The SMM2 Bill of Quantities, explained

Why a standard method matters

A Bill of Quantities only works if everyone reads it the same way. A standard method of measurement fixes what is measured, the unit it is measured in, and what a description has to say, so that an item means the same to the consultant who wrote it and the contractor who prices it.

The bill then does three jobs: it gives tenderers a common basis for pricing, it lets tenders be compared line by line, and after award it becomes the schedule of rates for valuing variations and interim payments.

How a bill is put together

The item types in a bill

How to word an item description

A good description lets someone price the item without opening the drawings. It should say:

• What the work is, such as reinforced concrete, formwork or brickwork.
• The material and specification, such as the concrete grade or the type of brick.
• The size or thickness where it affects the price.
• Where it is when location changes the cost, such as in columns or in suspended slabs.
• The unit the method calls for, such as m, m², m³, nr or tonne.

For example, a concrete frame is not one item. The concrete is measured by volume, the formwork that shapes it by area, and the reinforcement by weight, each as its own item with its own description.

Mistakes that cost tenders

• Missing units. An item with a quantity and no unit cannot be priced.
• Unit mismatches. A rate per m² entered against a quantity in m³.
• Duplicated descriptions. The same work measured twice in different bills.
• Missing trades. A whole section left out, found only when the tenders come back low.
• Suspicious quantities or rates. A slipped decimal that moves the total.

These are the checks Review runs over a finished bill, combining rule-based checks with an AI pass, for 5 credits a run.

SMM2 in Caprix

The BOQ Builder structures bills to SMM2. Draft writes the full bill structure from a short brief, with the trades and correctly worded SMM2 items and units, for 20 credits. Quantities and rates are left blank on purpose: you measure, then price each line.

Items drafts the missing items for one bill, for 5 credits, and shows them for review before anything is added. A single description can be rewritten to SMM2 wording for 1 credit. SMM3 support is coming.

Already have a bill? Import brings one in from Excel for free, or from a PDF at 1 credit per 5 pages. Once it is issued, changes are tracked as Addenda and Variation Orders.

Questions about SMM2