Comparing three quotes: a scoring sheet
Three quotes, three products, one decision. A twelve-criteria scoring sheet so the choice rests on fit and three-year cost, not the bottom line.
The short answer
Three quotes for the same brief describe three different products, and comparing their bottom lines compares nothing. A scoring sheet fixes that: twelve criteria in four groups, weights decided before reading, pass or fail on the things that cannot be traded, and three-year cost instead of build price. It takes an hour to fill in and it usually changes the order of the quotes.
The sheet
| Group | Criterion | How to score |
|---|---|---|
| Scope fit (weight: high) | 1. Everything you need is explicitly included | 0 to 5 |
| 2. Exclusions are listed | 0 to 5 | |
| 3. The approach fits the job: custom code for a site the business depends on | 0 to 5 | |
| Ownership and exit (pass or fail) | 4. Code, design and content yours on final payment, in the contract | Pass or fail |
| 5. Domain, hosting, DNS and analytics in your name | Pass or fail | |
| 6. You can leave with the site and the content, and they say how | Pass or fail | |
| Quality commitments (weight: high) | 7. Speed targets on mobile, with the tool used to verify | 0 to 5 |
| 8. Accessibility commitment with verification method | 0 to 5 | |
| 9. Security basics named: headers, spam protection, updates routine | 0 to 5 | |
| 10. Aftercare defined: what happens after launch, at what cost, with monitoring | 0 to 5 | |
| Three-year cost (weight: high) | 11. Build plus running costs times thirty-six plus aftercare plus cost of leaving | Rank: cheapest total 5, next 3, next 1 |
| 12. Payment terms tied to visible milestones | 0 to 5 |
How to run it
- Set the weights first. Before opening the quotes, agree that scope fit, quality and three-year cost weigh equally, and that ownership and exit are pass or fail.
- Send every supplier the same questions. In writing, covering all twelve criteria. Their written answers fill the sheet, not the meeting.
- Apply pass or fail. Remove any quote that fails criteria 4 to 6, whatever its price.
- Score the rest. One row at a time, all suppliers, so the scale stays consistent.
- Compute three-year totals. Build price, monthly costs times thirty-six, aftercare estimate, cost of leaving. Rank them.
- Read the result, then read your gut. If they disagree, find out which criterion your gut is weighting and decide whether it belongs on the sheet.
What usually happens
The build price is one line of a three-year total. The others are hosting, maintenance, the fixes nobody quoted for, and the rebuild that a weak foundation brings forward; a quote that leaves them out is not lower, it is shorter. A quote that scored well on impression fails ownership and leaves the comparison. And the supplier who answered all twelve questions in writing, without being chased, is usually the one whose site still works in year two, because the answers came from a routine rather than from a pitch.
What this means for you
Decide the weights, send the twelve questions, remove anything that fails ownership or exit, score the rest from written answers, and rank three-year totals. An hour of structure replaces weeks of “I think the second one seemed nicer”, and it puts the decision on the criteria that determine what the site costs and whether it stays yours.
Frequently asked questions
Why weight the criteria before reading the quotes?
Because after reading them, the weights drift towards whichever quote someone already likes. Deciding in advance that ownership is a pass or fail and that three-year cost outweighs build price keeps the comparison honest.
What if a quote does not answer a criterion?
Ask in writing. If the answer does not come, score it as a fail or a zero. A supplier who cannot state ownership terms or running costs before the contract will not state them after it either.
Should the cheapest quote get the most points on cost?
The cheapest three-year total should, not the cheapest build. Build price, running costs times thirty-six, aftercare and the cost of leaving, added up per quote. That is the number that reflects what you will pay.