What is a bill of quantities in landscaping?
A bill of quantities (BOQ) in landscaping is the itemised schedule of every element in a landscape scope, with a description, unit and measured quantity on each line. Once rates are added it becomes a priced BOQ that totals to the tender price. It is prepared by a quantity surveyor, the head contractor, or the landscaper when none is issued.
What is a bill of quantities?
A bill of quantities is a document that breaks a scope of work into individual, measurable items and lists how much of each is required. In landscaping, that means every cubic metre of soil, square metre of turf, lineal metre of edging and individual tree shown on the drawings, each written as its own line.
The purpose of a BOQ is to put every bidder on the same footing, so the head contractor can compare tenders line by line rather than lump sum against lump sum. After award, the same document is used to value progress claims and price variations.
What does each line of a landscape BOQ contain?
Every line in a bill of quantities carries the same six core columns, though the layout varies between head contractors.
- Item: a reference number, usually tied to a section, so the line can be discussed and queried precisely.
- Description: what the work is, often with the specification clause or drawing reference it comes from.
- Unit: the unit of measure, such as m², m³, lm, no. or item.
- Quantity: how many units are required, measured from the drawings.
- Rate: the price per unit, including supply, labour, plant and any allowances the rate is meant to carry.
- Amount: quantity multiplied by rate, which sums up to section totals and the tender total.
The description column does more work than it looks. A line that reads "mulch" is hard to price; one that states the mulch type, depth and specification clause can be priced accurately.
How is a landscape BOQ organised into sections?
A landscape BOQ is grouped into trade sections so that similar work sits together and each section can be subtotalled. Most commercial landscape packages use some version of these.
- Preliminaries: site establishment, supervision, set out, traffic management, compliance and other costs that are not tied to a single measured item. Our guide to preliminaries in a commercial landscape tender covers these in detail.
- Earthworks and soil: excavation, subgrade preparation, imported topsoil, planting mix, soil conditioners and disposal of spoil.
- Softscape: trees, shrubs, groundcovers, turf, mulch, staking and tree guards.
- Hardscape: paving, concrete, edging, kerbs, walls, steps and retaining structures.
- Irrigation: mainlines, laterals, drip line, valves, controllers and connection to supply.
- Furniture and fixtures: seating, bins, bollards, bike hoops, signage and similar items.
- Maintenance and establishment: the period of watering, weeding, replacement of failed plants and upkeep after practical completion.
Sections also expose gaps: an irrigation section with no controller line is a prompt to go back to the drawings and ask why.
What units of measure does a landscape BOQ use?
Each item is measured in the unit that matches how it is bought and built. The rate is always expressed per unit, so a rate built for one unit is wrong if applied to another.
| Unit | Meaning | Typical landscape items |
|---|---|---|
| m² | Square metre, a measured area | Turf, paving, mass planting beds, weed matting, subgrade preparation |
| m³ | Cubic metre, a measured volume | Topsoil, planting mix, mulch, excavation, spoil disposal |
| lm | Lineal metre, a measured length | Edging, kerbs, irrigation pipe, fencing, drainage lines |
| no. | Number, a counted item | Trees, shrubs, tubestock, bollards, seats, bins |
| item | A single lump sum that cannot sensibly be measured | Site establishment, set out, irrigation commissioning, as-built drawings |
Some items can be measured in more than one way. Mulch, for example, is often shown as an area on the drawings but bought by volume, so area multiplied by depth gives the volume in cubic metres. Our guide on calculating topsoil, mulch and turf quantities works through those conversions.
What does a landscape BOQ look like?
The table below is an illustrative extract showing the structure of a landscape BOQ. It carries no real quantities or prices, and the rate and amount columns are blank as they would be in an unpriced bill.
| Item | Description | Unit | Quantity | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Supply and place imported topsoil to planting beds, to specified depth | m³ | Measured | ||
| 3.1 | Supply and install instant turf to specified cultivar, including preparation | m² | Measured | ||
| 3.2 | Supply and plant advanced trees, including staking and ties | no. | Counted | ||
| 4.1 | Supply and install steel garden edging, as detailed | lm | Measured | ||
| 5.1 | Irrigation testing, commissioning and handover | item | 1 |
Who prepares bills of quantities for landscapers in Australia?
On larger commercial and civil projects, a quantity surveyor (QS) engaged by the client or the head contractor often prepares the bill of quantities or a trade pricing schedule. A quantity surveyor is a construction cost professional who measures and documents the scope so it can be priced consistently.
More often in landscaping, the head contractor's estimating team issues a pricing schedule. It may be a full BOQ with quantities, or a list of items with the quantities left for the subcontractor to fill in.
