examples | Inconsistent quantities and valuation disputes |
| 4. Description quality | Item descriptions identify the work, location, material or performance requirement, and relevant specification reference | Cross-check against drawings and specifications | Rates are based on different assumptions |
| 5. Quantity integrity | High-value and high-volume quantities reconcile to independent checks or model outputs | Quantity take-off sheets, model extracts, and check marks | Material tender distortion or later remeasurement |
| 6. Preliminaries | Time-related and fixed project requirements are clearly priced, including management, facilities, access, controls, reporting, and handover obligations | Preliminaries schedule linked to employer requirements | Important project-wide costs move into qualifications or claims |
| 7. Temporary and enabling works | The pricing treatment for temporary works, mobilisation, protection, access, dewatering, lifting, and similar needs is clear where relevant | Constructability review and responsibility matrix | Necessary work is assumed by neither party |
| 8. Interfaces | Vendor attendance, builder’s work, tie-ins, utilities, commissioning support, and package handoffs have a defined owner | Interface workshop record and responsibility matrix | Gaps emerge between otherwise complete packages |
| 9. Allowances | Provisional sums, prime cost items, contingencies, and owner allowances are labelled with their scope and pricing treatment | Allowance schedule and approval basis | Bid totals look comparable while carrying different risk |
| 10. Pricing instructions | Tenderers receive rules for rates, blank items, zero pricing, discounts, taxes, currency, escalation, dayworks, and alternatives | Tender return schedule and completed example | Offers require extensive post-tender reconstruction |
| 11. Arithmetic and formulas | Quantities, rates, extensions, subtotals, summaries, and linked spreadsheet cells calculate correctly | Protected master file and independent arithmetic check | Evaluation begins from incorrect totals |
| 12. Tender consistency | BOQ terminology, work breakdown, milestones, and commercial schedules align with the contract and tender instructions | Final multidisciplinary tender review record | Documents allocate the same risk in conflicting ways |
Close items only with a recorded correction, revised document, or explicit tender qualification.
Common BOQ omissions on complex projects
The most visible equipment and permanent work are not always where the gaps occur. Owners should test the less visible obligations that allow work to proceed:
- mobilisation, demobilisation, and remote-site logistics
- temporary facilities, utilities, access, and protection
- unloading, storage, preservation, and vendor attendance
- testing, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and performance support
- tie-ins, shutdown work, permits to work, and operational interfaces
- spare parts, special tools, training, manuals, and handover records
- waste handling, reinstatement, and completion of disturbed areas
- builder’s work associated with mechanical and electrical installations
- design portions, calculations, shop drawings, and as-built information
- attendance on owner-appointed suppliers or separate contractors
Not every item needs a measured line. Some belong in preliminaries or another contract document. The tender set must assign each obligation once, where bidders can identify and price it.
How to use the BOQ during tender
Issue the BOQ in a controlled format and preserve an unedited master. Require the same item codes and structure in each return. Give permitted alternatives and qualifications dedicated schedules.
During evaluation:
- confirm arithmetic and tender completeness
- identify blank, zero-priced, or unusually priced items
- compare high-value rates and quantity-sensitive work
- map qualifications and exclusions to affected BOQ items
- separate compliant pricing from optional alternatives
- normalise bids only through a documented and consistently applied method
- close clarifications before recommendation and contract assembly
The lowest total is not comparable if one bidder excludes obligations that others priced. Show the submitted offers and any transparent evaluation adjustments.
GEMS’ quantity surveying services sit within a broader project view, allowing tender cost information to connect with contract, risk, and project control requirements.
How BOQ quality affects change exposure
An unclear BOQ does not automatically transfer unclear scope to the contractor. The result depends on the complete contract, document hierarchy, risk allocation, and change provisions.
Record known uncertainty instead of hiding it inside a precise-looking quantity. Use an allowance, provisional item, approximate quantity, or bidder instruction as allowed by the proposed contract. Keep the original measurement basis, clarifications, and accepted pricing schedules after award.
For continuing control, the contract BOQ codes should map to the cost report and change register. That connection supports a clearer forecast than maintaining unrelated tender and delivery spreadsheets.
BOQ Indonesia: general practice and public requirements
The checklist above describes general owner-side practice. It is not a substitute for Indonesian procurement, construction, tax, or contract advice.
For private projects in Indonesia, a BOQ is not universally mandatory. Applicable procurement, contract, funding, and agency rules must be checked. Where the project requirements allow the parties to select the approach, the tender documents and contract should define the BOQ’s role and the agreed measurement basis.
For cost estimates within the public works and housing field, PUPR publishes Ministerial Regulation No. 1 of 2022, titled the Guideline for Preparing Estimated Costs of Construction Work in the Public Works and Housing Sector. Government procurement has a separate framework. LKPP publishes a consolidated version of the presidential procurement regulation through the 2025 amendment, along with implementing rules and selection documents.
Public-project teams should confirm the latest applicable rules, funding conditions, procurement method, model document, contract type, and agency requirements at the time of tender. Do not assume that a private BOQ template satisfies them.
Frequently asked questions
Is a bill of quantities mandatory for every construction tender?
Not universally. Applicable procurement, contract, funding, and agency rules must be checked for the specific tender. Where those requirements allow a choice, the suitable pricing document depends on design maturity, procurement route, contract type, and owner requirements. Alternatives include activity schedules, lump-sum breakdowns, schedules of rates, target-cost structures, and approximate quantities.
Who should prepare and check the BOQ?
A competent quantity surveyor commonly prepares or coordinates it from the issued design information. A separate reviewer should check material quantities, coverage, descriptions, arithmetic, and document alignment. The project team must also review its own disciplines and interfaces.
What is the main difference between BOQ and RAB?
The BOQ is generally a structured list for tender pricing and later valuation where the contract adopts it. RAB generally refers to an Indonesian cost estimate or budget plan containing quantities, rates, and totals. Usage varies, so the governing document must define each term.
Is a quantity take-off the same as a BOQ?
No. Quantity take-off is the process and record of measuring work. The BOQ organises selected measured quantities into descriptions, units, and pricing fields for a stated commercial purpose.
Can a BOQ be used with a lump-sum contract?
Yes, subject to the contract. RICS NRM 2 recognises firm bills used to obtain a lump-sum price for sufficiently designed work. The contract must still state the status of quantities and the treatment of errors, omissions, and changes.
What happens if the design changes after tender?
Follow the contract’s instruction and change procedure. Record the revised design, affected BOQ items, quantity and rate basis, time effect where relevant, approval status, and forecast impact. Do not overwrite the tender baseline.
How often should a BOQ be reviewed before issue?
Review it at planned design freeze points and again against the final tender set. A focused final review should include design, commercial, procurement, schedule, construction, commissioning, and owner-interface representatives relevant to the package.
Make the tender baseline usable after award
A strong BOQ helps beyond bid day when its codes, assumptions, and pricing rules remain connected to payment, change, and forecasting. Review how GEMS supports integrated project delivery if your tender package needs a clearer commercial baseline before issue.
