Loading…
Stage: Preparing for and comparing quotes See where this sits in the decision
You have two or three documents that are laid out differently, itemised differently, and priced differently. Ranking them by price is the one comparison that is guaranteed to mislead until the scopes are lined up.
Normalise scope before looking at price. Work the documents in four passes: mark each scope item as documented, unclear or absent without looking at totals; separate fixed commitments from allowances, assumptions and exclusions; establish whether differences in equipment or coverage are deliberate or just different guesses at what you asked for; and compare what each commits to at completion. Ranking by price before those passes is the most reliable way to pick the wrong proposal.
Which proposal is complete, which is missing scope, and exactly what to go back and ask each contractor.
Go item by item and mark each scope as documented, unclear, or absent. Do not look at the totals during this pass.
This points here when:
If this is the wrong call: Comparing prices across documents that describe different projects, which is the single most common way households pick the wrong proposal.
Separate fixed commitments from allowances, assumptions, exclusions, and alternates. Each of these can move the final figure after signing.
This points here when:
If this is the wrong call: Treating a conditional total as a fixed price, and meeting the difference as a change order at the least convenient moment.
Where proposals differ in equipment, coverage scope, or transfer arrangement, establish whether the difference reflects a different professional judgement or simply a different assumption about what you asked for.
This points here when:
If this is the wrong call: Assuming the larger or more expensive specification is the more careful one, when it may only reflect a different guess at what you wanted.
Compare what each proposal commits to at completion: start-up, handover, documentation, warranty registration, restoration, and any maintenance arrangement.
This points here when:
If this is the wrong call: A completed installation with no documentation, unregistered warranty, and no agreed handover — problems that are difficult to correct later.
Work down this list with each document open, marking every item documented, unclear, or absent. It is the same checklist the quote decoder runs on — the tool records your marks and returns the questions; this is the list itself, if you would rather work on paper.
| Scope | Item | Ask if it is unclear or absent |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Proposed equipment, named | Which exact model is proposed, and why that one for this property? |
| Equipment | Equipment rating stated | What rating is proposed, and what determination was it based on? |
| Equipment | Transfer equipment specified | What transfer equipment is included, and what does it cover? |
| Equipment | Load-management components | Does this include load-management equipment, and which loads would it shed? |
| Electrical | Electrical scope described | What electrical work is included, and what is assumed about the existing service? |
| Electrical | Panel or service work | Is any panel or service work included, and what happens if it turns out to be needed? |
| Fuel | Fuel scope described | What fuel work is included, and who determined the supply is adequate? |
| Fuel | Fuel-supply adequacy assessed | Has a qualified fuel professional assessed the supply, and is that assessment written down? |
| Permits and utility | Permits — who obtains them | Who obtains the permits, and is the cost inside this price? |
| Permits and utility | Inspections — who arranges them | Who arranges inspections, and who attends them? |
| Permits and utility | Utility coordination | Which utility steps are required, who requests them, and how long do they take? |
| Site | Site work and access | What site work is included, and how will equipment reach the location? |
| Site | Pad or mounting surface | What is the equipment mounted on, and is that surface in this price? |
| Completion | Start-up and commissioning | Who performs start-up, and is it included here? |
| Completion | Owner handover or training | What will the household be shown at handover, and by whom? |
| Completion | Site restoration | What restoration is committed to, and what is explicitly excluded? |
| Completion | Warranty terms stated | Which warranty is described here — the manufacturer's or yours — and who registers it? |
| Completion | Maintenance arrangement | Is maintenance part of this proposal, and what does it commit each side to? |
| Commercial terms | Exclusions listed | What is excluded from this proposal that a complete project would need? |
| Commercial terms | Allowances identified | Which items are allowances, and what happens if the actual cost exceeds them? |
| Commercial terms | Payment schedule | What does each payment stage tie to? |
| Commercial terms | Change-order treatment | How are change orders priced and approved once work has started? |
| Commercial terms | Completion documentation | What documents will I hold when the work is finished? |
Deliberately out of scope here:
The cheapest proposal and the most complete proposal are frequently not the same document, and you cannot tell which is which until the scopes line up. Completeness is yours to assess; technical correctness remains a professional judgement.
Do this chapter's work on paper: Generator quote decoder. Record, item by item, what each proposal documents — and generate the questions for whatever it does not.
The next decision is Permits, inspections, and who approves a generator installation — Which approval tracks your project touches, who owns each one, and exactly what to confirm with your local authority — none of which can be answered generically, and all of which can be asked precisely.
What published cost figures actually say — If you want published figures to hold a proposal against, they are there with their sources and dates.
describe the project once to a local professional — Once the passes above have settled which proposal is complete, the remaining work is describing the project accurately rather than repeating it to each company in turn.