Sample bill of quantities: see what a professional BOQ looks like before you order
If you are looking for a sample bill of quantities to download, the way to understand what you will get from a quantity surveyor is to see a deliverable with a real structure: how the chapters are divided, how detailed the descriptions are and how the quantities are presented. This page explains what you see in the sample, how to use it to choose a quantity surveyor, and how to download a generic BOQ to fill in.
What a sample bill of quantities shows
- The structure of chapters and stages: structural frame, masonry and envelope, and finishes, with the consultants' chapters kept separate.
- The level of detail in the description: what the unit price of each item includes, and what it does not.
- Units of measurement: written explicitly for each item, with no mixing of units.
- Assumptions and gaps: an assumption is marked as an assumption, and missing data is marked as missing, not as zero.
- An order you can distribute: a BOQ that you can send as it is to several contractors and receive quotes on the same basis.
The sample is not meant to teach you how to write a BOQ yourself, but to show what an orderly deliverable looks like. A full explanation of the document itself is on the page bill of quantities: what it is and what it is made of.
A short excerpt for illustration
This is what a few lines look like in an orderly BOQ. The lines were written for illustration and are not from a real project.
| Item | Description | Unit | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.010 | General excavation over the plot area, including removal of surplus soil to an authorised site | m³ | 420.00 |
| 02.020 | Concrete floor slab, 20 cm thick, cast on a compacted sub-base | m² | 185.40 |
| 04.010 | Concrete blockwork walls, 20 cm thick | m² | 312.60 |
| 05.030 | Waterproofing of bathroom floors with a membrane, including the corner fillet at the walls | m² | 46.80 |
| 10.040 | Porcelain tile flooring, 60/60 cm tiles. Tile model to the client's choice | m² | 210.00 |
| 10.050 | Wall tiling in bathrooms. Missing: the tiling specification has not been received yet | m² | Missing |
The numbers and descriptions are for illustration only. In a real BOQ every quantity has a source: a calculation sheet or a model, a version and a date.
A generic BOQ to download
In the box at the end of this page you can download an Excel file called "Generic bill of quantities to fill in, per each project's own specification". It is a structure of chapters and items for a residential building, as in the public demo of the AiN software: concrete, waterproofing and insulation, joinery and steelwork, sanitary fittings, plastering, tiling, painting, aluminium, gypsum, external works and landscaping.
You fill in the quantity, the unit rate and the source of each quantity, and the totals of each chapter and of the whole BOQ are calculated for you. The item description, the unit and the method of measurement come from each project's own specification, so the file is a starting point, not a finished BOQ. An item that has not been measured yet stays empty: missing is not zero.
Quantities, prices, client names, project addresses or any other identifying detail. The consultants' BOQs, earthworks and shoring and the overheads are not in it either, and are added per project.
How to judge a quantity surveyor with the sample
A good sample tells you as much about the quantity surveyor as it does about the BOQ. When you go through it, ask:
- Is it clear what each item includes, or are the descriptions too short?
- Are the units of measurement consistent throughout the BOQ?
- Are assumptions and gaps marked, or does everything look too perfect?
- Can the BOQ be sent to contractors as it is?
- Can you tell where each quantity came from?
A BOQ that answers yes to most of these questions will also hold up in front of contractors. More questions worth asking before you order are on the page about choosing a recommended quantity surveyor.
A professional sample or an internet template
Online you can find BOQ templates, and some of them are even neatly organised, like the generic file on this page. A template shows a list of possible items, but it knows nothing about your project: it has no quantities measured from the drawings, no recorded assumptions and no marking of what is missing in the design.
A sample bill of quantities from a quantity surveyor shows something else: the way real work is measured, described and presented. When you fill in a template yourself, the risk lies in the items that were left out. Work that is not written in the BOQ may not be priced, and depending on the contract it can come back later as a claim for extra payment.
From the sample to the BOQ for your project
If the structure suits you, the next step is to send the project material. I go through it, send the first questions, usually in one combined e-mail, and submit a written quote with the scope, the deliverables and the payment terms. In a residential building the BOQ will include all the stages, as described on the page about the construction BOQ. In a private house it is shorter, and sometimes includes only the finishes chapters.
What a professional quantity surveyor adds here. In the sample you see the items, but an important part of the work sits next to them, in the sheet of notes and questions. For example, the concrete grade does not appear in the structural drawings, or the same line of the specification shows two different prime cost (PC) rates. A quantity surveyor who comes from the field, an engineer or a registered building technician who worked on site, like Yaakov Avital, records questions like these and passes them to the designer, so that the contractors price on the same basis. Illustrative sheets with live formulas can be downloaded from the guides to excavation and shoring and finishes quantity takeoff.
The sample shows the structure, but in every real project the quantity takeoff is done again from the project's own drawings and specification.
Frequently asked questions
Does the file cost anything?
No. The generic bill of quantities is a free download, with no sign-up and no obligation to order any work. It is meant to help you understand the structure and decide.
Can I get a sample bill of quantities with prices?
The generic file has no prices, because the price changes from project to project: with the location, the contractor's procurement and size, and the contractors' quotes. Illustrative prices for the quantity surveying services themselves, by type and size of project, are in the illustrative fee calculator.
Why does the sample include items marked as missing?
Because that is what real work looks like. When a specification or a drawing is missing, the item is recorded with a clear mark instead of an invented quantity or a zero. That way everyone knows what still needs to be completed before pricing.
Is the sample relevant to a private house too?
The principles are the same: chapters, descriptions, units and quantities. For a private house the BOQ is shorter, and you can read about it on the page about the BOQ for a private house.
Generic bill of quantities to fill in, per each project's own specification. An Excel file with no quantities, prices or identifying details. For your own project's BOQ: tell me briefly about the project.
Download the file (Excel)* Created with AI for marketing, for illustration only. Not reviewed by Yaakov Avital and not professional advice. Every project must be checked on its own by a professional quantity surveyor and an engineer.