For UK groundworks contractors
Groundworks quote template (UK)
A clear layout for a groundworks quote that sets out scope, muck away, foundations, drainage and VAT properly, so the customer knows what is priced before the first bucket comes out of the ground.
What a groundworks quote should include
Groundworks quotes turn on one thing above all others: what you find below ground. The dig can look simple on the drawing and then hit clay, rock, made ground, a high water table or a service nobody marked. A good groundworks quote prices the visible, measured work firmly and handles the unknown ground honestly, so the customer is not shocked and you are not carrying the risk of the whole site for nothing.
- Your business and registration. Trading name, address, contact, and your VAT number if you are registered.
- The customer and the site. Their name, the property or site address, and access details for machinery and lorries.
- A specific scope. Set out, excavation and dig depth, muck away and disposal, foundations, drainage and connections, sub-base and hardcore, and concrete pours.
- Labour, plant and materials. Days by your rate, machine and driver hire, concrete, rebar, hardcore, pipe and fittings, and the loads to a tip.
- VAT. If registered, subtotal, 20% VAT and total. If not, say so.
- Timeline. Days on site and whether the programme depends on a concrete cure or a drainage inspection.
- Payment terms. When you expect payment, any deposit against ordered materials, and stage payments on a longer dig.
- Exclusions. Muck away above an assumed volume, rock breaking, dewatering, diverting live services and importing extra fill are often excluded. Say so clearly.
- Validity period. "Valid for 30 days" so a concrete or tip price does not follow you around after supplier costs move.
A groundworks quote example
The figures below are illustrative and shown only to demonstrate the layout. They are not market rates. Price every job from your own supplier prices, plant costs and day rate.
| Section | Detail | Amount (example only) |
|---|---|---|
| Set out and excavation | Site set out, strip topsoil, excavate to formation and foundation depth | £X |
| Muck away and disposal | Cart away and tip surplus spoil, based on assumed volume and soil grade | £X |
| Foundations and concrete | Trench fill or strip footings, oversite, reinforcement and slab pours | £X |
| Drainage and services | Lay foul and surface water runs, manholes and connections | £X |
| Sub-base | Import, lay and compact hardcore to formation levels | £X |
| Subtotal | £X | |
| VAT (20%, if registered) | £X | |
| Total | £X |
Scope note: "Set out, strip and excavate to formation, cart away assumed spoil volume, lay and compact sub-base, pour foundations and oversite with reinforcement, install foul and surface water drainage to connection. Excludes rock breaking, dewatering, contaminated ground disposal and diverting live services." Terms note: "Price assumes normal ground conditions, no unmarked services and no high water table. Rock, made ground, contamination, extra spoil or dewatering found on breaking out will be quoted and agreed in writing before proceeding. Valid for 30 days."
The mistakes that cost groundworkers money on a quote
- Pricing unknown ground with no variations line. Committing a firm price to a dig you have not broken out is how a job turns into a loss the moment you hit rock or made ground. Add a clear variations line for what is found below ground.
- Underestimating muck away volumes and tip costs. Spoil bulks up when dug, and tip charges vary by soil grade and contamination. Price the loads and state the assumed volume, so extra spoil is a variation, not your problem.
- Ignoring services strikes. An unmarked water, gas, electricity or drainage run can stop a dig and cost dearly. Exclude diverting or repairing live services and note that strikes are quoted as extras.
- Forgetting access. If a lorry or excavator cannot reach the dig, the whole programme changes. Price the access you have seen and flag anything that limits plant.
- Leaving out dewatering. A high water table can flood a trench and needs pumping. If it is not in the price, exclude it plainly.
- Confusing a quote with an estimate. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate can move. Label the document as one, never both. See quote vs estimate.
Should a groundworker send a quote or an estimate?
For a defined dig to a drawing, with known ground and a set foundation and drainage layout, quote it firmly. Where the ground is unknown until you break out, suspected rock, made ground, contamination or a high water table, an estimate with a firm quote to follow once you have opened up is the honest approach. Put the scope, the assumed spoil volume and the variations in writing either way. Our guide to quote vs estimate for UK trades explains when each is fairer.
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This page is practical quoting guidance, not legal advice, and it does not cover building control, drainage adoption or other statutory obligations, which are set by the applicable rules. For a serious dispute or a large sum, take proper advice.
Groundworks quote FAQ
What should a groundworks quote include?
Your business and VAT details, the customer and site, a specific scope, a breakdown of excavation, muck away, foundations, drainage and sub-base, materials, VAT, a timeline, payment terms, exclusions and a validity period. Above all, a clear line on unknown ground conditions.
How do I quote for muck away and disposal?
Estimate the volume you expect to dig out, price the loads to a tip and the tip charges by soil grade, and state clearly that extra spoil, contamination or a change in dig depth is charged as a variation. Muck away is one of the biggest cost swings on a groundworks job.
Should a groundworker quote or estimate a job?
Where the dig is defined to a drawing and the ground is known, quote it firmly. Where ground conditions are unknown until you break out, an estimate with a firm quote to follow once you have opened up is often fairer to both sides.
Do groundworkers charge VAT on a quote?
If you are VAT registered, show subtotal, 20% VAT and the total. If you are not registered, say so clearly on the quote.
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