Build a polytunnel budget from the whole quote

This worksheet compares the costs you have been given. It does not estimate current market prices or decide which structure, fixing system or installation service is suitable for your site.

Describe the package before adding prices

Give each quote a reference and a date. Record the exact model and size as written by the supplier, rather than shortening both quotes to “small polytunnel”. Save the quote or a copy of the supplied specification with your worksheet so you can check what each figure means later.

Write a short list of what you want the quoted package to cover. That might include the structure, the specified cover and doors, delivery and an installation service if you are considering one. These are headings to ask about, not a claim that a seller includes them or that your site needs a particular component.

If your bed layout is still changing, use the polytunnel size guide to sketch the space you want to discuss. The drawing is a starting point for supplier questions; it does not confirm that a quoted frame fits.

Use one row for each cost

A notebook or spreadsheet is enough. For each quote, use the same rows and distinguish three states: confirmed amount, included elsewhere, and unknown. Add a note saying where an included item is covered, so it is not counted twice.

Copy this two-column template once for each quote. Put its reference and date at the top so the records stay distinct.

Ask the supplier to confirm the final amount payable, including every compulsory charge, rather than assuming a headline figure is the amount you will pay. Record how long the quote remains valid and any conditions attached to that price. If something is unclear, leave it unresolved until you have an answer.

Worked example: compare the same shopping list

The following figures are fictional amounts chosen to demonstrate the worksheet. They are not supplier quotes, current prices or an estimate of what your project should cost.

Suppose you are comparing two packages and have chosen the same separate purchases for each:

For A, the sum is £620 + £55 + £90 = £765. For B, it is £680 + £90 = £770. A's package line is £60 lower, but the totals for this list differ by £770 − £765 = £5.

That £5 comparison is meaningful only for the stated list. It says nothing about product quality or whether the packages are equivalent. If B's delivery were unknown instead, you could write £770 plus delivery to confirm. Keep it labelled as a subtotal rather than presenting two completed totals for comparison.

Now suppose you also want an optional item with a fictional price of £45. Show it separately: A becomes £810 with the option, and B becomes £815 with the option. Keeping both versions makes the decision visible without quietly turning an optional purchase into a requirement.

Separate today's purchase from later spending

Keep a separate list for possible later purchases: items you may add, maintenance work you may pay for, and replacement parts you want to investigate. Leave the amount and timing unknown until you have relevant information. Do not assume a replacement interval or divide an invented lifetime cost into an annual figure.

For a replacement cover, the supplier-request worksheet helps organise the information needed to discuss the exact frame. A general allowance in your budget cannot establish compatibility or the cost of a future replacement. Once the tunnel is in use, keep dated spending records alongside a growing diary so you can refer back to what you bought and when.

You can also set aside an amount of your own choosing for unresolved costs. Label it as money reserved, with the unknown items listed beside it. It is not a checked estimate of what those items will cost and should not make an incomplete quote look complete.

Check the total before choosing

Read each quote against your worksheet once more. Are any rows counted both inside the package and separately? Are the optional purchases the same in both versions? Do you have a confirmed delivered total for each, or an unanswered question?

If a supplier revises the contents or price, keep the old version and date the new one. Recalculate the total from the individual rows. Once the costs are clear, return to the differences in the supplied specifications and your own requirements. The smallest sum answers a cost question; it does not settle the whole buying decision.