Bill of quantities (BOQ)

A bill of quantities (BOQ) is an itemized list of the materials, parts and labor — with measured quantities for each — required to build a construction project. It is typically organized by trade or work section and serves two main purposes: pricing bids (each line gets a unit cost, so the sum is the estimate) and controlling procurement (purchase orders and deliveries are checked against the quantities that were bid). A BOQ can be produced manually from a takeoff, or generated automatically by AI takeoff software that counts and measures directly from the plans. On unit-price contracts the BOQ also becomes the payment basis, since progress is billed against the measured quantities actually installed.

Related term: AI blueprint takeoff