An interior design BOQ in Bangladesh should tell you what work is included, how it is measured, how much is allowed, the rate for each unit, and the resulting amount. Read it in this order: document details, scope sections, item descriptions, units, quantities, unit rates, totals, exclusions, taxes, payment terms, and variation rules.
Do not begin with the grand total. A low total can hide missing hardware, vague materials, unpriced work, or provisional quantities. A higher total may include design, production, delivery, installation, supervision, and taxes. The BOQ reveals the difference.
This homeowner guide explains each column and contract term without turning your home into a public tender. For the broader process, read the planned interior design guide for Bangladesh.
What Is a BOQ?
BOQ means Bill of Quantities, a structured schedule used to describe and price work. Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority guidance says it should provide enough quantity information for accurate pricing and a basis for valuing completed work. Its sample includes an item number, description, unit, quantity, unit rate, and amount.
A home interior BOQ can be simpler than a government works document. Still, every meaningful amount should connect to a room, component, quantity, and specification. Drawings and commercial terms complete the picture.
The Six Core BOQ Columns
| Column | What it should show | What you should check |
|---|---|---|
| Item number | A unique reference | Can both parties identify the same line quickly? |
| Description | Work, material, finish, and installation scope | Is the item specific enough to approve? |
| Unit | How the work is measured | Does the unit suit the item? |
| Quantity | Measured or allowed amount | Can it be traced to a drawing or count? |
| Unit rate | Price for one unit | What materials, labour, and charges are included? |
| Amount | Quantity multiplied by rate | Is the arithmetic correct and is tax treatment clear? |
The BPPA standard works document uses this pattern and notes that quantities may be provisional in an admeasurement contract. Your agreement should state whether payment is fixed against an approved scope or adjusted to verified quantities.
Step 1: Check the Document Identity
First confirm that the BOQ belongs to your project. The header should identify the client, property, date, version, company, and drawings used for measurement.
Look for a validity period. On a revision, the version and date should make the current document obvious. Do not approve a total copied from an older design.
Check whether it is a preliminary estimate, approved quotation, or final measured BOQ. These are not interchangeable.
Step 2: Read the Section Summary
A clear BOQ groups items by room, trade, or both. Sections may cover preliminaries, civil work, ceiling, electrical, lighting, cabinetry, furniture, painting, glass, metal, curtains, transport, and handover.
Grouping exposes omissions. If the design shows a TV unit but no line appears, ask whether it is excluded or hidden in a lump sum. BPPA recommends grouping work when location, access, timing, or method creates different cost considerations.
Compare the summary with your room list and drawings. Correct arithmetic cannot repair a missing room or trade.
Step 3: Test Every Item Description
The description is the heart of a BOQ line. “Kitchen cabinet” is too vague. Identify the location or type, body material, shutter finish, relevant grade, hardware, edge treatment, and whether supply and installation are included.
The line can refer to a drawing, material schedule, sample, or specification. The documents must agree.
Ask whether another qualified team could price the line without guessing. “Premium,” “best,” and “standard” are not measurable specifications on their own.
Step 4: Understand the Unit
The unit explains how the quantity is built. You may see square feet, running feet, numbers, sets, points, or lump sums. Formal Bangladesh public works guidance uses the metric system unless unavoidable. Never infer a unit from the number.
| Unit you may see | Typical use | Check before approval |
|---|---|---|
| Square foot or square metre | Panels, paint, ceiling, flooring, or countertops | Is measurement based on visible face, plan area, or supplied sheet area? |
| Running foot or metre | Skirting, ledges, channels, or linear cabinets | What depth or profile is included? |
| Number or each | Lights, handles, sockets, or fittings | Are accessories and installation included? |
| Set | A grouped functional assembly | List every component within the set |
| Point | Electrical or data outlet work | Define cable, conduit, switch, plate, and connection scope |
| Lump sum | A complete defined task | Request a breakdown if the scope is complex |
Mixed units work when the measurement rule is written. “Sft” may mean floor area in one line and cabinet face area in another.
Step 5: Verify the Quantity Against Drawings
Quantities should come from approved dimensions, counts, or allowances. Check wardrobes against elevations, ceilings against plans, lights against layouts, and furniture against schedules.
For cabinetry, ask whether measurement uses width by height, running length, modules, or a complete unit. Confirm lofts, side panels, backs, partitions, and decorative ends. For wall finishes, ask how openings and preparation are treated.
BPPA guidance says quantities should generally be computed net from drawings. A private contract may differ, but it should state whether wastage sits in the quantity, rate, or a separate line.
Step 6: Ask What the Unit Rate Includes
A unit rate may include labour, consumables, fabrication, hardware, finishing, loading, transport, installation, supervision, overhead, and applicable taxes. It may also exclude several items.
