A door quote that looks complete on the first page is often the least comparable one in the tender. Two suppliers can both write "interior hinged doors, supply only" and deliver entirely different packages: one includes frames, architraves and ironmongery, the other lists them as variations you will price again later. Before you compare numbers, work through the items below so every line in a standard interior hinged door quotation means the same thing on both sides of the comparison table.

1. Openings, sizes and how they were taken

Check that the quote is built from a door schedule rather than a room count. Each opening should carry its own reference, clear opening width and height, wall build-up and floor finish level, because a 10 mm difference in finished floor level changes leaf height and clearance. Made-to-measure production means the schedule is the order document, so ask which dimensions the supplier used and whether they were site-taken or taken from drawings. If your windows and doors schedule lists several door types together — hinged, sliding, concealed — confirm that the pricing line covers only the type you are awarding.

Also confirm what happens when a size falls outside the quoted band. Suppliers often price a standard range and add a surcharge for oversize or narrow leaves; ask for that rate now instead of discovering it after award.

2. What is actually inside the price

Read the inclusions line by line. A usable door set quotation should state the leaf, the frame or lining, architraves or casing on one or both sides, ironmongery (hinges, lock body, keep, handle, strike), closers or magnets if specified, and any ventilation provision such as undercut or transfer grilles for bathrooms and utility rooms. Where a line simply says "door set complete", request the itemised breakdown before you sign.

Finish is the second trap. The same leaf construction can be quoted as unfinished substrate, laminated face, lacquered surface or veneer, and those are not interchangeable on site. Specify the face construction, edge treatment and colour reference in the quote itself, and note whether touch-up kit and matching sealant are supplied.

3. Hardware assumptions and interface responsibility

Ask which hardware is pre-cut or pre-mortised and which is fitted on site, and who supplies it if your project specifies a particular lever set or access control device. Frame preparation for electric strikes, hinge weight against the leaf weight, and fire or acoustic rating are all interface points where a cheap line item becomes a variation order. If the door must sit flush with the wall finish, that is a different detail from a standard hinged set — a flush hinged door carries concealed hinges and a different frame detail, so do not let it be priced as if it were the same product.

4. Packaging, delivery and site handling

Door sets are damaged in transit more often than they are damaged in use, so the packaging specification belongs in the quote: edge protection, interleaving, pallet configuration and leaf orientation. For an overseas order, ask how the consignment is consolidated with other joinery and interior fixtures, which documents accompany it, and what the delivery address and access conditions are. A door and joinery delivery arranged door to door should name the last-mile carrier and the unloading arrangement, otherwise the site team inherits a cost that was never quoted.

5. Tolerance, snagging and after-sales terms

Confirm the manufacturing tolerance stated for leaf and frame, the procedure when an opening on site is out of square, and who pays for remedial work in each case. Then check the warranty wording: what it covers, how a claim is raised, and whether replacement leaves or spare ironmongery can be re-ordered later in the same finish. If installation is included or supervised, the quote should separate supply from fixing so you know which party answers snags.

6. Comparing quotes on a like-for-like basis

Rebuild every quotation into the same columns: openings covered, set composition, face finish, hardware provision, packaging, delivery terms, tolerance and after-sales. Differences of a few percent usually disappear once missing items are added back; what remains is a genuine price difference. Where your project also needs matching wardrobes, panelling or built-in joinery, ask the supplier to quote the door schedule together with the rest of the interior fixtures package — one coordinated order keeps finishes, tolerances and delivery windows consistent across trades.

Before you award

Send the supplier your door schedule, your finish specification and your hardware schedule, and ask them to confirm each of the six points above in writing. A quotation that answers all of them is comparable; one that does not will be re-priced after the contract is signed.