Interior fit-out · Bill of Quantities · Variation orders
Price the BQ once.
Then track every VO.
One contractor, many packages
- 01Strip-out
- 02Wet trades
- 03Carpentry
- 04E&M
- 05Painting
- 06Lighting
- 07Furniture
Programme and ordering
Seven packages, one handover date
Trades overlap, so material has to be ordered before each one starts — and lighting and furniture have long lead times. The last week to order sits right beside each package.
- On site
- Order by
Sample programme for illustration
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Strip-out
Demolition subcontract, waste removal
Weeks 1–2 · Order by week 1
Weeks 1–2. Order by week 1.Wet trades
Cement, sand, floor tiles, stone
Weeks 2–5 · Order by week 1
Weeks 2–5. Order by week 1.Carpentry & ceilings
Plywood, gypsum board, ironmongery
Weeks 4–8 · Order by week 2
Weeks 4–8. Order by week 2.E&M
Cable, switches, plumbing fittings
Weeks 3–9 · Order by week 1
Weeks 3–9. Order by week 1.Painting
Skim coat, emulsion paint
Weeks 8–10 · Order by week 6
Weeks 8–10. Order by week 6.Lighting
Luminaires, drivers (long lead)
Weeks 9–11 · Order by week 2
Weeks 9–11. Order by week 2.Furniture
Desks, chairs, storage
Weeks 10–12 · Order by week 3
Weeks 10–12. Order by week 3.
Every job's sequence and lead times differ; working and delivery hours follow the building management's rules.
BQ cost board
Budget, committed and invoiced, one line per section
BQ sections become cost codes: purchase orders count as committed, invoices as invoiced. Each variation order gets its own code and is layered over the original budget. Open any row to see the documents behind it.
Kwun Tong · Office fit-out
HK$ thousands · Sample data for illustration
- Invoiced
- Committed, not yet invoiced
- Budget remaining
- Approved VO
- Pending VO
- Over budget
Documents · FO-04
- VariationVO-01VO-01 Additional floor boxes· ApprovedApproved+64
- VariationVO-05VO-05 Sprinkler head relocation· PendingPending+118
- POPO-0122PO-0122 Electrical subcontract540
- POPO-0124PO-0124 Plumbing & drainage subcontract138
- POPO-0136PO-0136 Sprinkler head relocation· VO-05VO-05118
- POPO-0138PO-0138 Floor box additions· VO-01VO-0164
- InvoiceINV-3122INV-3122 Electrical · stage 1260
- InvoiceINV-3124INV-3124 Plumbing & drainage138
- Budget
- 4,380
- Committed
- 4,148
- Invoiced
- 1,928
- Variance
- +232
Committed counts approved or issued purchase orders; budget = BQ plus approved VOs, and variance = budget minus committed. Each VO is recorded on its own cost code — the overlay here is an illustration.
A fit-out contractor's week
Four things that eat a fit-out job
- 01
“The carpenter says the client wants a glass partition. The VO isn't signed, but the material's already ordered.”
Give each VO its own cost code and budget it there. POs raised under it stay out of the original BQ section, so committed cost never blurs.
Handled in materialproProjects · Cost codes · POs
- 02
“Every package needs three or four subcontract quotes, and nobody can tell what each one includes.”
Send one scope to several subcontractors, who can submit quotes through a link. AI helps read quotation PDFs and photos, lays them side by side, and the chosen one converts to a PO in a step.
Handled in materialproRFQ · Quote comparison
- 03
“Building management only lets goods in at certain hours. Miss the slot and it waits another day.”
Put delivery dates in the delivery calendar. Site staff photograph the delivery note, AI extracts items and quantities and matches the PO, and shortfalls are listed straight away.
Handled in materialproDelivery calendar · Receiving
- 04
“The final-account invoice arrives and retention, what we've paid and what we ordered don't tie up.”
Invoices are checked three ways against the PO and receiving record, with committed and invoiced side by side on the same cost code. Variances come to you before payment; retention still follows your subcontract.
Handled in materialproThree-way invoice check
Trade vocabulary
Words you hear on a Hong Kong fit-out
Quoting, cost control and close-out all revolve around these terms.
- 工料清單 (BQ)
- The priced list of quantities and rates for each item of work; the basis for tender, quotation and budget.
- Bill of Quantities
- 變更指令 (VO)
- An instruction from the client or consultant to add or omit work outside the contract. It counts towards the sum only once approved and priced.
- Variation Order
- 暫定金額
- A sum held in the BQ because scope or price isn't settled; adjusted later to actual quantity or quotation.
- Provisional Sum
- 呎價
- Fit-out cost per square foot. Used for early budgets and quotes, and still used to sanity-check the final BQ.
- Cost per sq ft
- 分判商
- A specialist the main contractor sublets a package to, such as E&M or painting.
- Subcontractor
- 保留金
- A percentage held back from each payment and released at the times the contract sets, usually tied to completion and the defects period.
- Retention money
- 尾數
- The last payment under a contract, or the balance left once retention is applied; usually settled with acceptance and snagging.
- Final account / final payment
- 執漏
- Walking the finished space item by item and fixing whatever is not right.
- Snagging / defects rectification
- 管理處
- The building's management office. Its approval is needed before fit-out starts, and it sets working and delivery hours.
- Building management office
- 入伙 · 交吉
- Handing the finished unit over to the owner or tenant. Once the date is fixed, the programme counts down to it.
- Handover / vacant possession
- 註冊專門行業承造商
- The CIC registration scheme; interior fitting-out works is one of its designated trades.
- CIC RSTCS — interior fitting-out works
FAQ
What fit-out contractors ask first
Our BQ is an Excel file. Do we have to re-key every line?
No. Set each BQ section or trade up as a cost code under the project and enter its budget; cost codes can be nested. Line-by-line rates and quantities can stay in your own BQ file — materialpro handles the money once you order, receive and are invoiced.
How do we record variation orders?
Open a separate cost code for each VO with its amount, and POs and invoice lines coded to it stay clear of the original BQ section. Whether a VO has been approved by the client is your call to manage; the system doesn't decide that for you.
Do our E&M and painting subcontractors need to use materialpro?
No. Register them as vendors, send them requests for quotation, and they submit quotes through a link. Once you choose one, your office converts it to a PO.
Does materialpro replace our accounting system?
No. materialpro focuses on procurement, receiving and stock records. How it connects with your accounting system is something we can cover in a demo.
Can it handle building management approvals or fit-out permits?
No. Approvals and permits stay with you and your consultants. materialpro does not file anything with a government department or building management; it records procurement and cost.
On the same project
