You are LEVELLING competing quotes for one package of work onto a single comparable basis,
for the person who has to say which offer is actually cheapest.
Several suppliers have quoted the same scope. Each has quoted on its own terms: different
inclusions and exclusions, different allowances, different quantities and units, some bundling into
one line what others itemise, some pricing ex works. Your job is to say, for every quote, what it
actually covers -- so that pure code can then put every quote on the same basis and rank them.
How to read the pack:
- The Scope Schedule is the basis. Work through EVERY scope item, for EVERY quote, and say what
that quote does with it. Four answers and no others: COVERED, EXCLUDED, ALLOWANCE, NOT_QUOTED.
- A quote's lines do not name the scope items they price. Match them by what they describe. ONE
line may cover SEVERAL scope items -- a bundled line covers each of them, and a scope item is
not uncovered merely because it has no line of its own.
- EXCLUDED and NOT_QUOTED are different findings. EXCLUDED means the quote SAYS somewhere that the
item is not in the price -- in its Exclusions, or in a note. NOT_QUOTED means the quote is
simply silent about it: nothing prices it and nothing excludes it. Read the exclusions and the
notes carefully; an exclusion is often written in words that do not repeat the schedule's.
- ALLOWANCE means the quote carries it as a provisional sum rather than a firm price.
- Then name every levelling adjustment the Levelling Basis requires for that quote, citing the
line, allowance or scope item it acts on. Name the adjustment; do NOT compute it. Every figure
is worked out afterwards from the pack's own printed rates and quantities.
- Report `lowest_quote`: which quote you think is genuinely lowest once levelled. This is the one
place you are asked for a conclusion that needs arithmetic.
Reply with JSON and nothing else, in the shape given at the end.
THE LEVELLING VOCABULARY.
What a quote does with one scope item -- exactly one of these four:
COVERED The quote prices it, firm. A bundled line counts: if one line covers three scope
items, all three are COVERED and the line is cited on each.
EXCLUDED The quote states, on its face, that it is not in the price -- in the Exclusions, or
in a note. Cite the exclusion or note reference.
ALLOWANCE The quote carries it as a provisional sum, not a firm price. Cite the allowance
reference.
NOT_QUOTED The quote never mentions it. Nothing prices it and nothing excludes it. There is no
reference to cite, because there is nothing on the page.
What levelling then does about it -- name the adjustment, never the amount:
SCOPE_ADD LB-1.2. The quote does not price a scope item (EXCLUDED or NOT_QUOTED), so
the enquiry benchmark for that item is added back. Name the item.
ALLOWANCE_TRUE_UP LB-1.3. The quote carries its own allowance for a scope item that has a basis
allowance. Name the item and cite the allowance reference. It runs in both
directions: a quote that allowed too much has money taken off.
CARRIAGE_ADD LB-1.4. The quote is priced ex works, or otherwise excludes delivery to site,
so the package carriage charge is added. No item, no reference.
QTY_RESTATE LB-1.5. A priced line is at a quantity or a unit other than the schedule's,
so it is restated at the schedule quantity at that line's own rate. Name the
item and cite the line. Report it ONLY where the line's quantity or unit
actually differs from the schedule's.
SCOPE_DEDUCT LB-1.6. A priced line is for something the Scope Schedule does not ask for,
so it comes off. Cite the line. No item, because it belongs to none.
A firm price is a better answer than an allowance, and levelling does not undo it: a scope item
carrying a basis allowance that a quote has FIRM-PRICED is COVERED and takes no adjustment.
THE LEVELLING PACK, verbatim:
Change-Order Quote Levelling Pack
--------------------
SYNTHETIC RECORD -- invented for an open kit. No real supplier,
employer, engineer, project, package, quotation or price appears in
it, and none was consulted, reproduced or approximated.
Package QP-0001
Project Kestrel Yard substation rebuild (PJ-0141)
Change order CO-0100
Enquiry issued 2026-02-01
Quotes returned by 2026-03-01
Levelling Basis
--------------------
LB-1.1 Every quote below is levelled onto the Scope Schedule. Quotes are compared
only after the schedule's scope is priced in all of them.
LB-1.2 A scope item a quote excludes, or does not price at all, is added back at
the enquiry benchmark rate printed against that item, times the schedule
quantity.
LB-1.3 Where a scope item carries a basis allowance, a quote carrying its OWN
allowance for it is levelled to the basis allowance by the difference, in
either direction. A quote that has priced that item firm is left as quoted:
a firm price is a better answer than an allowance and levelling does not
undo it.
LB-1.4 A quote priced ex works, or otherwise excluding delivery to site, has the
package carriage charge added.
LB-1.5 A priced line at a quantity or in a unit other than the schedule's is
restated at the schedule quantity, at that line's own rate. Where the units
differ, the conversion below applies.
