Schedule of works: what it is, and why you need one.

In simple terms, a schedule of works is a list of the work required to complete a project.

Together with the plans and specifications, it forms the basis of a contract between the employer and the contractor to deliver the project. On time and on budget.

It differs from a bill of quantities in that it is priced by item rather than by quantity. With a schedule of works, the contractor is responsible for getting the quantities correct, not the employer, so the liability passes to them.

Albeit with a proviso. The employer still needs to hone the specifics and reference them accordingly. The schedule should be clear and accurate, and the contractor should be able to determine easily what the job entails and what materials are needed. Any obscurity gives the contractor the opportunity to relinquish some of that liability.

Whether you're a homeowner or a property investor, it's a good idea to have a proper schedule of works for your project. That way your contractor knows exactly what they need to do.

There is no single legal format, which is why people search for a template and find twenty different ones. What matters is that each line is specific enough to price and specific enough to argue about later.

Work through the property in a logical order, usually room by room and then externals, and for each item state the location, the task, the material or specification, and who supplies it. A line reading 'kitchen: new sockets' is worth very little. A line reading 'kitchen: six double sockets, brushed steel, positions per drawing 04, contractor to supply' can be priced, checked and enforced.

Cover the sequence as well as the tasks: strip out, first fix, plaster, second fix, decoration, snagging. Say what is excluded as clearly as what is included, because exclusions are where most arguments start. And state how variations get agreed, in writing, before the work happens rather than after it.

On a HMO add the compliance items explicitly. Fire doors, intumescent strips and closers, emergency lighting, interlinked alarms. Those are the lines that get left out and then cost the most to put right, as the video below shows.

The video is an example of what can happen when communication breaks down between the employer and the contractor, and the reason a schedule of works would have been good to refer back to.

The property is a 4-bed HMO that had been described as newly refurbished. The tenants were about to move in. John was asked to properly assess it beforehand.

4:01 · Fire doors should be fitted with intumescent strips, which expand when exposed to heat, preventing the spread of fire and smoke. These doors don't have them. Nor do they have door closers.

5:04 · When a chimney is removed, a steel and padstones are needed to support the remaining brickwork. No steel has been installed here. A contractor should know to install one. Were they instructed to?

7:24 · Fire safety is a huge part of any building design, in particular HMO design, where unrelated people live together. So when emergency lighting is fitted, it needs to work properly.

8:30 · It's best practice to fit a fire door where there is a high risk of fire, like a kitchen. But there's no fire door here.

11:31 · If you're going to repair something, do it properly. This poorly applied sealant is actually adding to the existing problem.

12:24 · There can be no excuses for this awful attempt at a repair. But did the employer give sufficient instruction in the schedule?

13:47 · This rotten fascia board is allowing the potential access of creatures and rain. But was a new fascia board part of the schedule of works?

14:33 · Pooling on a flat roof is a classic sign that it is holding too much water. Here, the poor repair jobs are causing internal damp problems.

16:47 · Good design and planning are essential. There should be no need for extension leads if careful thought is given to the design.

As John describes in the video, a schedule of works isn't a mandatory requirement. It is, however, very advisable.

Ultimately the problems identified in this HMO need to be put right before tenants can move in. But without the relevant paperwork in place, responsibility becomes a grey area. Without a schedule of works there is no reference point. The employer can claim the works were asked for. The contractor can claim otherwise.

You could argue that a good, honest contractor should alert the employer to any issues regardless of whether they appear in a schedule, because they are in the best position to know what work is needed. As in the video, where a steel should have been inserted when the chimney was removed. It shouldn't come down to cost, or an item on a list. It should absolutely be about the safety of the tenants.

But in the absence of a formal written contract there is scope for uncertainty and supposition. A schedule of works helps eliminate the ambiguity.

A bill of quantities, sometimes referred to as a BoQ or BQ, gives measured quantities of the items identified by the plans and specifications. As the name suggests, it is usually produced by a quantity surveyor.

In layman's terms a bill of quantities is like an itemised bill. A schedule of works, in contrast, provides totals for the various stages of the project, rip-out, decoration and so on, and then a final total.

There are two types of bill of quantities.

A firm bill of quantities. The work required is measured and described precisely, so it can be priced much more accurately, and consequently those prices are more reliable.

An approximate bill of quantities. Less accurate, as the name reflects. It is usually used where there is insufficient information to prepare a firm bill at the time of pricing, and the quantities are subject to re-measurement on completion.

A clear and accurate schedule of works, together with the supporting plans and specifications, should form the basis of a solid and fair contract. It is also a means of passing liability for quantifying the project to the contractor.

Which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good in the sense that it mitigates risk for an employer who is unsure of the correct amount of materials needed. Bad in the sense that quotes from different contractors can vary enormously, because they are not itemised.

Unless the employer states the exact item they require, it is open to interpretation. One contractor might price for a cheap version of an item. Another might price for a more expensive version of the same item. In which case you may decide a bill of quantities suits you better.

Either way, when it comes to obtaining quotes from different contractors, make sure you're comparing apples with apples.