What to put in your request
A supplier can only price what they can see. Answer these and the quotes come back for the same job, which is the only way they can be compared.
- What the job is: a repair, a replacement, a new installation, drain clearing, leak detection, or a maintenance contract with call-outs.
- For a geyser: its capacity in litres, electric, heat pump or solar, and whether it lies flat or stands upright. Say where it is and how the plumber gets to it.
- For a drain: what is happening, how often, and where the manholes are. If it keeps coming back, ask for a camera inspection to be quoted first.
- The building: what it is used for, how many floors, how many toilets, basins and kitchens, and how old the pipework is if you know.
- When the water can be off. On a working site, a shutdown after hours or over a weekend changes the price.
- Materials, if you have a preference: copper or plastic pipe, and taps and fittings to match what is already there.
- Making good afterwards: who repairs the walls, tiles, ceilings or paving opened up to reach the pipes.
- Whether the old geyser, pipes or fittings are to be taken away.
What to compare when the quotes come back
The lowest total is where comparing starts, not where it ends.
- For a geyser: whether the price is a complete installation to SANS 10254 (the valves, vacuum breakers, a drip tray with its own outlet pipe, insulation on the pipes) or the geyser alone. A replacement has to meet the standard too.
- Fixed price, or a call-out fee plus an hourly rate, and what the call-out covers. For a maintenance contract, the response time for an emergency and the after-hours rate.
- The brand, capacity and warranty of the geyser, heat pump or solar heater quoted, and the plumber's own guarantee on the work.
- For a drain: whether the quote fixes the cause or only clears the blockage, and whether a camera inspection is included.
- Whether making good is priced in, or left to you.
On SupScope every quote arrives with the same three figures: the total, the lead time and the deposit. The first comparison is done before you open anything. The rest of this list is what to read in each supplier's notes and documents.
Paperwork worth asking for
- A PIRB plumbing certificate of compliance
- The Plumbing Industry Registration Board requires its licensed plumbers to issue one for installing or replacing a geyser, heat pump or solar water heater, for building or altering a sanitary drain whatever it costs, and for most other jobs. It is the plumber's declaration that the work meets the standards, and PIRB audits a share of them. Keep it: your municipality or insurer may want to see it.
- Proof that the plumber is qualified and registered
- Municipal water by-laws commonly reserve installation work for qualified plumbers. Johannesburg's, for example, allow only a qualified plumber to replace a geyser or do installation work beyond repairing or replacing existing pipes and fittings, and forbid engaging anyone else to do it. PIRB's website lets you check a plumber's registration, and look up a certificate by its number.
- Clarity on municipal permission
- Some installation work needs the municipality's written permission before it starts, with drawings or a certificate from a plumber or engineer. Johannesburg's by-laws, for example, require it on premises that must have a fire installation, apart from repairs and replacements. Rules vary by municipality, so ask whether your job needs it and who applies.
And from any supplier
- A SARS Tax Compliance Status PIN
- It replaced the old tax clearance certificate. Checking it on eFiling shows the supplier's status on the day you check, not the day it was issued.
- A B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit
- Only if your own scorecard counts it. Small suppliers (turnover up to R10 million) may use an affidavit instead of a verified certificate.
- Company registration and a bank confirmation letter
- Worth having before the first payment, so the account you pay is the company you chose.
General guidance, not legal advice. Regulations change, and some depend on your municipality or the job, so confirm anything you rely on with the authority concerned.
How this works on SupScope
- Step 1
Post it once
Describe the job and choose Plumbing & Drainage and your province.
- Step 2
It reaches the right suppliers
Only suppliers who work in this trade and cover your province see it.
- Step 3
Compare and award
Quotes arrive side by side. Accept one and the others are told.