How to prepare a furniture BOQ

The BOQ creates a common item structure for design, commercial and delivery teams. Designers use it to confirm scope and quantities. Bidders use it to price. Procurement teams use it to compare offers and place orders. Production and site teams use the same codes to inspect, pack, receive and install.

If the BOQ is only a price list, it becomes disconnected from the project. If it tries to contain every fabrication detail, it becomes unreadable and difficult to revise. Keep the table concise and link each row to the controlled specification and drawing information.

Start with stable identification fields, then add commercial and tracking fields as the project develops. Do not make one cell carry several meanings. For example, keep room, floor and quantity separate so totals can be checked and filtered.

The units should fit the item. Loose chairs are counted as each; curtains may be measured by set or area depending on the package; built-in joinery may be priced by item, linear length or defined assembly. State the basis rather than leaving bidders to choose.

The example below shows the level of information suitable for an early tender. Expand the commercial fields after bids arrive, and keep detailed performance and fabrication notes in the linked specification. Use separate rows when the same design has a different size, finish or price.

For repeated hospitality or residential units, create a room-type quantity matrix and reconcile it with the overall BOQ. This makes it easier to detect whether the item quantity comes from the number of rooms, an area schedule or a manual allowance.

A bidder needs to know what the rate includes. State whether pricing includes shop drawings, samples, prototypes, hardware, packaging, factory inspection support, delivery, installation, taxes and spare materials. Ask bidders to list exclusions and alternatives separately rather than embedding assumptions in notes.

Use one currency basis and identify exchange-rate assumptions where comparison spans currencies. Separate optional items and provisional allowances. Check arithmetic, quantities and duplicate codes before issue, then lock the revision so every response can be traced to the same version.

Furniture quantities and specifications evolve. Add a revision, issue date and status to the BOQ; archive previous issues rather than overwriting them. When a row changes after order, record whether it is a design development, variation, cancellation or approved substitution.

A change log should show the previous value, new value, reason, cost effect, programme effect and approver. Without this link, the BOQ total may change while the project team cannot explain why.

Review the table from three perspectives. A designer should confirm that the item and specification express the intended result. A commercial reviewer should confirm that quantities and pricing rules allow a fair comparison. A delivery reviewer should confirm that the item can be packaged, shipped, received and installed within the stated scope.

Finally, test several rows end to end. Can you move from the item code to its location, drawing, finish, quantity, price and approval record without guessing? If not, fix the information chain before requesting final quotations.