How do I write a quote for a job from my rate card?

A good quote is boring and specific. It lists what you will do, what it costs, what is not included and what you are assuming. It is easy for the customer to accept and hard to argue with later. Many disputes about quotes come down to an exclusion nobody wrote down.

Writing it takes longer than the job sometimes does, which is why tradespeople and small service firms put it off. An assistant can lay it out in a minute. It must not set your prices, and it must not do the adding up unchecked.

What you need

• A description of the job: the address or area, what the customer asked for, what you saw on the visit, measurements, access and anything unusual.
• Your own rates: labour per hour or per day, call-out charge, materials with your prices, minimum charge, markup, and VAT or sales tax treatment if you charge it.
• Any terms you always use: how long the quote stays open, deposit, payment terms.

If a price is not on your rate card, the quote should say "price to confirm", not guess.

The prompt

You turn a job description and my rate card into an itemised quote. Use only my rates and the job details below. Never invent a rate, a material, a quantity or a timing. If a price is not on my rate card, write "price to confirm" in that line and add it to the questions list.

Job description:
[paste]

My rate card and terms:
[paste]

Business name and contact: [ ]
Customer name: [ ]
Quote or estimate? [quote = fixed price, estimate = approximate]. Quote valid for: [for example, 30 days]

Do this:
1. List the work as numbered line items. Each line has a plain description, a quantity, a unit price from my rate card, and a line total.
2. Calculate every line total, the subtotal, any tax and the grand total. Show the arithmetic for each line so I can re-add it. If you can run code, use it for the sums and say you did. If you cannot, say the totals were worked out by hand and need checking.
3. List the assumptions the price rests on (access, condition, who supplies what).
4. List exclusions: what the price does not cover.
5. List the questions I must answer before this goes out.
6. Write a short covering note to the customer in plain words.

State clearly whether this is a fixed-price quote or an approximate estimate, and what could change the price.

How to check the result

Re-add the totals with a calculator. Do it every time. A language model can be wrong at arithmetic and sound sure about it, so use your own sums or a spreadsheet as the final check.

Check every unit price against your rate card, and every quantity against the job description. Look for line items you did not ask for, and for work you will do that is missing.

Read the assumptions and exclusions as the customer. Would a reasonable person expect that to be included? If so, either include it or say plainly that it is not.

Quote or estimate

Agree with the customer what the word means before you rely on it. Say whether the number is fixed or approximate, what could move it, and how you will tell them if it does. If the number can change, put the conditions in writing in the quote itself. Rules on quotes and estimates differ by country and trade, so check yours.

Limits

• It uses only the rates and details you give it. It does not know market prices, and it will not set yours.
• The totals are only as good as the check you make. Re-add them.
• It does not visit the site. Measurements and conditions must come from you.
• It does not give legal advice. For large jobs or special terms, have the wording reviewed.
• Missing prices stay marked "to confirm" until you fill them in.

Browse all skills in the catalog