LB-1.6 A priced line for anything the Scope Schedule does not ask for is deducted.
It is not a discount and it is not free.
LB-1.7 One line may cover several scope items. A scope item is not uncovered
because it has no line of its own.
LB-1.8 All levelling arithmetic runs on the figures printed in this pack. Nothing
is estimated and no rate is inferred.
LB-1.9 A quote's headline total is the sum of its priced lines and its allowances.
Package carriage 2,900.00
charged once per package for delivery of the whole of it to site.
Unit conversions
1 drum = 25 kg
1 length = 3 m
1 sheet = 3 m2
1 box = 12 nr
Scope Schedule
--------------------
Item Description Qty Unit Benchmark rate Basis allowance
SC-01 Site establishment, access and temporary works 1 item 22,500.00 --
SC-02 Local isolators, weatherproof, lockable 36 nr 255.50 --
SC-03 Open mesh flooring, galvanised, with fixings 180 m2 105.50 --
SC-04 Deck waterproofing membrane, sprayed 180 m2 112.00 --
SC-05 Valve actuators, electric, quarter turn 36 nr 483.00 --
SC-06 Fire stopping to service penetrations 72 nr 186.00 --
SC-07 Builder's work in connection, provisional 1 item 11,000.00 11,000.00
benchmark rates and quantities above are the enquiry's own and are the
only basis on which anything is added back.
Quote Q-0001-A -- Fenwick Plant Services
--------------------
Headline total 106,920.79
Terms Net, thirty days from invoice
Priced lines
L1 Site set up, access and temporary works 1 item 35,598.79 35,598.79
L2 Lockable local isolation, weatherproof 36 nr 260.50 9,378.00
L3 Open mesh floor panels, galvanised 180 m2 107.50 19,350.00
L4 Electric quarter turn valve actuators 36 nr 492.50 17,730.00
L5 Firestopping at service penetrations 72 nr 189.50 13,644.00
L6 Builder's work in connection 1 item 11,220.00 11,220.00
Exclusions
X1 The spray applied deck protection is not included; nothing has been allowed for it.
Notes
N1 Rates are based on normal working hours, Monday to Friday.
Quote Q-0001-B -- Uppermill Services Ltd
--------------------
Headline total 117,480.17
Terms Firm price, no fluctuation
Priced lines
L1 Site set up, access and temporary works 1 item 31,032.17 31,032.17
L2 Lockable local isolation, weatherproof 36 nr 245.00 8,820.00
L3 Mesh flooring and fire stopping, bundled 1 item 31,032.00 31,032.00
L4 Sprayed waterproofing to the deck 180 m2 107.50 19,350.00
L5 Quarter turn electric valve drives 36 nr 463.50 16,686.00
L6 Builder's work in connection 1 item 10,560.00 10,560.00
Notes
N1 Rates are based on normal working hours, Monday to Friday.
N2 Our offer is subject to written order before the return date.
N3 Our prices are ex our works. Carriage to site is not included in the figures above.
Quote Q-0001-C -- Bellrow Engineering Ltd
--------------------
Headline total 98,140.00
Terms Firm price, no fluctuation
Priced lines
L1 Site set up, access and temporary works 1 item 28,378.00 28,378.00
L2 Weatherproof lockable local isolators 36 nr 245.00 8,820.00
L3 Galvanised open mesh flooring and clips 180 m2 101.00 18,180.00
L4 Spray applied deck waterproofing 180 m2 107.50 19,350.00
L5 Fire seals to services through walls 72 nr 178.50 12,852.00
L6 Attendance and builder's work 1 item 10,560.00 10,560.00
Notes
N1 Programme assumes continuous access to the working area.
Reply with JSON and nothing else, exactly this shape:
{"package": "<the Package reference printed in the header, verbatim>",
"quotes": [
{"quote_ref": "<the quote reference, e.g. Q-0001-A>",
"coverage": [
{"item": "<scope item, e.g. SC-03>",
"verdict": "COVERED" | "EXCLUDED" | "ALLOWANCE" | "NOT_QUOTED",
"ref": "<the line, allowance, exclusion or note reference that settles it, or null>",
"why": "<at most fifteen words>"}
],
"adjustments": [
{"basis": "SCOPE_ADD" | "ALLOWANCE_TRUE_UP" | "CARRIAGE_ADD" | "QTY_RESTATE" | "SCOPE_DEDUCT",
"item": "<the scope item it acts on, or null>",
"ref": "<the line or allowance reference it acts on, or null>",
"why": "<at most fifteen words>"}
]}
],
"lowest_quote": "<the quote reference you make genuinely lowest once levelled>"}
One coverage row per scope item per quote, in schedule order, for every quote on the pack.
No amounts anywhere: name the adjustment, not the money.