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Free Construction Cost Estimator (Excel) — bill of quantities & quote

Underquote a build and you carry the loss; overquote and you lose the job. This free estimator prices work the way a quantity surveyor does — line by line, by category, with contingency and profit added on top — so your grand total is one you can stand behind.

Get it — KES 100 · Excel (.xlsx) ↓Pay once via M-Pesa (Kenya) · yours to keep · opens in Excel or Google Sheets

What's inside

  • Line-by-line estimate: category, qty × rate = amount
  • Cost totalled by category, with a chart
  • Add contingency % and overheads-&-profit % in one cell each
  • Grand total ready to quote
  • Formulas locked; only the yellow cells accept typing

The tabs

  • Start Here (guide)
  • Estimate
  • Summary

Yellow cells only. You type in the yellow cells; the rest are locked formulas. Gridlines are off and it prints clean on A4.

List every item on the Estimate tab: category (materials, labour, equipment, transport, subcontract), description, unit, quantity and rate. Each amount is quantity × rate, worked out for you. The Summary tab totals the cost by category, then lets you add a contingency % for site surprises and an overheads-and-profit % so you actually make money — both single cells — to reach the grand total.

It's a lightweight bill of quantities that keeps your pricing honest and consistent from job to job. Yellow cells for your lines and percentages; the totals are locked formulas. Turn the grand total into a client-ready document with our free quotation tool.

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Frequently asked questions

What is contingency for?

Every site has surprises — a rock seam, a price rise, a spoilt batch. A contingency percentage (often 5–10%) sets money aside for them so an overrun doesn't wipe out your profit. You set the exact figure.

Is this a bill of quantities?

It's a simple, practical BQ: every item priced by quantity and rate, totalled by category, with contingency and profit on top. It won't replace a full QS document on a large tender, but it's ideal for the jobs most contractors quote.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes — upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.