What's in it
- 1. The documents: drawing register, addenda, specification, geotech, contamination, services, returnable schedules.
- 2. Site, access and staging: compound, haul routes, working hours, traffic staging, neighbours, trees.
- 3. Earthworks: bank, loose and compacted volumes, staged balance, spoil classification, rock definitions, dewatering.
- 4. Stormwater and drainage: long sections, trench support, bedding, existing pits, live connections, detention tanks.
- 5. Roads and pavements: tonnes not square metres, subgrade, tie-ins, small asphalt areas, kerb details, line marking.
- 6. Services and utilities: authority vs contractor scope, relocations, potholing, conduits and crossings.
- 7. Commercial check: preliminaries vs programme, testing, wet weather, escalation, defects, provisional sums.
Three items from the list
Bank, loose and compacted volumes kept separate. Cut is measured in the bank, trucks carry it loose, and fill is placed compacted. They are three different numbers, and mixing them up is one of the most common ways an earthworks price goes wrong.
Pipe lengths measured off the long sections. By diameter and by depth band, and checked against the chainages. Scaling the plan misses the depth, and depth is where the cost is.
Preliminaries match the programme. If the programme says 16 weeks, the site costs are priced for 16 weeks. Assessors notice when they don't.
Common questions
What should you check before submitting a civil tender?
That every drawing and addendum is priced, the geotechnical report is read, traffic staging and spoil disposal are priced properly, drainage is measured off the long sections, preliminaries match the programme, and the pricing schedule reconciles to your tender price. The checklist covers all 49 items.
What are the most common mistakes in civil estimates?
Mixing up bank, loose and compacted volumes; scaling pipe lengths off the plan instead of the long sections; pricing traffic control as a lump sum; missing spoil classification and tip fees; existing pits priced as new; and preliminaries that don't match the programme.
What is the difference between a quantity takeoff and a priced estimate?
A takeoff tells you how much. A priced estimate also prices the labour, plant, materials and subcontract for every item, plus the staging, access and risks. The takeoff is where an estimate starts, not where it ends.
Is the checklist free?
Yes. Enter your email and it downloads straight away. You're welcome to use it on your own tenders and share it with your team.
For the reasoning behind each item, read our guide on how to check a civil tender before you submit.
Rather hand the whole tender over?
We price civil tenders from first principles, with every item measured and every assumption written down. Send us the RFQ and we'll reply the same business day, or see how outsourced estimating works.