How to send a material list that gets quoted as a priority

A material list can be quoted as a priority if it states the item, the specification that matters for that item, the quantity with units, the delivery location, and when you need it. The four omissions that cause delay are missing sizes or grades, quantities without units, no delivery point, and no indication of urgency.

What to include

• Item. The product name, or a description of the job if you are unsure. "Something to fix a damp patch" is a perfectly good starting point.
• The specification that matters. This differs by item: shade and finish for paint, thickness and size for boards and sheets, class or schedule for pipes, grade and section for steel, capacity for pumps.
• Quantity with units. "20 putty" could be bags or kilos, and the difference is significant.
• Delivery point. Site or store, with an access note if a large vehicle cannot reach.
• When you need it. This determines whether we quote against supplier-confirmed availability or from a sourced item with a lead time.

What causes the delay

Roughly four out of five lists that take more than a day to quote are held up by one of these.

• A size or grade missing on an item where it changes the price substantially — pipes, steel, boards, cable.
• A quantity with no unit.
• No delivery location, so transport cannot be priced.
• No urgency stated, so we cannot tell whether to offer an supplier-available alternative or wait for the specified brand.

Format does not matter

Send it however it exists. A typed list, a photograph of a handwritten note, an Excel file, a PDF BOQ, or a voice note — all of these are fine and all get read. We would much rather clean up a messy list than have you delay sending it while you tidy it.

If something on the list is ambiguous we will ask rather than guess, because guessing produces a quote you cannot use.

What comes back

A written quotation with item-wise rates, availability marked as supplier confirmed, sourced on order or unavailable, the delivery charge, and a validity date. Availability, quotation timing and delivery terms are confirmed for each requirement, and project or BOQ enquiries confirmed on review.

Where a specified brand is unavailable, we state the alternative with the difference in specification, lead time and price, so the decision stays yours.