With paving the client sees the stone but pays for what is underneath it. The sub-base is the largest line in the estimate, and it is the one people try to cut.
Sections
Excavation to design depth and spoil removal; geotextile separating soil from stone; a compacted sub-base in layers with the thickness stated; a levelling layer of sand or grit; edgings with their concrete haunching and installation in linear metres; laying priced separately from the paving material, plus cutting at edges and around chambers; jointing and plate compaction; surface water gullies and channels; and final clearing.
Falls are part of the work, not a bonus. State where water drains to and what fall is planned, or the first puddle is your responsibility.
Commonly missed
Concrete haunching under edgings, adjusting chamber covers to the new level, cutting and its offcuts, a small-area uplift — a 20 m² path costs more per m² than a 200 m² yard — and barrow access where material cannot be tipped alongside.
See the estimate template.