Frequently, no BOQ is issued at all. The landscape package arrives as drawings and a specification, and the subcontractor, or an estimator working for them, builds the BOQ from scratch.
What is the difference between an issued BOQ and one you build yourself?
An issued BOQ is one supplied with the tender documents, written by someone else. Its main advantage is that every bidder prices the same items, and its main risk is that you inherit any errors in its quantities or descriptions.
A self-built BOQ is one you prepare from the drawings and specification when none is provided. It takes longer, but you control the measurement and know exactly how each quantity was derived.
When a BOQ is issued, price in the issuer's format. Where an item on the drawings has no line, raise it as a tender query or clarification rather than quietly absorbing it. Our guide on how to read a landscape tender scope covers how to spot those gaps.
What is the difference between a priced and an unpriced BOQ?
An unpriced BOQ is a bill of quantities with the item, description, unit and quantity columns completed, but the rate and amount columns left blank. It is what a head contractor or QS issues to bidders so that each one prices the same list.
A priced BOQ is the same document with a rate against every line and the amounts totalled into section subtotals and a tender sum. It is what the subcontractor returns with the tender, and it becomes part of the record the head contractor relies on after award.
The rates in a priced BOQ should come from your own costs: your supplier quotes, your labour productivity and your plant. A priced bill of quantities built against your own rates is the one you can stand behind if you win.
How does a BOQ relate to a quantity takeoff?
A quantity takeoff is the process of measuring every scope item from the drawings, and the working records that show how each figure was reached. A bill of quantities is the organised schedule that presents those figures as priceable lines.
The takeoff comes first and the BOQ is built from it. The takeoff records which areas were measured on which drawing and what depths were assumed, which is what lets you defend a quantity if it is queried. Our guide on how to do a landscape quantity takeoff walks through the measuring process step by step.
Why must quantities and rates be checked against the drawings?
Quantities and rates must be checked against the drawings because the BOQ is a summary, and any summary can drift from its source. Drawings get revised, issued quantities get measured from superseded sets, and items shown on the plans can be left off the schedule entirely.
Rates need the same scrutiny. A rate is only right if it matches the specified soil type, plant size or paving thickness. Factors such as compaction, wastage and bulking change how much material is bought versus measured, so take them from the specification, your supplier or your own job records.
A practical checking routine looks like this:
- Confirm the drawing revisions the BOQ was measured from match the latest issued set.
- Re-measure the largest lines in each section against the drawings.
- Walk the drawings and specification looking for items with no BOQ line.
- Check each rate against the specified product, size and installation method.
- Record anything unresolved as a clarification or exclusion in your tender.
Also read the conditions of contract to see who carries the risk of quantity errors. Our guide to common landscape takeoff mistakes lists the errors that most often slip through.
Frequently asked questions
What does BOQ stand for in landscaping?
BOQ stands for bill of quantities. In landscaping it is the itemised schedule of every element in a landscape scope, such as soil, planting, paving, irrigation and furniture, with a description, unit and quantity on each line, and a rate and amount once it is priced.
Who prepares bills of quantities for landscapers in Australia?
On larger projects a quantity surveyor or the head contractor's estimating team usually prepares the BOQ or pricing schedule. When none is issued, which is common for landscape packages, the landscape subcontractor or their estimator builds one from the drawings and specification.
What is a priced BOQ in landscaping?
A priced BOQ is a bill of quantities with a rate and an amount filled in against every line, adding up to the tender price. The head contractor uses it to compare bidders and, if you win, to value progress claims and variations.
Is a bill of quantities the same as a takeoff?
No. A takeoff is the measuring process and its working records, showing how each quantity was derived from the drawings. A bill of quantities is the organised schedule that presents those quantities as priceable line items. The takeoff feeds the BOQ.
Can you rely on the quantities in an issued BOQ?
Not without checking. Issued quantities can be out of date, measured from superseded drawings, or missing items shown on the plans. Check the contract to see who carries quantity risk, then verify the key lines against the current drawings before you price.
What units are used in a landscape BOQ?
The common units are square metres for areas such as turf and paving, cubic metres for soil and mulch volumes, lineal metres for edging and kerbs, number for plants and furniture, and item for lump sum work that cannot sensibly be measured.
Key takeaways
- A bill of quantities is the itemised, measured schedule of a scope: item, description, unit, quantity, rate and amount.
- Landscape BOQs are grouped into trade sections, from preliminaries through to maintenance.
- A QS or head contractor may issue one, but landscapers often have to build their own from the drawings.
- An unpriced BOQ has blank rates; a priced BOQ carries your rates and totals to the tender sum.
- The takeoff comes first and feeds the BOQ.
- Always check issued quantities and your own rates against the current drawings and specification.