Ask for one rate inclusion rule, plus line-specific exceptions. Bangladesh PWD publishes civil and electro-mechanical Schedules of Rates with separate item descriptions. They are not private home price lists, but they illustrate itemised pricing.
If a rate seems unusually low, check whether finishing, hardware, installation, or delivery appears elsewhere. The amount may not cover a completed result.
Step 7: Review Lump Sums, Allowances, and Provisional Sums
A lump sum can work for a clearly defined scope. Request a breakdown when it hides several tasks.
An allowance is a placeholder for an unselected item. A provisional sum covers work not yet confirmed. Record the assumption, deadline, adjustment method, and approver.
BPPA recognises provisional sums for contingencies or possible price increases. Keep them visible in a home contract.
Step 8: Find Exclusions and Owner-Supplied Items
Read exclusions before judging the total. They may cover appliances, air conditioning, sanitary fittings, decorative lights, furniture, curtains, repairs, plumbing, rewiring, building fees, or styling. Your quotation must state what applies.
For owner-supplied items, define who confirms dimensions, receives, stores, and installs each product. Late or mismatched purchases can affect the programme and nearby work.
Step 9: Check VAT, Taxes, and Invoice Details
The summary should state whether applicable VAT and taxes are included, excluded, or separate. Ask which invoice will be issued.
The National Board of Revenue’s VAT guidance says a tax invoice includes supplier information, supply details, quantity, value, and tax. Request the treatment relevant to your transaction in writing.
Step 10: Match Payments to Measurable Milestones
Payments should connect to progress such as design approval, material approval, production, delivery, installation, or handover. Each milestone should state what becomes due and what evidence supports it.
For measured work, define who records and confirms quantities. For fixed-price work, define which approved documents establish the scope.
Keep invoices, drawings, material approvals, site notes, and change orders together.
Step 11: Understand Variations Before Work Starts
A variation changes an approved item, quantity, specification, or scope. Terms should explain its request, price, approval, and programme effect.
Use the original item number in every change order. Record the old scope, new scope, cost difference, and time effect. Do not rely on a phone conversation.
For a remeasurable BOQ, explain how final quantities change the amount. Agree on rates for new items before execution when practical.
An Illustrative Line-by-Line Review
This example shows the review without inventing a market price.
| BOQ field | Illustrative entry | Homeowner review |
|---|---|---|
| Section | Master bedroom cabinetry | Matches the room list |
| Item | MB-WR-01 | Links to wardrobe elevation |
| Description | Full-height wardrobe, specified body and shutter finish, approved hardware, supply and installation | Confirm drawers, loft, handles, and side panels |
| Unit | Square foot, measured by agreed front elevation rule | Confirm the rule in writing |
| Quantity | From approved width and height | Recheck site measurement before production |
| Rate | Approved price per unit | Confirm hardware, transport, tax, and installation treatment |
| Amount | Quantity multiplied by rate | Check arithmetic and section subtotal |
BOQ Red Flags
- One total with no room or item breakdown.
- Descriptions that say only “premium material.”
- No link between quantities and drawings.
- Repeated use of lump sums for measurable work.
- Hardware, transport, installation, or taxes left unclear.
- No exclusion list or owner-supplied schedule.
- No quotation version or validity period.
- Verbal variation instructions with no approval record.
- Payment demands that are not tied to scope or progress.
For a full side-by-side method, use the interior quotation comparison guide. Also review what affects interior design cost in Bangladesh before deciding where to simplify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a BOQ the same as a quotation?
Not always. A quotation states an offer and commercial terms. A BOQ is the itemised quantity and pricing schedule that may form part of that quotation and, once accepted, part of the contract documents.
Should every home interior project have a BOQ?
Small, clearly defined purchases may use a simpler itemised quote. Larger or multi-room projects benefit from BOQ-style detail because several materials, trades, quantities, and approval stages must be coordinated.
Can I compare two BOQs by unit rate?
Only after confirming that the descriptions, units, specifications, inclusions, and measurement rules match. A lower rate for a different material or incomplete installation is not a like-for-like saving.
Ask for Clarity Before You Approve
DIT Studio is a residential-first Home Interior Specialist established in 2011, with 15+ years of experience and 500+ completed projects. Our process connects approved designs with documented specifications, measurable quantities, custom furniture, site coordination, and transparent commercial decisions.
Contact DIT Studio, a residential interior design company in Bangladesh, to discuss your home, or explore the planned interior design cost in Bangladesh hub. You can also read the planned guide to interior design package prices in Bangladesh and the planned low-budget interior design guide before preparing your brief.