Client-Supplied Materials
Client-supplied materials are parts or products the client buys themselves, instead of through your quote. You’re still responsible for fitting them properly — not for their price, their delivery, or whether they’re the right one.
What it means
Letting a client buy their own materials sounds like it saves everyone money — no markup for you to add, no guessing at their taste in fittings. It also moves three things onto their side of the job: the cost, the delivery, and the risk of getting the wrong thing.
Your workmanship guarantee still covers how you fit it. It doesn’t stretch to the part itself. A tap that leaks because it was fitted badly is yours to fix. The same tap leaking because it was a cheap one is the client’s problem, and their supplier’s, not yours.
A client buys their own light fittings for a rewire. Two of the six turn out faulty out of the box. You fit the four good ones and tell the client the other two need exchanging where they bought them — not a delay you caused, and not a cost you cover.
Agreeing to fit “whatever the client gets” without confirming it’s the right item for the job first, then finding out on site that the part doesn’t fit or doesn’t meet code, and eating the delay while a replacement gets sorted.
See also
Where this shows up
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