Comparing contractor proposals
Sewer quotes routinely differ by a factor of three or more. That is usually not because one company is dishonest; it is because they are proposing to do different things, and the difference is written down in language that is easy to skim past.
These pages set out what a proposal can say, what an omission does and does not mean, and how to turn a pile of documents into a list of specific questions.
If you hold two or more proposals, the comparison tool checks them against a fixed list of scope criteria. It will not name a winner and it will not judge a price — it shows you where they differ so you can ask why.
What this page cannot establish
- SewerOwner does not rank contractors or select a winning proposal
- SewerOwner cannot tell you whether a price is reasonable
- an omission in a proposal does not establish that the item is excluded
- a longer warranty does not establish better work, and a lower price does not establish a worse one
Reading and comparing proposals
- Reading a proposalWork out what this document actually commits the contractor to.
- Exclusions and assumptionsFind out what could change the price after work starts.
- Comparing two proposalsWork out why one quote is three times the other.
- Change ordersFind out what happens to the price if something unexpected is found.
- Restoration scopeFind out what my property will look like afterwards and who is responsible for it.
- Warranty languageWork out what this guarantee actually covers.
- Second opinionHave the quote I was given read by someone who is not selling the job.
What proposal comparison covers
The registry behind the comparison tool holds 43 scope criteria, each with a defined set of project types it applies to. Criteria that do not apply to your project are reported as not applicable rather than as gaps.
- the work area, described by start and end point
- what evidence the proposal is priced against
- what is explicitly included and explicitly excluded
- what the price assumes about material, depth, length, and ground conditions
- permits, coordination, and utility locating
- restoration, surface by surface
- testing, documentation, and closeout after the work
- the change-order process, and warranty terms as written
What would change the answer
- the written proposals themselves, not verbal summaries
- what inspection evidence each proposal references
- what each states about the length of line it addresses
What to do next
Comparing two proposals only works once you can read one of them properly.
Start with how to read a single proposalIf your situation is different
- You are ready to compare side by side: Compare proposals by stated scope
- You want the quote checked by someone not bidding on it: Getting a second opinion on a sewer quote
- The proposals recommend different methods: Trenchless and excavation methods
If you want a second read
If you are holding quotes that differ and cannot tell what the difference buys, you can send what you were given and have a person read it. They will say which questions the documents leave open. SewerOwner helps you prepare questions for your contractor and does not perform sewer work.
Have someone read the quotes you were givenRelated, and why
- Cost
What the number in the document is made of, and why two quotes for the same pipe are usually two different jobs.
- Proposal comparison
The comparison tool applies these criteria to the proposals you hold.
- Repair or replace
Two proposals often differ because they are proposing different jobs.
- Preparing
A comparable set of proposals starts with describing the same situation to each contractor.