How to Compare Fire and Security Installation Quotes
Fire and security installation quotes can list identical equipment and still price two different jobs. The difference usually sits in the scope around the kit: who runs the cable route, who repairs the walls and ceilings afterwards, and which working hours the price assumes. Until those items match, the cheaper total tells you very little.This guide is for facilities managers, fit-out teams and procurement leads who need to compare fire and security installation quotes fairly. It covers what to check, what to ask each contractor in writing, and how to bring every bid onto the same scope.
In short:
- Compare scope before you compare totals.
- Check three items first: containment and cable route, making good, and working hours.
- Treat “by others” as a cost that still lands on your project.
- Send every bidder the same written answers, then ask for a confirmed price.
- Tell your site team which tasks now sit with them.
Why do fire and security installation quotes for the same kit differ?
Quotes differ because each contractor fills the gaps in your enquiry with their own assumptions. A drawing shows where a door reader goes. It rarely says who opens the ceiling to reach it.
One contractor prices the full job, including the awkward parts. Another prices supply, fix and connect, and assumes the main contractor handles everything else. Both are reasonable readings of an unclear brief. Both quotes look complete on paper.
The same thing happens across fire alarm, access control, CCTV and intruder alarm work. Fire and security installation quotes are normally built from an equipment schedule, and equipment is the easy part to price. The labour around it depends on the building: the ceiling type, the wall construction, the distance to the nearest power supply, and whether the space is occupied.
The gap only shows on site. Somebody asks who is providing the trunking, and the answer is nobody. At that point you pay for a variation, a delay, or both. On a live fit-out programme, a missing cable route can hold up ceiling closure for every other trade.
Which scope items change the price most?
Three items account for most of the difference between two quotes for the same equipment. Check these before anything else.
Containment and cable route
Containment is the conduit, trunking or cable tray that carries and protects the cables. The cable route is the path those cables take from the control equipment to each device.
Ask who supplies and installs the containment, and who prepares the route. Preparation can include lifting ceiling tiles, drilling through walls and working above finished ceilings. If a quote says “containment by others”, the cost has not disappeared. It has moved to another package, and that contractor needs to know the route, the cable sizes and the date it is required. Whoever installs it, the containment and cabling must meet BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. The current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
Making good
Making good means returning walls, ceilings and finishes to their original condition after the work. That covers filling chases, replacing damaged tiles, and repainting where fixings or cables have disturbed a surface.
Where cables pass through fire-resisting walls or floors, the openings must also be sealed with a suitable fire-stopping product. In England, Approved Document B sets out the building regulations guidance on fire safety, including the protection of openings in compartment walls and floors. The employer, owner or occupier is responsible for fire safety in business premises, so it pays to know who is sealing each opening. A quote that excludes making good may also exclude fire stopping, so ask about both. Ask who inspects and signs off the finished surfaces too, because disputes over making good often come down to nobody owning the final check.
Working hours
Every price assumes a working pattern. Normal weekday hours cost less than evenings, nights or weekends. In an occupied office, school or care setting, noisy or disruptive work often has to happen out of hours.
Ask which hours the price assumes and how out-of-hours work is charged. A quote built on weekday access can look much cheaper than one that allows for the hours your building needs. Check whether the price also covers permits, security escorts or key holding for work outside normal hours.
Other items worth checking
- Access equipment: towers, podiums or lifts for high-level work.
- Power supplies: who provides the fused spur for each panel or controller.
- Commissioning and handover: testing, certificates, drawings and user training on the system. Check whether ongoing service and maintenance is quoted separately.
- Integration: links to the fire alarm, lifts or existing door hardware.
- Site attendance: the number of visits allowed if other trades run late.
A worked example: one door reader, two prices
Here is how the gap looks in practice. The figures are illustrative.
Two contractors quote for a single access control door. Both include the reader, controller and lock, the cabling to the door, and programming and testing.
- Contractor A quotes £2,480. The price includes the conduit and cable route, making good walls and ceilings, and out-of-hours working.
- Contractor B quotes £1,690. The conduit and cable route are by others, making good is by others, and the price assumes normal hours only.
On totals alone, Contractor B is £790 cheaper. Now add what Contractor B left out. Suppose the main contractor charges £450 for the route and £300 for making good, and the out-of-hours uplift is £250. The true cost of option B is £2,690, which is £210 more than Contractor A.
Neither quote is wrong. They simply price different jobs. This is why fire and security installation quotes should be read line by line, with the exclusions weighed as carefully as the total.
What should you ask before comparing fire and security installation quotes?
Ask each contractor to confirm three things in writing. You can copy these questions straight into an email.
- Who provides the conduit or trunking and prepares the cable route?
- Who makes good walls, ceilings and fire stopping after the work?
- Which working hours does the price assume, and how is out-of-hours work priced?
Written answers matter. A verbal assurance on a site walk is hard to rely on once the installation is under way. A written clarification becomes part of the order, and it gives both sides a clear reference if the scope is questioned later.
How to compare fire and security installation quotes in five steps
Use the same process on every tender, whatever the system.
- List the scope items. Start with containment, cable route, making good, fire stopping and working hours. Add the other items above.
- Ask each contractor to confirm their position in writing. For every item, ask whether it is included, excluded or assumed to be by others.
- Decide where each item should sit. Some tasks belong with the main contractor. Others are better left with the specialist. Make the decision once, for the whole project.
- Send every bidder the same answers. Issue one clarification to all contractors at the same time, and ask each to confirm or revise their price.
- Brief your site team. Tell them which tasks now sit with them, so the work is programmed before the installer arrives.
Clear scope also supports your wider duties as a client. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, commercial clients must make suitable arrangements for managing their project, including allowing sufficient time and resources for each stage. Contractors, in turn, have an important role in planning, managing and monitoring their work. Both duties are easier to meet when the scope is written down.
Frequently asked questions
Why is one fire and security quote so much cheaper than another?
The cheaper quote usually covers less work. Check the exclusions and assumptions section first. Items marked “by others”, such as containment and making good, still have to be paid for somewhere in the project.
What does “by others” mean on an installation quote?
“By others” means the contractor has not priced that item and expects somebody else to do it. That is normally the main contractor, the electrical contractor or the client’s own team.
What does making good include?
Making good covers repairing surfaces disturbed by the installation. Typical items are filling holes and chases, replacing ceiling tiles and touching up paint. Fire stopping is sometimes listed separately, so confirm it is covered.
Should I always choose the quote that includes everything?
Not always. If your main contractor already has ceilings open and a decorator on site, it can cost less to keep the route and making good with them. What matters is that every item has a named owner.
Do fire and security installation quotes include VAT?
Commercial quotes are normally shown excluding VAT. Check that every quote uses the same basis, and that the validity period is long enough to cover your approval process.
How many quotes should I get for a fire or security installation?
Three is a common number for commercial work. The number matters less than the scope. Three quotes on matching scope are more useful than five that each assume something different.
When should I involve a fire and security contractor in a fit-out?
Involve one at design stage, before ceilings and walls are closed. Early input lets cable routes go in alongside other first-fix work, which reduces making good and out-of-hours costs later.
Get your tender scope checked before pricing
A fair comparison starts with a clear scope. Agree the cable route, the making good and the working hours first, and the fire and security installation quotes you receive will be priced on the same work.
Full Circuit Fire & Security is SSAIB certified, BAFE accredited and CHAS approved, and installs and maintains fire and security systems for commercial sites across the North West and Yorkshire. If you are putting together a fire and security tender, we can review the drawings and help clarify what the installation scope needs to cover. See how we support facilities management teams, then contact us or call 01254 665 766 to talk through your project.