Compare electrician quotes properly
Three electrical quotes are rarely three prices for the same job — they are three different scopes. Line yours up below, mark what each quote actually prices, and see which items are quietly missing.
Tick the items each quote explicitly prices. Not sure or can’t find it? Leave it blank — that’s the point.
| Scope item | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switchboard / main switch upgrade | |||
| Consumer mains & meter connection (incl. trenching) | |||
| Temporary builder’s supply | |||
| Power point / light point count stated (not "as per plan") | |||
| Interconnected smoke alarms to current code | |||
| RCDs / safety switches on all required circuits | |||
| Data, TV and NBN provisioning | |||
| Light fittings: supply included or owner-supplied? | |||
| External, garage and eave lighting circuits | |||
| Certificate of compliance / electrical safety certificate |
General guidance only — the checklist covers the most commonly missed items, not every line your electrical package needs. Your drawings and engineering are always the final scope.
The items electrician quotes most often leave out
A blank in a quote is not "included" — it's "unpriced", and unpriced work comes back mid-build as a variation with no competition on the price. These are the lines to hunt for in every electrical package quote before you sign:
Switchboard / main switch upgrade
Often "subject to inspection" — an upgrade discovered mid-job runs $1,500–$3,000+ at variation rates.
Consumer mains & meter connection (incl. trenching)
Underground mains need a trench. If nobody prices the dig, it lands on you between the slab and power-on.
Temporary builder’s supply
Every trade needs power from day one — a missed temp pole is a hire cost plus connection fees.
Power point / light point count stated (not "as per plan")
"As per plan" with no counts is unpriceable. Extra points at fit-off commonly bill $80–$150 each.
Interconnected smoke alarms to current code
Mandatory, inspected, and surprisingly often excluded — then added exactly when you cannot say no.
RCDs / safety switches on all required circuits
Code requirement; a quote silent on RCD count may be pricing an older standard.
Data, TV and NBN provisioning
Frequently "by others". If every quote says that, it is your cost either way — price it now.
Light fittings: supply included or owner-supplied?
A quote with fittings supplied and one without can differ thousands while looking comparable.
External, garage and eave lighting circuits
The classic scope boundary — inside is quoted, outside "wasn’t in the drawings I had".
Certificate of compliance / electrical safety certificate
Non-negotiable paperwork for certification and your handover pack. No certificate, no final payment.
How to read your result
The comparison above is the first pass of the levelling method: make every quote answer the same scope list, then compare. When the tool finds blanks, don't cross that quote off — send each electrician their blank lines and ask for prices in writing. An honest contractor fills them in quickly; evasion ("we'll sort it on site") is information too. For the full line-by-line version across every item in your drawings, use the free levelling spreadsheet — and the quote comparison guide walks the whole method.