One contractor offers to build with materials you buy. Another offers to supply the materials as well. Their totals are different, but that does not yet tell you which arrangement will suit you.
A labour-only quote generally prices the labour within an agreed scope, while a labour-and-materials quote also prices specified materials. The wording varies between offers, so ask each contractor to spell out their responsibilities. Neither label replaces a detailed quotation.
Compare the complete responsibilities and expected costs of each option, including the work you will organise yourself.
Start with a responsibility list
Before comparing totals, ask who is responsible for each item below. If the answer is “included,” ask where it is described in the quotation.
| Responsibility | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Buying materials | Who places orders and checks the specification? |
| Quantities | Who prepares the order quantities and approves changes? |
| Transport and unloading | Who organises and pays for both? |
| Tools and equipment | What the contractor supplies and what is separately charged |
| Storage and site arrangements | Who provides storage and handles materials on site? |
| Subcontracted work | Whether plumbing, electrical and other work is included |
| Delivery checks | Who receives materials and reports shortages or damage? |
| Timing | Who coordinates orders with the work programme? |
| Waste and surplus | How handling, removal and leftover materials are treated |
The point is to expose gaps before work starts. You may be comfortable managing purchases, but only if you know which purchases you are taking on.
Work out what sits outside the labour-only total
With a labour-only offer, list the costs you would pay separately. Depending on the agreed scope, these may include materials, transport, unloading, hired equipment and particular trades.
Use actual supplier quotations for defined quantities where possible. Keep uncertain amounts clearly marked as estimates or allowances. Do not turn an unpriced item into zero just to finish the comparison.
For example, if the labour quote excludes scaffolding but the combined quote includes it, that difference belongs in your comparison. The same applies when one offer includes plumbing labour and the other does not.
If you need supply prices, request building materials quotations using the specifications and quantities agreed with your project team.
Check what the combined quote actually supplies
A labour-and-materials offer should describe the materials behind its price. Ask about products, specifications, quantities and any allowances for items you will choose later.
“Standard finishes” may mean different things to different contractors. Ask for enough detail to understand the offer. Where the quote uses an allowance, ask what happens if your selection costs more or less.
Check the exclusions too. A combined quote may cover the house but leave out external works, connections or particular fittings. You need the written scope to know.
Compare the arrangements as well as the money
Think about the time you can give to ordering and receiving materials. If you live away from the site or have limited availability, ask who will handle those tasks and how you will be kept informed.
Under a labour-only arrangement, late purchases may affect the work schedule. Under a combined arrangement, you still need clarity about when materials will be supplied, which substitutions need your agreement and how progress will be reported.
Ask each contractor what they need from you to maintain the proposed programme. Record those dependencies alongside the start date and duration.
Ask about payment and changes before choosing
Have each contractor explain the proposed deposit, later payments and what each payment relates to. Ask how additional work or changed material choices will be described, priced and agreed.
Avoid relying on a verbal assurance that an item “will be sorted out.” If it affects what you will receive or pay for, ask for it to be included in the revised offer.
You can send this message:
Please confirm whether your quotation includes materials, transport, unloading, equipment and all the listed trades. For anything excluded, please state what I must arrange. Please also identify allowances, the payment schedule and how changes would be priced and approved.
Which option is better?
There is no single answer for every homeowner. A labour-only arrangement may suit someone prepared to organise purchasing and delivery. A combined arrangement may suit someone who wants those responsibilities included in the contractor’s scope. Both depend on a clear specification and a capable provider.
Compare the cost of the same work, the responsibilities you will keep, the proposed timing and how much coordination each arrangement requires from you. Do not assume that buying every material yourself will automatically save money, or that a combined offer removes the need to check details.
Get help comparing the offers you have
If the quotations still do not line up, a QS review can focus on missing items, allowances and scope differences. Agree the review output and fee before commissioning it.
Get help reviewing my construction quotes →
Choose the option for existing quotations and explain which responsibilities or costs are unclear. You can prepare the enquiry before signing in. Sign in to send it; an existing project is not required.
Related guide: One Contractor Quoted KSh 4 Million, Another KSh 7 Million—What Should I Check?.