How to brief a contractor so you get the right quote

Tell them your cooking, your system and your access, state that you want the whole system cleaned to TR19 Grease with records, and let them survey the system - so the quote reflects the real job. A good brief gives the contractor what they need to quote accurately: (1) your cooking (type and volume, which drives the grease loading); (2) your system (size, ductwork layout and length, fan location); and (3) your access (access panels, how the fan is reached). State clearly what you want covered - the whole system (canopy, filters, ductwork, fan), cleaned to the TR19 Grease standard, with the report, photographs and certificate. And best of all, let the contractor survey or see the system before quoting, so they assess the real system themselves. A clear brief plus a survey gets an accurate, complete quote with no surprises. So brief them on your cooking, system and access, the scope you want, and let them survey. So tell them the job and let them survey. This is general commentary.

The cooking (type and volume), the system (size, ductwork, fan location) and the access (panels, fan access) - the things that determine the real work of cleaning your specific system. An accurate quote reflects the real work, which depends on: your cooking (heavy, greasy or solid-fuel cooking loads the system faster - a bigger job - than light cooking); your system (its size, the ductwork's length and complexity, where the fan is); and your access (whether there are adequate access panels, and whether the fan is easily reached or needs working at height). These factors shape how much work the clean involves. So the contractor needs to know them to quote the real job - which you convey by describing them and, best of all, letting the contractor survey the system to assess them directly. So the contractor needs your cooking, system and access details to quote accurately. So the cooking, system and access. This is general commentary.

Because a survey lets them assess the real system directly - the size, ductwork, access, grease loading and fan - so the quote is accurate and complete, rather than based on a description that may miss things. When a contractor surveys the system, they see it for themselves: the scale, the ductwork layout and length, the access (panels and fan), the grease loading, the fan's location and condition. So a quote based on a survey reflects the actual system, not just your description (which may miss factors you don't know to mention, like inadequate access or a hard-to-reach fan). This makes it the surest basis for an accurate, complete quote with no surprises. A good contractor will want to survey before quoting, knowing a blind quote is a guess. So letting them survey gets you a reliable quote for the real job. So a survey conveys the real system, for an accurate quote. So it lets them quote the real system. This is general commentary.

Yes - giving each the same clear brief (and letting each survey the system) means their quotes are for the same defined job, so you can compare them like for like. To compare quotes fairly, they need to be for the same job - otherwise you're comparing different assumptions (one quoting the whole system, another only the visible parts). So give each contractor the same clear brief: the same information about your cooking, system and access, and the same statement of what you want covered (the whole system, to TR19 Grease, with records). And let each survey the system. Then their quotes are for the same defined work, so you can compare them like for like - on value and quality, not on who assumed the least. This is the basis for a fair comparison. So yes - the same brief to each gives comparable quotes. So yes - so you compare like for like. This is general commentary.

That's fine - tell the contractor what you do know, and let them survey the system to assess the rest; a survey conveys the details directly, so you don't need to know everything yourself. You don't have to be an expert on your extraction to get a good quote. Tell the contractor what you know (your cooking, roughly your system and access), and be honest about what you're unsure of. Then let the contractor survey or see the system - which is exactly how they establish the details you don't know (the ductwork layout, the access, the grease loading, the fan). A survey means the contractor assesses the real system themselves, so gaps in your own knowledge don't lead to an inaccurate quote. So not knowing all the details is a good reason to facilitate a survey - it fills in what you can't. So tell them what you know and let them survey for the rest. So let a survey fill in what you don't know. This is general commentary.

It sets clear expectations for the job (the whole system, to standard, with records), which the work and the audit can then be checked against - so briefing well helps ensure and verify a proper clean, not just a good quote. A clear brief defines the job: the whole system, cleaned to TR19 Grease, with the report, photographs and certificate. This does more than get an accurate quote - it sets the agreed scope and standard for the work, which you can then hold the contractor to and check against (auditing the delivered work against the brief, as in the auditing page). So a good brief is the foundation of the whole engagement: it gets the right quote, sets clear expectations, and gives you the basis to verify the work was done as agreed. So briefing well helps ensure and prove a proper clean, not just price it. So it sets expectations to hold the work to. So it defines the job to check the work against. This is general commentary.