Start with the problem the quote is meant to solve, not the headline total. For consumer unit replacement, a useful proposal identifies the property or site context, the visible condition and what was actually inspected. If two firms have assumed different starting points, their totals are not yet comparable.
Compare the included work, exclusions, materials or system choices, access assumptions and the evidence offered for similar jobs. Ask which findings could change the scope and how that change would be agreed. This matters more than a generic claim to be best, fastest or cheapest in Birmingham.
The handover should also be explicit: records, care guidance, certification where relevant and the route for reporting a problem. This demonstration avoids invented prices and guarantees. A live electrician customer must replace it with current practice and approved factual evidence.