Where the days go: the gap between scoping a job and having a price

Every program has a delay report. None of them has a line for "waiting on a price".

Between knowing what a job needs and having a price you can act on, days go missing. Nobody measures that gap and nobody puts it in the delay report, but it's often where the program slips. It doesn't show up as a delay on the day. It shows up weeks later, as a late order.

Why the gap matters more now

• Large construction projects typically take 20% longer to finish than scheduled and run up to 80% over budget. (McKinsey & Company, Imagining construction's digital future)
• Lead times for transformers and other heavy electrical equipment have "basically doubled" with the global energy transition, according to Hitachi Energy Australia's managing director. (Australian Manufacturing, August 2026)

When the gear itself is months away, every week spent chasing a price comes straight off your float.

Where the days go on a typical electrical job

• Re-keying. The job is typed into the estimate, then the RFQ, then an email to each supplier, then the comparison sheet.
• Chasing. A follow-up email, then a call, then a voicemail, then another follow-up.
• Clarifying. Quotes come back in different formats, with different inclusions, and one is missing the earthing.
• Comparing. Somebody builds a like-for-like sheet by hand before anyone can make a call.

None of that is estimating. It's admin, and it sits on the critical path.

Habits that claw the days back

• Send the request the day the scope is known, even half scoped. Firm it up as answers come in.
• Price the long-lead items first: transformers, switchgear and kiosk substations, separately if you need to.
• Ask every supplier for price, lead time and inclusions in the same format, so the quotes compare like with like.
• Put a response date on every request, and follow up on the day, not the week after.
• Keep the suppliers you trust, and add one new one to every request to check the price.

Where InfraDBM fits

Put the job in once. The request goes to the suppliers you choose, and the quotes come back side by side, in AUD ex-GST, with lead times and inclusions stated. Nothing gets typed twice. It's free for buyers.