A submitted quotation is an offer for a particular scope under particular conditions. Comparing totals before understanding those boundaries can reward the quotation with the most exclusions.
Establish a common basis
Write down the work that every quotation needs to cover. Include the interfaces that are easy to overlook: access, temporary works, testing, disposal, attendance and mobilisation.
Keep the original submitted value visible. Then add documented allowances for missing scope in separate columns. This preserves the distinction between the supplier's offer and the estimator's comparison.
Make the adjustment reviewable
An allowance is still an assumption. Record its source and explain whether it is based on another quotation, a resource build-up or a provisional judgement. Do not turn an uncertain adjustment into an apparently firm price simply because it sits in a spreadsheet.
For a training example, a complete quotation of 245,000 compares favourably with an offer of 228,000 that needs another 20,000 of scope. The comparable values are 245,000 and 248,000. These are illustrative figures, not market prices.
Keep commercial judgement visible
Scope normalisation does not settle every question. Programme, qualifications, delivery capacity and commercial terms may affect the decision. A useful comparison records those considerations alongside the adjusted values.
The aim is not to make every quotation look identical. It is to make the differences clear enough that the selection can be explained.