Comparing Electrical Quotes: Testing, Materials and Making Good

1. Give every provider the same starting scope

List the intended work, quantities, locations and desired outcome. Distinguish replacing an existing item from adding a new one. If the cause of a fault has not been established, ask what the initial investigation covers rather than treating an assessment charge as a complete repair price.

Electrical Safety First recommends a written summary of the work and, unless the task is minor, obtaining at least three written quotes. It also advises checking the electrician's registration. See its guidance on choosing an electrician [1]. These are useful checks alongside the scope comparison; the lowest price alone does not establish suitability.

If you need help describing symptoms, access or existing records, use Booking Electrical Work: What Should You Tell the Electrician? Send the same relevant information to each provider and flag any changes so their proposals remain comparable.

If one proposal is for a condition report and another for a repair, first clarify which outcome you need. The guide to electrical repair, inspection or new installation explains that choice. Do not compare different services as though they are interchangeable.

2. Ask what testing and documentation cover

“Testing included” needs context. Ask whether it concerns the work being installed or altered, investigation of a reported fault, or inspection of the wider existing installation. Ask the electrician to explain what will be checked, what record will be provided and any limits on the scope.

Installation certification and an Electrical Installation Condition Report are different documents. The appropriate installation record may be an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate, depending on the work. An EICR concerns the condition of the existing installation. Do not assume that paying for one automatically includes the other.

Electrical Safety First's building regulations guidance [2] explains installation certification and Building Regulations compliance documentation. For work in England, Approved Document P [3] covers electrical safety in dwellings, including guidance on notification. Ask who will handle any applicable notification and whether related costs are included; requirements depend on the actual work.

Do not seek a cheaper version by removing appropriate safety checks. If testing identifies an existing defect outside the proposed work, the quote should explain how the finding will be reported and how any additional work will be discussed.

3. Compare the materials actually specified

“Supply and fit” does not tell you which product, finish or quantity is included. Ask for sufficient detail to identify the proposed accessories or fittings and distinguish a confirmed item from an allowance awaiting selection. Compare the same specification where possible; an unexplained difference is a question to resolve, not evidence of poor value.

• Visible products: confirm the type, quantity, finish and any agreed model or range.
• Installation materials: clarify whether the necessary cabling, containment, fixings and other materials for the agreed work are included.
• Customer-supplied items: ask the electrician to confirm suitability before purchase or fitting, and explain what happens if an item is incompatible or incomplete.
• Substitutions: agree how alternatives will be approved if the specified item is unavailable.

Leave technical selection to the competent electrician. The purpose of a specification is to understand what is priced, not to select cable sizes or protective devices yourself. If a product allowance may change, ask how the final selection will affect the total.

4. Define what “making good” means

Making good concerns the surfaces or finishes disturbed by the work. The phrase alone does not establish whether a wall will be filled, plastered, sanded, painted or left ready for another trade. Ask the provider to describe the finished condition in plain language.

For work involving a cable route, clarify whether the proposal assumes surface-mounted containment or access through walls or floors. Then ask which reinstatement tasks are included, who will carry them out and whether another visit is needed. The agreed route and access method can change the amount of finishing involved.

Useful questions include: “Will the opening be filled only, or finished ready for decoration?” and “Is repainting limited to the repaired area, or is it excluded?” Also clarify protection of nearby surfaces, removal of work-related debris and reinstatement of any floor covering that must be disturbed. Do not assume any of these is part of a provider's standard package.

An example without invented prices

Two proposals might both mention adding a socket. One assumes a surface route and excludes decoration; the other assumes a concealed route with specified plaster repairs. Their totals cover different methods and finishes. Ask whether both methods are suitable, choose the intended result, then request comparable wording before judging the price difference.

5. Compare each proposal line by line

Use a simple comparison sheet. Record “not stated” where information is missing and ask for clarification; a blank does not prove that an item is included or excluded.

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways if needed.

6. Confirm changes and handover in writing

Before accepting, ask for unresolved points to be incorporated into the proposal. Keep the agreed scope, exclusions and any later amendments together. A conversation about a different fitting or extra task should result in a clear record of the change and its effect on price and timing.

Clarify what happens if concealed conditions prevent the planned work proceeding. Ask how the electrician will communicate findings and seek agreement for additional work, while addressing any immediate safety concern appropriately. Avoid an open-ended assumption that every extra task is either included or automatically authorised.

At handover, confirm what was completed, which records will be supplied and whether any items remain outstanding. Discuss the process for reporting a concern after completion. Do not infer a guarantee, free return visit or decorative repair from silence in the quote.