Pricing and quoting, 29 October 2026
Getting material prices from several merchants without ringing round
The fastest way to get prices from several builders merchants is to stop phoning. Write one materials list with exact specs and quantities, email or message it to two or three merchants at the same time with a reply deadline, and compare the answers line by line. Then keep a price list built from your real invoices so most quotes need no ringing round at all.
Why does ringing round take so long?
Because each call starts from nothing. You read the list out, the counter staff key it in, someone calls back with half of it, and you chase the rest. Multiply that by three merchants and a specialist supplier and a morning has gone.
I had seven suppliers for a three-day job.
That firm reckoned on about 20 phone calls to source one short job. When the owner started comparing suppliers properly, he cut his material costs by about 30% on £300,000 to £400,000 a year of materials. The saving came from switching suppliers, and switching only happened once the prices were side by side in writing.
How do you get quotes from several merchants at once?
Send the same written request to each one. A written list gets keyed in once, by the person best placed to price it, and the replies come back in a form you can compare.
- Write the list from your take-off.
One line per item: description, size or spec, brand if it matters, quantity and unit. "Celotex GA4100 100 mm, 2400 × 1200, 14 sheets" gets a price. "Insulation for the floor" gets a phone call.
- Pick two or three merchants.
Your usual merchant, one competitor, and a specialist for the expensive line (roofing, plumbing, timber) is a good mix.
- Send it to a named person.
Most branches have a trade counter or quotes email. Ask your account manager who handles quotes.
- Set a deadline.
"Prices by 3pm tomorrow" gets a faster answer than "when you can".
- Ask for the same format back.
Ex VAT, per unit and line total, delivery charge shown, how long the price is held.
- Compare and order.
Put the replies in one table. Ask the cheapest on the lines that matter to match or beat, once.
Subject: Price request: job reference, reply by day and time Hi name, Please could you price the list below for delivery to site postcode on or around date. Item description, spec, size | quantity unit Item description, spec, size | quantity unit Item description, spec, size | quantity unit Please reply with: - Price per unit and line total, ex VAT - Delivery charge, and any pallet or crane-offload charge - Lead time for each line - How long you'll hold these prices - Any suggested equivalent if a line isn't stocked (please mark it as an alternative) Account number: account number Thanks, your name, business name, phone
How do you compare merchant quotes fairly?
Compare the delivered total for the same goods. The cheapest unit price is not the cheapest quote if one merchant adds a delivery charge, quotes a different pack size or swaps in an alternative product.
How do you keep material prices current without asking every time?
Keep a price list built from what you paid. Every merchant invoice tells you the current price of the items you buy most. If you update a simple sheet from each invoice (item, merchant, unit price, date), most quotes for regular work can be priced from it without a call.
Use it with your markup, so the price list holds cost and the quote holds cost plus your margin. Our guide to material markup for tradespeople covers what's normal. When a supplier invoice comes in higher than your list, that's a price rise you need to know about before the next quote, which is what checking supplier price rises on invoices is about.
Merchants also publish price changes. Travis Perkins, for example, has a supplier price increases page that lists the dates material prices change and points account holders to their trade account for the detail. Ask your account manager to send you notice of increases on your main lines.
How much do stale prices cost you?
On a quote held for months, enough to take a slice of the profit. The official building materials index from the Department for Business and Trade shows prices for all construction work up 5.9% in the twelve months to July 2026, with some lines rising far faster.
Source: GOV.UK, Building materials and components commentary, August 2026
A quote priced on last year's materials list
A builder quotes a £28,000 garage conversion with £8,000 of materials at cost, priced from a list that is a year old. Materials have moved in line with the all-work index.
| Materials as pricedfrom last year's list | £8,000 |
| Rise over the year£8,000 × 5.9% | £472 |
| Materials at today's prices | £8,472 |
| Profit as quoted at a 15% margin£28,000 × 15% | £4,200 |
| Profit after the price rise£4,200 − £472 | £3,728 |
Two habits protect you. Put a validity period on every quote (30 days is common), and on long jobs say in your terms that material prices are held until that date. Our page on exclusions and assumptions wording has a line you can copy.
Should you use one merchant or several?
Both. One main merchant gives you an account, credit terms and someone who knows your work. Checking two others on bigger orders keeps that merchant's prices honest. A written request makes the second and third quote cost you a few minutes, so there's little reason not to.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
For material prices, Nexley reads your merchant invoices as they arrive and keeps a price list from what you paid, so routine items are priced without a call. For bigger orders, it drafts the same written request to the merchants you choose over email, puts the replies side by side and flags any line that's gone up. You decide who gets the order.
Common questions
Will merchants give quotes by email?
Most branches will price a written list sent to the trade counter or your account manager. A clear list with specs and quantities gets priced faster than a phone call, because nothing has to be repeated or guessed.
How many merchants should I ask?
Two or three for a normal order. More than that and the comparison takes longer than the saving is worth, unless it's a large order or a single expensive line such as steel or roofing.
Do builders merchants negotiate on price?
Often, on larger orders and for regular customers. Ask once, with a competing written price in hand, and ask about fixed prices on the lines you buy most.
How long should I hold a material price on a quote?
As long as the merchant holds it to you, and no longer. If the merchant holds prices for 30 days, a quote valid for 90 days carries the risk of any rise in between.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Building materials and components commentary, August 2026
- GOV.UK: Building materials and components monthly statistics
- Travis Perkins: Supplier price increases
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Pricing and quoting
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