General Specification vs commercial price list: where they conflict, and what to write in the BOQ
The General Specification for building works and a well-known commercial price list are the two documents most bills of quantities (BOQs) in Israel rest on, and they do not always say the same thing. In a lecture I once gave on quantity takeoff I showed some of these gaps with examples. This page sums up the main points without commercial names, and with a simple proposal: state in the BOQ which document prevails.
What the General Specification for building works sets, and what a price list sets
The General Specification for building works is a series of numbered chapters, published by Israel's inter-ministerial committee for the standardisation of construction contract documents. Each chapter ends with a section on methods of measurement and price content: how each item is measured, in what unit, what is deducted and what is included in the price. It is a public document of workmanship and measurement requirements, not of prices.
A commercial price list is a database of items with prices, updated several times a year. At the start of every chapter of a well-known price list it says that the works are subject to the General Specification, including its methods of measurement, unless the item states otherwise, and that items not included in the General Specification, or contrary to it, should be used only where there is a special requirement. In other words, the price list itself admits that some of its items contradict the specification, and leaves the decision to the user.
Where the General Specification and a commercial price list part ways
- What the price includes. In the General Specification, the earthworks chapter says that nothing is paid separately for haulage within the work area and that site set-up is included. In the price list, an excavation item includes compacting the bottom of the excavation, moving suitable material for fill up to a certain distance within the site, and removing surplus to a disposal site up to a certain distance, without fees. The wording is similar, the limits are different, and anyone who copies an item from the price list into the bill without reading both may pay twice for the same haulage, or not pay for it at all.
- Quantity and regional brackets. In the price list the same excavation item has different prices by quantity, and the top of each chapter refers to additions and deductions by region and by the scale of the work. The General Specification has no such brackets: the quantity is the quantity, and the price is set in the tender.
- Who the contractor is. Price-list prices are trade contractor prices, and the main contractor's percentage is added separately. In a BOQ for a main contractor tender, the price covers the whole chain. Comparing a main contractor's quote with the price list without that addition is comparing apples with oranges.
- What is not included. In the price list, the concrete chapter states that the prices do not include rebar, which is measured separately, and do not include casting in groundwater. The specification also measures rebar separately, but it deals with groundwater elsewhere. A "concrete in groundwater" item is a classic example of a line that drops out when two documents are joined.
- Uncoordinated updates. The chapters of the General Specification are updated at different times: one chapter from an edition of a decade ago, another from the past year. A price list sometimes notes explicitly that the method of measurement in a certain chapter changed after the specification was updated, for example in measuring pipe fittings and connectors. A BOQ written to the old edition and priced to the new one carries a built-in contradiction.
The rule that spares you arguments. State explicitly in the BOQ which document the measurement follows and which edition, and add particular methods of measurement for every item that departs from it. "As per price list" as a binding basis, without saying which item and which edition, leaves room for interpretation. More on the structure of the bill on the bill of quantities page.
An example from the lecture: the same wall, two answers
For illustration, take a concrete wall of unusual height. Under the General Specification, concrete walls are measured by volume in m³ with the thickness stated, and walls more than six metres high are measured separately. The price list has an item for a wall of a given thickness, with one price. If the bill is written to the specification it will have two items; if it is written to the price list, one item. The contractor who prices the single item also prices the tall formwork and the scaffolding without anyone telling them, and the final account is where this comes to light. The difference between measurement and pricing on site is explained on the structural frame price per m² page.
When each document fits
In public projects, and in framework contracts where a price list is set in advance, the price list is part of the contract and you work to it, with its methods of measurement. In most private projects the General Specification serves as the framework for description and measurement, and the price comes from contractors' quotes. A price list is then used for the estimate and for a reasonableness check, as described on the construction price list vs market price page. In both cases the answer depends on the contract, so check the order of precedence between the documents before pricing.
What a professional quantity surveyor adds here
Measuring only what is marked on the drawings gives you a quantity; knowing which document you are measuring to gives you a quantity you can price. A quantity surveyor who comes from the field, an engineer or a registered building technician who priced tenders for a main contractor, like Yaakov Avital, checks for every item whether its description, unit and price content match the document the bill declares. For example: a plaster item in the bill is worded in m² as "all-inclusive", while under the specification plaster on narrow reveals is measured in linear metres and large unplastered areas are deducted. Measuring by what is marked puts one number in the bill. A professional check flags a question to the designer: which method of measurement, and what about the reveals. The designer decides, and the bill says so in writing. On soil, excavation, foundations and shoring, check against the project's soil report and with the geotechnical consultant and the structural engineer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the General Specification for building works binding on every project?
Only if the contract says so. In most government contracts it is a binding document; in a private project it binds only if it was attached to the contract or the contract refers to it. Even then, the project's particular specification usually prevails over it, according to the order of precedence that was set.
Can a BOQ be written "as per price list"?
Yes, where that was agreed, provided you state the edition and the items. As the basis for a private tender it is less advisable, because contractors price the work and not the price list, and the conflicting items stay open.
What do you do when a price-list item contradicts the specification?
Write a particular method of measurement for the item in the bill, or state that the price list prevails for that item. What matters is that the decision is written down and not left for an argument over the account.
How does this relate to a quantity surveyor's work?
This is the work. A quantity surveyor for construction projects matches the description, unit and method of measurement of each item to the document that prevails, and flags every contradiction as a question before the tender. More on the stages on the quantity takeoff page.
Have a project? Tell me briefly what the project is and what already exists. When the project is a good fit, I usually reply with focused questions and a written quote.
Contact me for a quote* 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.