Two contractors can read the same set of drawings and end up tens of thousands apart on volumes, haul and disposal. Most of that gap comes from a handful of things, and they're the ones we spend the time on.
What's included
Site set-up and clearing
- Clearing and grubbing, tree removal
- Topsoil stripping, stockpiling and respreading
- Erosion and sediment control
- Site access and shakedown
Bulk earthworks
- Cut to fill and cut to spoil
- Imported fill, with the source and the haul
- Compaction, moisture conditioning and testing
- Trimming to level and batters
Ground conditions
- Rock, rippable or hammered
- Unsuitable material out, replacement in
- Dewatering
- Lime or cement stabilisation, working platforms
Disposal
- Waste classification
- Tip fees and the waste levy
- Contaminated material where testing isn't finished
- Double handling
What we look at hardest
Bank, loose and compacted volumes. They're three different numbers. If the trucks are priced off the bank volume, you're short on loads before you start.
Rock. If the boreholes show rock and the schedule doesn't, someone is carrying that risk. We price it as its own line so you can see it and decide how much of it you want to carry.
Where the spoil goes. The classification sets the tip cost, and the levy can cost more than the cartage. A cheap dig rate doesn't help if the material has nowhere cheap to go.
Staging. Anything stockpiled now to be placed later gets paid for twice.
Detailed excavation. Footings, pits, pads and service trenches are small quantities dug slowly, often by a smaller machine working around what is already built. Priced at the bulk rate they come out far too cheap, so we price them as their own items.
Common questions
Do you use the designer's cut and fill volumes?
We check them. Where the design surfaces or sections are there, we build the quantities up ourselves and compare them with any volumes on the drawings. If they don't agree, we tell you.
How do you price rock?
From the geotechnical report and the borehole logs, usually as its own item with its own rate, so the risk is visible. If you have priced it yourself, a price check will show where you sit.
Can you split the earthworks by stage?
Yes, by stage, and by lot where the design allows it. See subdivision estimating.
What do you need to price bulk earthworks?
The civil drawings with the design levels, the existing surface survey, the geotechnical report and any staging plan. Design surfaces make the volumes quicker to check, but PDF drawings are enough to start.