A quotation becomes useful when you can explain what its total includes. Two offers with similar photographs may describe different materials, quantities or delivery arrangements. Before choosing between them, bring the details into a common comparison. The aim is to understand the option you are approving and the questions that remain open.

The checklist below is a way to prepare that discussion. Agree which comparisons and documents belong in your service scope; it does not describe a fixed package of deliverables.

Start with the same scope

Give each quotation a date, version and supplier reference. List the rooms and items covered, and identify anything deliberately excluded. A dining set might include a table and six chairs in one offer, while another lists the table alone. Compare those contents before comparing the totals.

Separate furniture purchases from sourcing or coordination services. Ask which party supplies each item, who issues the quotation and which questions should go through your main contact. Keep an expired offer or an earlier revision out of the active comparison.

Compare specifications before appearance

A product photograph is a useful reference, but it leaves important details unanswered. Put the proposed dimensions, materials and finish references beside each option. For upholstered pieces, identify the configuration and proposed upholstery; for tables, distinguish the surface description from the base and supporting construction.

Useful fields include:

  • Item reference, room and quantity.
  • Dimensions, units and any measurement still to be checked.
  • Proposed materials, finish codes and sample references.
  • Components, accessories or custom changes included.
  • Supplier questions that could change the specification or price.

For example, two tables described as stone may have different construction and care requirements. Ask for the specific proposal instead of assuming that a shared description makes the products equivalent. These questions fit the selection and confirmation stage.

Make the cost breakdown readable

Record the quoted currency, unit price, quantity and line total. Ask how the quote treats requested customisation, packing, samples and other stated extras. Keep service fees separate enough to understand what they cover. Where a cost is provisional, label the assumption rather than presenting it as settled.

Then check which transport, handling, insurance, destination charges or taxes are included, excluded or awaiting confirmation. Those items depend on the proposed arrangements and destination. An unexplained blank should become a question, not an assumed zero. Avoid comparing a product-only total with a figure that includes additional services as though they cover the same scope.

Identify the handovers

Ask where the supplier's delivery responsibility ends and who coordinates the next step. Clarify proposed collection, consolidation, inspection, shipping, unloading and installation arrangements where relevant. Record which party is responsible for each agreed task and what still requires a separate quotation.

Discuss timing in stages: selection approval, production, checks and transport. Keep an estimated period distinct from a confirmed commitment. Before approving an order, review payment terms, quotation validity and the remaining conditions with the relevant party. The order approval stage provides a useful point to bring those decisions together.

Close questions before approving

Keep a short open-questions list with the item, question, responsible contact and next action. When an answer changes the proposal, request a revised reference rather than relying on a conversation alongside an outdated total. Link the accepted quotation to the written selection confirmation.

Discuss how decisions will appear in project updates, including the reporting stages and frequency. At Juhaus, service scope, fees and applicable terms are explained first; the project-team video meeting is booked after the agreed service payment is confirmed. Share your sourcing brief to discuss the appropriate next step.