Working notes from the estimating desk — how estimates, rate analyses, running bills, escalation claims and deviation statements are actually prepared and checked in an Indian works office. Written for JEs, AEs and anyone who signs a measurement book.
Five practical walk-throughs, in the order the paperwork itself flows — from the first estimate to the last deviation statement.
From site plan to abstract of cost: taking off quantities, writing details of measurement the auditor can retrace, and applying schedule-of-rates items so the estimate stands up in technical sanction.
Read the article →Breaking a rate into material, labour, machinery and overheads — with carriage, wastage and contractor's profit in their right places. Why a justified rate matters when the quoted premium looks too good.
Read the article →Running-account bills demystified: up-to-date versus since-previous quantities, secured advance, security deposit and material recovery — and the checks to run before the bill leaves your table.
Read the article →When a contractor is entitled to price escalation, which clause applies to labour, specified materials and index-based variation — and how to compute and verify each claim before recommending payment.
Read the article →What counts as a deviation, when an extra or substitute item needs sanction, and how to present the deviation statement so the accepting authority sees the full financial picture at a glance.
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