The work order, priced
The full example is below. Note how much of it is not manufacture: handling, site cutting, scaffolding and debris are real costs that get omitted and then argued about.
| Description | Unit | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope — manufacture and install | ||||
| Wardrobe units as per drawing WD-01 to WD-04, MR ply carcass | sq ft | 196 | ₹1,180 | ₹231,280 |
| Kitchen base and wall units as per drawing KT-01 | sq ft | 78 | ₹1,320 | ₹102,960 |
| TV unit and crockery unit as per drawing LV-02 | sq ft | 64 | ₹1,240 | ₹79,360 |
| Study and bedside units as per drawing BR-03 | sq ft | 34 | ₹1,180 | ₹40,120 |
| Loft units, all rooms | sq ft | 58 | ₹940 | ₹54,520 |
| Scope — manufacture and install — sub-total | ₹508,240 | |||
| Client-supplied material handling | ||||
| Fixing of client-supplied hardware, per shutter or drawer | nos | 96 | ₹145 | ₹13,920 |
| Fixing of client-supplied laminate, labour only | sq ft | 430 | ₹95 | ₹40,850 |
| Site storage, protection and stacking of free-issue material | LS | 1 | ₹18,000 | ₹18,000 |
| Client-supplied material handling — sub-total | ₹72,770 | |||
| Site works | ||||
| On-site cutting, edge banding and touch-up | LS | 1 | ₹42,000 | ₹42,000 |
| Scaffolding, tools and consumables | LS | 1 | ₹26,000 | ₹26,000 |
| Daily debris clearance to the society collection point | LS | 1 | ₹15,000 | ₹15,000 |
| Site works — sub-total | ₹83,000 | |||
| Sub-total (ex-GST) | ₹664,010 | |||
| GST @ 18% | ₹119,522 | |||
| Grand total (incl. GST) | ₹783,532 |
Measurement basis: elevation area of finished joinery. Free-issue material is recorded separately on a signed receipt note.
How to issue one
- Reference drawings by number and revision in every scope line. “As discussed” is not a scope.
- Price free-issue handling. If you are supplying laminate or hardware, someone has to receive, store, protect and fix it, and that is labour.
- Record free-issue material on a signed material receipt note on the day it lands on site.
- State the extra-work rate in the same units as the order, before work starts.
Three disputes it avoids
- “Scaffolding was not in my price.” Section three prices it, so it either is or it is not.
- Missing free-issue material. A signed receipt note at delivery makes the custody chain clear.
- A variation priced at whatever the vendor decides. The unit rate is fixed on the order itself.
For the whole-project view use the BOQ template; for the programme, the project timeline template.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use a work order instead of a full contract?+
When you are appointing a single trade for a defined package — carpentry, painting, electrical — and you or your designer are coordinating between them. A work order is shorter than a contract but it must still carry scope, price, programme, payment and warranty, or it is just an email.
Who takes responsibility when trades are appointed separately?+
You do, or your project manager does. That is the trade-off: separately appointed trades are usually 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than a turnkey contract, and every coordination failure between them is yours to resolve. The saving is real and so is the work.
How is free-issue material handled?+
Recorded on a signed material receipt note the day it arrives, stored at the vendor's risk while on site, and reconciled at completion. Wastage allowance should be agreed in advance — typically 5 per cent for laminate and 10 per cent for tile — or every shortfall becomes an argument.
What retention applies to a single trade?+
Five to ten per cent for 30 days, the same as a main contract. For carpentry specifically, hold it until the shutters have been through one full monsoon cycle if you can; alignment issues from humidity show up in that period.
Should the work order include a programme?+
Yes, with a start date, a duration and the dependency it waits on. A carpentry vendor who does not know that tiling finishes in week nine will either arrive early and stand idle or arrive late and delay everyone downstream.