THE PROVIDER CHECKLIST
How do you choose an Xactimate estimating company?
Choose an estimating company by checking how it handles a file like yours: relevant work, required records, deliverables, price, revisions, timing and final review. Ask to see how quantities connect to the scope and what happens when information is missing. Confirm who can communicate about the file and how it is protected. Use one suitable assignment to evaluate the process before expanding it.
SaguaroScope · Editorial guide reviewed
Ask for evidence that fits your trade
Ask for a permitted, de-identified example relevant to roofing, reconstruction or mitigation. Walk through the scope, measurements, selected operations and explanation of open questions. A sample is useful when you can see how the estimator reached the quantities and identified the work.
Ask what the company actually prepared and how the assignment compares with yours. If experience or certification is claimed, ask for the specifics and how you can verify them. A logo, a software screenshot or a large estimate total does not establish quality or a result for your file.
Use this checklist before accepting the work
| Check | Ask to confirm |
|---|---|
| Service scope | Is this writing from a defined scope, a limited review, or additional documentation? What is excluded? |
| Deliverables | Will you receive an editable ESX, review PDF and the agreed sketch or supporting notes? |
| Records | Who supplies measurements and field facts? How are conflicts and missing information raised? |
| Price | What is the fee basis, minimum, payment milestone and method for approving added work? |
| Revisions | Which corrections are included, how do you submit them, and when do new facts become additional scope? |
| Timing | When is the file ready to schedule? What target is accepted, and how will changes be communicated? |
| Communication | Who speaks to the contractor, homeowner and carrier? What needs separate authorization? |
| Final control | Who verifies field facts, approves the scope and authorizes use or transmission of the result? |
Keep the answers with the accepted order. A clear conversation is useful; the actual scope, deliverables and terms should remain available when the work is reviewed.
Check file access, handling and rights
- Access: who can view your project, and which service providers help handle it?
- Sharing: what upload or sharing route should you use, and how do you revoke access when appropriate?
- Retention: how are records retained, and how can you request deletion subject to required business records?
- Use: can the provider publish your project as an example, or does that require separate permission?
- Files: what will you receive, what use is permitted and who keeps the source and final copies?
SaguaroScope's published policy limits access to people and service providers who need it for the inquiry or authorized work. It describes reasonable safeguards and a deletion-request process, subject to legitimate retention requirements. Customer material is not published as an example without permission and appropriate de-identification. Keep your own copies and share only information needed for the assignment.
How SaguaroScope defines the assignment
We review the file for fit and confirm the service, price, records, deliverables and a target before production. Roofing and reconstruction Estimate Only includes an estimate and corresponding sketch without F9 notes. Writing includes an ESX and review PDF; limited mitigation review has its own output.
Accepted F9 notes accompany the estimate. The base estimate fee and later F9 fee are separate, and technical coordination requires its own authorization. Mitigation writing starts from field records without requiring an insurer-written estimate.
Your company verifies field facts and approves the work. Separately authorized Carrier Technical Coordination covers client-approved technical materials; it does not include insured representation, coverage decisions, settlement negotiation or a promised carrier result.
Evaluate the first file against the order
- Choose a representative project with a scope your team can explain and records it is authorized to share.
- Define the requested output, fee, delivery target and one contractor contact.
- Track clarification requests and whether unresolved information is clearly identified.
- Check the returned scope, quantities, files and accepted notes against the source records.
- Record corrections, response quality and the effort your team spent before deciding what to send next.
Evaluate technical work and communication directly. A carrier's payment decision is not, by itself, a quality test of the estimator or proof that the next file will have the same result.
Questions contractors ask
What should I ask for first?
Describe your trade and the result you need, then ask for a relevant permitted example and an explanation of the required records. Confirm that the provider offers the actual assignment you need before comparing price.
Should an estimating company provide an ESX?
Ask for an editable ESX when the accepted writing assignment requires one, along with a review PDF. A limited review may have a different output. SaguaroScope writing includes an ESX; its limited mitigation review does not include an ESX rewrite.
How can I compare two different quotes?
Compare the same scope, inputs, deliverables, revision allowance, fee basis and release milestone. Clarify any separately priced sketch, documentation, later revision or communication before choosing.
Does an estimator need to contact the insurance carrier?
That depends on the accepted service. SaguaroScope's Estimate Only does not include carrier communication. Eligible Carrier Technical Coordination requires separate authorization and client-approved technical materials.
What should I check about security?
Read the actual policy and ask about access, sharing, service providers, retention, deletion requests and permitted use. Ask for evidence of any specific certification claimed. A general security statement does not establish that certification.
Who should approve the final scope?
The contractor should verify its field facts and approve the work before relying on it or authorizing submission. SaguaroScope's process keeps that approval with your company; remote estimating does not replace field verification.
Related services and guides
Bring a file. Ask specific questions.
Tell us the output your team needs. We will confirm whether the assignment fits and what the work requires.
Start with one file