What to send when you ask for a price on built-in joinery
A price on built-in joinery is never more precise than the material it is calculated from. Here is what we use each part for, and what happens if it is missing.
- Drawings
- Plans, elevations and sections, ideally with item numbers
- Specification
- The whole joinery specification with the general sections
- Bill of quantities
- Price per item, as the list stands
- Requirements
- Nordic Swan Ecolabel, FSC or PEFC from the start
- Schedule
- Installation date and any stages
- Send to
- tilbud@neminventar.dk
When you ask for a price on built-in joinery, the material you send decides how much of the price is calculated and how much is assumed. Whatever is missing, we have to assume, and each assumption appears as a reservation in our offer. The fewer reservations, the easier the offer is to compare with the others you receive.
| What you send | What we use it for | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings with plans, elevations and sections | Dimensions and quantities | We can give an estimate, but not a price per item |
| The full joinery specification | Materials and finishes, product by product | We assume oiled plywood and state it in the offer |
| The bill of quantities | Price per item, as the list stands | We count from the drawings and state the quantities in the offer |
| Requirements for Nordic Swan Ecolabel, FSC or PEFC | Choice of boards and documentation | The boards may be bought before the requirement is known |
| Schedule with installation date | Planning of production and stages | Production cannot be planned yet |
| Site access conditions | Delivery and installation | Installation can take longer than calculated |
The drawings show what is to be built
The plan shows where the furniture stands and how long it is. The elevations show the height and the division, and they decide how many doors and drawers have to be priced. If the drawings carry item numbers that match the bill of quantities, every price in the offer can be traced back to a drawing. Once the order is placed, we model the furniture in 3D from your drawings, see shop drawings and 3D model.
The whole specification, including the general sections
The joinery specification says what the furniture is to be made of. Requirements for finishes and fittings are often in the general sections and not under the individual item, so send the whole specification and not just the pages about the furniture. Also send the general building specification, because it holds the requirements for documentation and the site that apply to all trades.
Without a specification we assume our starting point, oiled plywood, and state it in the offer, so it can be corrected. If the specification says lacquer, lacquer is what we price. You can read about choosing between the boards in plywood, MDF or chipboard.
If the building is to carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, or the tender requires FSC- or PEFC-certified wood, say so in the enquiry. Certified wood has to be bought as certified, and the documentation is collected while purchasing, so the requirement must be known before the boards are ordered. Not every board is available with certification, and the offer states which ones can be supplied with it. If the building is to be DGNB-certified, the same documentation can be used. See furniture for Nordic Swan Ecolabel buildings.
The bill of quantities decides how the price is set out
If there is a bill of quantities, we price each item as the list stands. If we find a difference between drawing and list, we do not correct the list but state the difference as a reservation. That way your offer can be compared item by item with the other bids on the same list.
If there is no list, we count from the drawings ourselves and state the quantities in the offer, so you can see what the price covers. What we have not priced is also stated in the offer. If the tender has a deadline for questions, that is where uncertainties should be clarified, so the answer reaches everyone bidding. Whatever is not clarified, we state as a reservation.
The schedule and the conditions on site
Include the installation date, even if it may move. We plan production around it from the start, and if the furniture is to be delivered in stages, we plan production by the stages.
We deliver and install the furniture, so the access conditions affect the price. It makes a difference whether there is a lift, and how close a lorry can get. Also say if there are rooms that will be in use while we install.
Before the tender, the price can be calculated as an estimate
If the project is at the design stage, we can give an estimate from the material that exists and point out where a choice moves the price. The biggest jump comes from the material: a cabinet in compact laminate costs almost twice as much as the same cabinet in pine plywood. It is easiest to change while the specification can still be altered.
We most often bid for the main contractor, see built-in joinery as a subcontract. When the furniture is tendered as its own trade package, you as the building owner can also ask us for a price directly. Projects outside Denmark: send us the drawings and we will tell you what we can deliver. Send what you have to tilbud@neminventar.dk.
