Home / Materials & procurement
Materials, and the margin hiding in how you buy them
The same tonne of Type 1 does not cost the same from two suppliers twenty miles apart. On a job where materials are a third of the value, that spread is the difference between a thin margin and a real one — and most firms never see it, because they ring the merchant they always ring. This page is about where the variance comes from and how to make it work for you.
Where the price difference comes from
It is rarely one supplier being greedy. Four things move a delivered price, and only one of them is the headline rate.
- Haulage. Aggregates are heavy and cheap per tonne, so transport is a large share of what you actually pay. The nearest quarry frequently beats the cheapest quoted rate once it is on the ground.
- Volume. Full loads price differently to part loads, and a programme priced as one order prices differently to the same material bought six times.
- Terms. An account with agreed credit is a different price to a cash purchase, and the difference is not always in your favour if the terms are carrying a risk premium.
- When it was agreed. A rate agreed nine months ago is not today's rate, in either direction. Material prices move and old rates go stale quietly.
What we run on this
Supplier match
Describe what the job needs and see how many verified suppliers we hold against it, and in which categories. It returns counts and categories, then an introduction on request — the network is the asset, so it is never handed over as a list.
Match a requirement →Aggregates & drainage
Type 1 and Type 3 sub-base, ballast, sharp and building sand, shingle, clean stone, recycled fill and hardcore. Below ground: pipe, chambers, gullies and channel. Supplied to site through vetted suppliers at the rate quoted.
Ask for a supply price →Priced straight off the BOQ
Where a bill is already written, the material lines can be matched to suppliers directly from it — so procurement starts from measured quantities rather than a phone call and a guess.
Price a bill first →Aggregates and drainage supply
This is the part of the business that has been running longest, and it still runs. Aggregates and drainage materials are supplied to site across the UK through a network of vetted suppliers, at the rate quoted rather than a rate that drifts between order and delivery.
What gets supplied, in practice: MOT Type 1 and Type 3 granular sub-base; ballast, sharp and building sand, shingle and clean stone; recycled Type 1 and crushed concrete where the spec allows it and the saving is real; and the below-ground drainage package — PVC-u foul and surface pipe, perforated land drain, precast and plastic chambers, gullies, channel drain and soakaway systems.
Where the job needs the whole package rather than a delivery, groundworks and civils are carried out directly — excavation and muck-away, drainage runs, sub-base laid and compacted, kerbs and edgings.
Buying well is a sequence, not a phone call
- Measure first. Quantities from the drawing, not from memory. Over-ordering aggregate is money left on a verge; under-ordering is a second delivery charge and a lost day.
- Price the bill to decide. Find out whether the job clears your margin before spending a week on procurement — see estimating.
- Then get real quotes on the lines that matter. Usually a handful of items carry most of the value. Firm those; do not chase a fiver on ironmongery.
- Check who you are buying from. A supplier going under mid-programme costs more than any price difference. The same solvency check that works on subcontractors works on suppliers.
Questions
Why does the same material cost different amounts?
Haulage distance from the quarry or depot, order volume, account terms, and how recently the price was agreed. Aggregates are heavy and low-value per tonne, so transport is a large share of delivered cost — which is why the nearest supplier often beats the cheapest headline rate.
Do you publish supplier contact details?
No. The supplier match tells you how many verified suppliers we hold for a requirement and in which categories. Introductions are made on request. The network is the asset and we do not hand it out as a list.
What aggregates and drainage materials do you supply?
Type 1 and Type 3 sub-base, ballast, sharp and building sand, shingle, clean stone, recycled fill and hardcore, plus below-ground drainage — pipe, chambers, gullies and channel — supplied to site through vetted suppliers at the rate quoted.
Can you price materials for a tender before I bid?
Yes, and it is the right order of operations. Price the bill first to see whether the job is worth your time, then firm up the material lines with real quotes before anything is submitted.
Do you supply outside your own contracts?
Yes — supply-only is a service in its own right, not something bundled only into jobs we are also building.
Tell us what the job needs
Quantities, site postcode and dates. We come back with a supply price, or an introduction to suppliers who can hold it.
See what we hold for your requirement
Describe what the job needs and get a straight answer on how many verified suppliers match it. Free, no account, no list handed out.