Before submission
Test the estimate against the scope, measurements, photographs, project notes, and available support while the work record is fresh.
05 · Existing estimate review
Estimate
Assurance
Find what is missing. Protect the value of the loss.
RSR compares an existing restoration or construction estimate with the available photographs, measurements, scope, invoices, project notes, and supporting records to identify omissions, incorrect quantities, component gaps, pricing concerns, duplication, and unsupported items.
At a glanceEA / 05
- Designed for
- Contractors with an existing estimate
- Starting point
- A file that needs scope and support confidence
- Primary work
- Estimate-to-record comparison and gap analysis
- Objective
- A clearer view of omissions, conflicts, and needed support
Review before the next submission.
Estimate Assurance is an independent, contractor-side review of an existing estimate against the project record. It tests whether the scope, quantities, method, components, pricing details, and support accurately represent the documented work or required repair.
When to review
The best time to find a gap is before it becomes the argument.
Estimate Assurance can be used at several points in the project lifecycle. The purpose of the review determines which records and comparisons matter most.
During a supplement
Identify the documented difference between the current estimate and the additional scope or information being organized.
During comparison
Compare contractor and carrier estimates by scope, quantity, method, components, and item definition—not only by total.
After payment friction
Determine whether an estimate omission, mismatch, unsupported item, or version problem may be contributing to the unresolved account.
The six-pass review
Read the estimate as a model of the project.
RSR tests six connected layers. A correct price on the wrong item, quantity, or method still creates an inaccurate project story.
Scope pass
Are all documented areas, materials, tasks, and phases represented?
Quantity pass
Do dimensions, counts, equipment days, labor units, and waste assumptions match the source record?
Method pass
Does the estimate reflect the documented repair or restoration sequence?
Component pass
Are the related labor, materials, protection, access, equipment, and supporting tasks present?
Price-detail pass
Do item definitions, price-list assumptions, bids, invoices, and documented market facts require closer review?
Support pass
Can each material scope decision be traced to a photograph, measurement, note, report, bid, invoice, or stated assumption?
A better comparison
Do not compare estimate totals without comparing what produced them.
Two estimates can have similar totals and represent different work. They can also have different totals because of scope, quantity, method, component, or price-detail differences. RSR makes those differences visible.
AScope difference
One estimate may include an affected area, task, trade, sequence, or repair component that another estimate omits or describes differently.
- Compare by room, area, task, and phase
- Trace each difference to the project record
- Separate missing scope from different methodology
BQuantity difference
Dimensions, counts, waste, labor units, equipment duration, or calculation methods may create meaningful differences even when line-item names look similar.
- Verify source measurements
- Check units and formulas
- Identify rounding and duplication
CItem and component difference
An item’s definition and included components matter. Related tasks may be included in one assembly, separately listed in another, or missing entirely.
- Inspect item definitions
- Check related and similar items
- Avoid counting the same component twice
DSupport difference
One estimate may be better connected to photographs, measurements, notes, bids, invoices, reports, or documented conditions. Support should be specific to the project and material issue.
- Link support to the exact scope question
- Distinguish facts from assumptions
- Identify what additional record would resolve uncertainty
Price data in context
Inspect the price-list assumptions before treating them as project facts.
Verisk states that published prices target a common job scenario, that market prices can vary, and that Xactimate users can inspect item detail and assemblies. RSR uses that context to ask whether the selected price information fits the documented project—not to promise a particular price or outcome.
What does the selected item actually include?
Review the definition, quality, components, yield assumptions, and any relevant manufacturer or model details.
Does the common scenario match this job?
Identify documented access, demand, material, labor, equipment, or sequencing facts that may require a different assumption.
What evidence explains the difference?
Use specific bids, invoices, photographs, measurements, reports, notes, or other reliable project records when they are relevant.
Trademark note
Xactimate is a registered trademark of Verisk Analytics, Inc. Randolph Strategic Restoration, LLC is not presented here as affiliated with or endorsed by Verisk.
Choose the right estimating service
New estimate or existing-estimate review?
Both services rely on project documentation, but they begin with different questions.
Build a new estimate from the project record.
Use this service when the contractor needs a detailed Xactimate estimate developed from available scope, measurements, photographs, reports, notes, and conditions.
Test an existing estimate against the project record.
Use this service when an estimate already exists and needs an omission, quantity, component, pricing-detail, duplication, or support review.
Clear scope
A review improves visibility; it does not guarantee acceptance or payment.
Within the service
- Estimate-to-record comparison
- Scope, quantity, method, and component review
- Price-detail and support review
- Omission, duplication, and inconsistency identification
- Documentation-need mapping
Outside the service
- Insurance coverage determination
- Public adjusting or settlement negotiation
- Legal advice
- Engineering opinions beyond qualifications
- Guarantees of estimate acceptance, payment, or outcome
Sources & further reading
Review the estimating principles.
These sources explain price-list methodology, Xactimate search tools, and useful pricing-feedback inputs. Sources were last checked August 2026.
Software publisher methodologyVerisk: Pricing Research Methodology
How Verisk describes price-list research, item assemblies, common job scenarios, and price inspection.
Read the methodology ↗Industry educationRIA: Xactimate Search MethodsRelated, similar, category, and division searches that can help surface overlooked items.
Visit RIA ↗Industry associationRIA: Pricing Platform FeedbackExamples of useful market information, including itemized bids, receipts, and local labor, material, and equipment costs.
Visit RIA ↗Estimate Assurance FAQ
Before RSR begins the review.
What should we provide with the estimate?
Provide the current estimate and any earlier versions, the available scope, photographs, measurements, sketches, reports, notes, invoices or bids, and the specific concern your team wants the review to address.
Will RSR compare a contractor estimate with a carrier estimate?
Yes, when the engagement fits. The comparison focuses on documented scope, quantity, method, components, price details, and support. RSR does not determine policy coverage or negotiate settlement for an insured.
Does every difference mean the estimate is wrong?
No. A difference may reflect scope, method, item definition, quantity, project conditions, price-list assumptions, or available support. The review identifies the source of the difference and what additional information may be needed.
Can RSR guarantee the reviewed estimate will be accepted?
No. RSR does not guarantee acceptance, coverage, payment, timing, or outcome. The service improves the contractor’s understanding of the estimate and the evidence connected to it.
Review before the next submission
Know what the estimate includes—and what it may have missed.
Bring the current estimate, the project record, and the question your team needs answered.