Blogs
Notes on estimating, tendering and keeping a bid profitable — written by the people who price the work.
Latest articles
13 August 2026
PlanSwift takeoff software: what assemblies do to your quantities
PlanSwift takeoff software turns one drawn line into a full material list. How assemblies work, where they quietly go wrong, and how to check a takeoff.
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13 August 2026
Cubit estimating software: what a .cbx estimate actually gives you
Cubit estimating software puts the takeoff and the price in one file. What a .cbx estimate gives you, how the live link works, and when to ask for Excel.
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9 August 2026
Is my builder's quote fair? How to check before you sign
Three quotes, three very different totals. How to compare them properly, what a fair quote shows you, and the checks to make before you sign anything.
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9 August 2026
Build cost per square metre: how to get to a real budget
Published rates cover building works only. What a cost per square metre leaves out, and how to get from floor area to a budget that holds up.
Read more9 August 2026
How to price construction variations without losing money
Your tender rates decide what your variations are worth. How variations are valued, why conditions matter, and where contractors lose the money.
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9 August 2026
What outsourced estimating costs, and when it pays for itself
What an outsourced estimator charges, how that compares with pricing jobs yourself, and the sum that tells you whether the fee pays for itself.
Read more9 August 2026
How to read a bill of quantities
A bill of quantities lists every item of work with a measured quantity so every contractor prices the same scope. What the columns mean and where costs hide.
Read more9 August 2026
Five costs contractors consistently underestimate
Preliminaries, programme overruns, waste, temporary works and non-productive labour. The five costs that turn a technically correct tender into a loss.
Read more9 August 2026
When to bring in an external estimator
The trigger is not company size, it is the tenders you turn down for lack of time. How to tell when outsourcing estimating is a capacity call, not a cost one.
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