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+---
+id: 2025-12-03T15:54:22-05:00
+aliases: []
+title: 2025-12-03 15:54:22
+tags:
+  - authorship/original
+  - destiny/permanent
+  - status/draft
+  - type/timestamped
+dg-publish: true
+---
+# 2025-12-03 15:54:22
+
+## Excluding Vs. Ignoring Project Requirements
+
+#topic/estimating #topic/transparency
+
+There is a distinct difference between _excluding_ and _ignoring_ requirements.
+
+If, before award, you communicate to the customer
+that your cost does not include respect for a requirement,
+_and they understand the implications of the omission,_
+you have _excluded_ that requirement.
+
+If your cost does not include respect for a requirement,
+but you have not
+(1) communicated the omission to the customer, _and_
+(2) made a reasonable effort to inform the customer
+of the implications of the requirement's omission,
+you are _ignoring_ that requirement.
+
+_Excluding_ requirements is common practice.
+_Ignoring_ requirements is unprofessional and irresponsible.
+
+Sometimes requirements are ignored out of convenience.
+If an estimator is confident a requirement won't be enforced,
+they may ignore it to lower the estimate and save time in closeout.
+
+More ethical estimators may have no desire to ignore requirements,
+but may nonetheless feel obligated to.
+If a contractor is confident their competitors will ignore a requirement,
+they may feel that the moral high road offers two losing options:
+
+* include it and appear overpriced
+* exclude it and appear to present coverage concerns
+
+The winning strategy, as always, is open communication with the customer.
+
+> [!important]
+> Given the same project documents and your proposal,
+> a reasonably experienced estimator employed by your customer
+> should be able to replicate your takeoff with confidence.