Proposal questions

The short answer

A proposal becomes comparable once four things are settled: from what point to what point the work extends, what it explicitly excludes, what happens when an assumption turns out to be wrong, and what you are left holding when the crew has gone.

Two quotes naming different scopes are not two answers to the same question. Reading each document line by line is what makes that visible, and it is the step the whole comparison depends on.

Restoration and warranty are the two answers most often left vague. Which surfaces are restored, to what standard, and what is excluded; and what the warranty actually covers, what would void it, and whether it survives a sale.

Scope

• From what point to what point does this work extend?
• What specific observation does each part of this scope address?
• What is explicitly excluded?
• What are you not addressing, and why?

Assumptions and change

• What does this price assume about material, depth, length, and ground conditions?
• What happens to the price if one of those is wrong?
• Would I be told before additional cost is incurred?
• Is there a cap or an approval threshold?

Permits and coordination

• Is a permit required, who applies, and is the fee included?
• What inspection happens, and at what stage?
• Have you contacted the sewer authority, and what did they say?

Restoration

• Which surfaces will be disturbed?
• What is restored, surface by surface, and to what standard?
• What is excluded from restoration?
• What is the position if the surface settles later?

What I am left with

• Will the line be inspected afterwards, and do I get the recording?
• Who closes out the permit, and do I get the document?
• What are the full written warranty terms, and does it transfer if I sell?