The client quote should make the offer easy to understand: what you will do, what the price includes, what still needs a decision and how the client can proceed. Your internal estimate has a different job. It preserves the quantities, rates and commercial calculations used to approve that offer.
Choose what the client needs to see
Use clear package names and scope descriptions. Show the project, date, revision and the information priced. Keep assumptions, exclusions, client selections and provisional work close enough to the price that they will be read.
Internal labour productivity, buying rates and your commercial uplift do not need to become a wall of client-facing calculations. Keep them in the internal report while carrying the agreed scope and pricing basis into the quote.
A completed pack example
Hypothetical arithmetic example using the downloadable estimate worksheet. It is not a customer quotation or a market-price benchmark.
| Approved internal basis | Amount | Client presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Base package cost | £162,000 ex VAT | Scope and recognisable package breakdown |
| Overhead and profit: 20% mark-up on base | £32,400 | Included in the approved selling price |
| Net selling price | £194,400 | £194,400 excluding VAT |
| Illustrative VAT at 20% | £38,880 | VAT shown separately on this example basis |
| Inclusive total | £233,280 | One clear total for this stated tax basis |
A 20% mark-up on cost gives a margin of about 16.67% of this selling price. Use the business’s approved method and the actual tax basis for the project. The example separates those choices so neither is hidden inside a copied rate.
Download the completed estimate comparison and printable price-review example to follow the numbers. The editable files are manual worksheets; update and check your own calculations in the working copy.
Write uncertainty in language the client can use
| Internal review question | Client-facing basis |
|---|---|
| Final tile selection is pending | State the tile supply allowance and the installation basis |
| Drainage extent is not confirmed | Describe the provisional allowance and the information that will firm it up |
| Access affects handling time | State the access and working arrangements on which the price depends |
| Client supplies a product | Identify supply, installation, compatibility and attendance responsibilities |
Use wording that matches the actual project and agreed terms. An internal note is useful only if its commercial consequence is carried into the price or communicated in the offer. Avoid adding standard assumptions for work that is outside the priced scope.
Check the output you will issue
- Compare the client net price, tax and inclusive total with the approved internal working.
- Check that displayed rounding adds up visibly and does not create an unexplained difference.
- Confirm that line and package references are clear enough to discuss a query.
- Read the assumptions and exclusions against this project, including deliberately excluded work.
- Check the project, recipient, date, revision, validity and next step.
The price review and client handover checklist gives you a blank version and a completed example. Leave an item open while its evidence or approval is missing.
Keep the accepted basis
Save the approved internal estimate and issued quote together. If a selection, drawing or scope changes during negotiation, record the effect and issue a clear revision where needed. Keeping the number and its assumptions together makes later conversations easier to resolve.
Quotify’s first complete project includes the estimate, risk information, client reports and internal reports. Follow the export and final-review lesson to inspect those outputs before sending the client version.
A useful next step
Price review and client handover checklist
Review the pricing basis and reconcile the approved working with the client quote.
Download blank worksheetSee the completed exampleStephen’s first quote in about 25 minutes
Stephen described completing a detailed quote on his phone and sending it to a customer. This is his experience on that project.
Read the experienceFollow the practical workflow
Use the relevant lesson while preparing, reviewing or issuing your own project.
Open the matching lessonPut this into practice on your next project
Your first complete project is free, including the estimate, risk information, client reports and internal reports. Bring your drawings, specification and site notes, then review the working against how your business will deliver the job.
FAQs
What is a quote pack?
The documents explaining the price, included scope, assumptions, exclusions, allowances and next steps. It should reflect the internal working that the builder approved.
Should a client quote show internal margin?
Usually the internal commercial calculations stay separate. The client still needs a clear scope and pricing basis, including material allowances and qualifications.
