Did the sub-contractor see the project site?
I sometimes get a call from a client that wants a rush estimate for a survey work.
He would call & ask me how much is my rate for a topographic survey or boundary survey.
I would ask him how big is the site? Where is the site? What is the terrain condition?
He would reply - no details yet on these questions BUT he just needs my costs on a per unit basis. So I would give him an estimate.
When he comes back & say that I got the job, then the trouble with the costs begins.
The site would be located in forest or mountainous areas. Difficult even for 4x4.
So the subcontractor may have really given you an estimate. Maybe there were other conditions that were not mentioned over the phone or the details for these were not available when you asked for an estimate.
Trust me, there were no such issues here. I can't get into too many details without giving too much away, but the only way they could have been given more information is to have give them the exact data they were asked to derive.
That being said, they agreed to reduce the invoice. This ought to have been a learning experience for both sides.