How to Get Contractor Quotes and Approve Work Properly

Why the process matters more than the price

The cheapest quote isn't automatically the right choice, and a committee that can't show how it chose a contractor is exposed if something goes wrong or an owner questions the spend later. A proper quote-and-approval process protects the committee as much as it protects the building.

1. Write a scope of works before asking for quotes

Quotes are only comparable if every contractor is pricing the same job. A scope of works should set out:

• What the job is and where it is
• Any access constraints (common property access, working hours, notice to affected owners)
• Materials or standards expected, if relevant
• Timeframe expected
• What's excluded, if anything

Sending vague requests ("can you quote to fix the fence") gets vague, incomparable answers back.

2. Get more than one quote for anything beyond routine, low-value work

For minor routine repairs under an agreed low-value threshold, one trusted contractor is often fine. For anything larger, get multiple quotes against the same scope — this is what actually lets the committee compare like with like, rather than comparing a thorough quote against a rushed one.

3. Check insurance and licensing before you approve anyone, not after

This is the step that gets skipped under time pressure and causes real problems later. Before a contractor is approved, confirm:

• Current public liability insurance, at a level appropriate to the work
• Any relevant trade licence or registration required for the work in your state
• Workers' compensation cover, where the contractor employs staff

Ask for evidence, don't just take a verbal assurance, and keep a copy on file — not just a note that it was checked.

4. Compare quotes on more than price

Once quotes are in, compare them against the scope, not just the bottom line:

• Does the quote actually match what was asked for, or has scope been narrowed to hit a lower number?
• Is the timeframe realistic given the urgency of the work?
• Does the contractor have relevant experience with this type of job in a strata setting?
• Are insurance and licensing current and appropriate?

5. Approve at the right level for the spend involved

Set approval thresholds in advance so the committee isn't deciding the process on the fly for every job. A simple structure most schemes can adapt:

6. Record the approval, not just the decision

When a quote is approved, record who approved it, when, against which scope, and why that contractor was chosen over any others quoted. This is a short note, not a report — but it's the difference between being able to answer a question from an owner months later and having to guess.

7. Agree how variations will be handled before work starts

Almost every job that runs into unexpected conditions ends up with a variation request — more work found once the job is underway, or a change to materials. Agree the process upfront so it doesn't get negotiated mid-job under pressure:

• The contractor must document the variation and reason before proceeding, except in a genuine safety situation
• Variations above an agreed value need the same approval level as the original job would have needed at that value
• The variation and its approval get recorded against the original work order, not left as a verbal side conversation

8. Keep everything together against the work order

The scope, the quotes received, the insurance and licence checks, the approval record, and any variations should all sit against the one work order — not scattered across email threads and someone's inbox. When the job is done, sign it off and close it with a note on whether the work met the agreed scope.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Asking for quotes without a written scope, then comparing incomparable numbers
• Approving a contractor because they're cheap or available, without checking insurance or licensing
• Verbally agreeing to variations with no record of what changed or who approved it
• Nobody able to say, after the fact, why a particular contractor was chosen
• Records scattered across emails and text messages rather than kept against the job

How Flex Strata helps

Flex Strata's contractor and work order tools let the committee attach a scope of works, record quotes received, store insurance and licence documents against the contractor's record, and track approval against the thresholds the committee has agreed. Variations get logged against the original work order rather than living in a side conversation, so anyone reviewing the job later — including a new committee member — can see exactly what was approved, by whom, and why.