How to Get Multiple Quotes and Compare Them in NZ

How to Get Multiple Quotes and Compare Them in NZ

Getting quotes is not a pricing exercise. It is a specification exercise. Three quotes for three different jobs are three numbers with nothing to compare, and that is the mistake almost everybody makes. The fix is not to ring more people — it is to write one brief and send the same brief to everyone.

The other thing worth knowing is that a quote and an estimate are legally different animals. A quote is a fixed price for defined work. An estimate is an approximation and can legitimately be exceeded. If you do not know which one you have been given, you do not know what you have agreed to.

This is the general method. It works for builders, plumbers, electricians, painters, landscapers, movers and web designers. Where a trade has its own rules — and building does — we link to the specific guide rather than repeating it here.

How We Researched This Guide

We built this guide around the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986, both of which apply to every trade job regardless of what the contract says or what the quote looked like. The Consumer Guarantees Act is set out in full on legislation.govt.nz, and the four service guarantees are worth reading in the original.

One thing genuinely surprised us. The Disputes Tribunal limit rose from $30,000 to $60,000 on 24 January 2026, and plenty of older guidance still quotes the old figure. We also found the Ministry of Justice news release and the Tribunal's own fees page disagreeing on the top fee band — $468 against $496. We have used $496, because the Tribunal's Forms & Fees page is the more current source.

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The Quick Summary (60-Second Version)

If you only read one part of this guide, read this.

• Write one brief covering scope, standard, timeline, access and what you expect excluded, then send that same document to every provider.
• Ask for the quote in writing. A verbal quote is a memory of a conversation, and both of you will remember it differently.
• Ask what is excluded, not just what is included. The exclusions are where the price difference actually lives.
• Ask how variations are priced and who authorises them, because every job changes once it starts.
• Ask for payments tied to stages of completed work rather than to dates, and ask what the deposit covers.
• Ask for two references from similar jobs, with phone numbers, and actually ring them.

Why the Same Brief Matters More Than the Number of Quotes

Two quotes for the same total are not comparable if one excludes materials, disposal or GST. That sounds obvious written down. It is the single most common way households end up paying more than they expected, because the cheaper number looked cheaper and nobody checked what it covered.

So the brief does the work. Write down the scope in enough detail that a stranger could price it: what is being done, the standard or materials you want, the start and finish you are working to, access arrangements, and what you expect to be included and excluded. Then send that identical document to everyone. If a provider rings to ask questions, that is a good sign. If they quote without asking anything, ask yourself what they are assuming.

What to put in the brief

Cover the scope, the standard, the timeline, the access, and the decisions you have already made. Where something is not yet chosen — tiles, tapware, appliances — say so, and ask for it as a separate allowance line rather than letting the provider guess. Allowances are the most common source of a bill that grows, and a provider who will not separate them is telling you something.

Quote or estimate — know which you have

How to Spot a Low Quote Without Assuming It Is a Bad One

A low quote is low for one of three reasons. It covers less work. It is based on an assumption that is wrong. Or it is designed to win the job and be recovered later through variations. Those are the three tests, and the diagnostic questions below will usually tell you which one you are looking at.

But not every low quote is a bad quote, and the "always take the middle quote" rule of thumb is lazy and often wrong. A lower overhead, a quieter period, a specialist who does this exact job every week, or a genuinely efficient process can all produce a lower price legitimately. Your job is to understand why the number is lower, not to assume it must be wrong.

The diagnostic questions

Ask what is not included in the price. Ask what the price is based on and whether they have seen the site. Ask what the allowance is for anything not yet chosen. Ask how variations are priced. Ask how long the price is valid for, because material prices move. And ask what happens if they find something unexpected once the work starts.

When the numbers are wildly apart

Building the Comparison and Handling Variations

Build a simple written comparison rather than trying to hold it in your head. Scope element down the side, each provider across the top, and a line at the bottom for exclusions and allowances. Add one line most people never think of: the availability or start date. A cheaper quote from someone who cannot start for four months is not cheaper if the delay costs you money.

The GST point catches people out more than any other. A quote may be given including or excluding GST, and a 15 per cent gap between two numbers can be entirely an accounting difference rather than a price difference. Confirm the basis on every quote before you compare totals.

Variations and payments

Every job changes. Extra work found after starting — rot behind a wall, non-compliant wiring, an unseen leak — is the most common way a job costs more than quoted. Agree the process in advance: how a variation is priced, who authorises it, and that nothing proceeds without your written approval. On payments, ask for a schedule tied to stages of completed work rather than to dates. A deposit request is normal for materials, but a large deposit should be connected to a written contract with defined milestones, and never paid to someone with no verifiable credentials and no address.

Your rights if it goes wrong

Questions You Might Have

How many quotes should I actually get?

Three is usually the right number for a domestic job. Two gives you a comparison but no tiebreaker. Beyond four you tend to get diminishing returns and a lot of your own time spent administering quotes. If the job is large, three written quotes on the same brief is plenty to see the shape of the market.

Is the cheapest quote ever the right one?

Sometimes, yes. If the brief was detailed and the scope matches, a lower number can simply reflect lower overheads or a provider who does this exact job constantly. The question is never "is this cheap" but "why is this cheap". If the provider can explain it and the scope lines up, the price is not the problem.

What if a provider will not put a quote in writing?

Treat it as a genuine warning sign. A written quote is the single best protection available in a trade job, because it fixes what was agreed. If someone will not email you a scope and a price, you have no way to prove what was promised, and no way to compare them fairly against anyone else.

Do I have to accept the lowest price if I asked for quotes?

No. A quote is an offer, not a binding commitment on you. You are free to choose on any basis — price, availability, references, or simply who you would rather have in your house. Getting a quote does not oblige you to accept it, and a provider who suggests otherwise is wrong.

Can I negotiate after the quotes come in?

You can ask, and there is no harm in it, but understand what you are negotiating. The price is a function of the specification, so the most effective way to reduce it is to reduce or clarify the scope rather than argue about the number. Ask what could come out of the job to bring the price down, and get the revised scope in writing.

What Matters Most

The habit that matters is writing the brief before you ring anyone. It takes twenty minutes and it changes the entire exercise, because it turns a set of numbers into a set of comparable offers. Providers who quote against a clear brief tend to be the ones who turn up, communicate and finish.

Then compare on scope, exclusions, allowances, credentials and start date — not on the total alone. The cheapest quote is frequently the one with the narrowest scope, and the difference between the highest and lowest number is usually the difference in what was assumed rather than the difference in profit margin.

Finally, keep everything in writing. The quote, the variations, the payment schedule, the emails. If something goes wrong later, that paper trail is what turns a disagreement into a claim you can actually make.