Free quote template for trade work (and how to quote so you keep your margin)

Most trade businesses lose money not on bad jobs but on good jobs quoted badly. The price was fine; the scope grew and the paperwork could not prove it. This free quote template has the three sections that prevent that: a clear scope of work, written assumptions and exclusions, and an acceptance block with deposit and payment terms. Word and PDF, no email required.

Download the template

The layout mirrors our invoice template so your documents look like they come from the same business, which quietly signals that your paperwork, and therefore your work, is in order.

Scope: write what you will do, and only that

The scope section is a numbered list of the work included, with an amount per item or one total at the end. Itemised scope does two jobs at once: the customer sees what they are paying for, and you have a line to point to when they ask for something that is not on it. Write it in the customer's language rather than trade shorthand; supply and install 6 downlights in kitchen beats elec fitout kitchen per plan.

Price from your numbers, not your competitor's. If you have not worked out what an hour actually costs you, run your figures through our charge-out rate calculator before you send another quote; most undercharging is invisible until it is annual.

Assumptions and exclusions: the margin protectors

Assumptions state what you are relying on: access during work hours, power and water on site, existing wiring in serviceable condition. If an assumption fails, the price fairly changes, and because it was written down the conversation is calm.

Exclusions state what the price does not cover: latent conditions, asbestos discovery, works by other trades, anything not listed in scope. Then the variations clause does the heavy lifting: any extra work is quoted and approved in writing before it proceeds, at a stated hourly rate plus materials. Consumer regulators consistently side with whichever party has the clearer paperwork; the ACCC guidance on hiring tradespeople tells customers to expect exactly this structure, so providing it builds trust rather than suspicion.

Acceptance, deposit and validity

A quote without an acceptance block is an opinion. Include a signature line, a deposit requirement, payment terms for the balance, and a validity period, thirty days is standard, so material price rises do not eat a job accepted three months later.

Follow up every quote once, two to three days after sending. A single polite follow-up call converts a meaningful share of quotes that would otherwise die of silence, and it is the cheapest sales activity that exists in the trades.

From accepted quote to scheduled job

The moment a quote is accepted, it should become a job with a date, a crew and the site details attached, because the second most common margin leak after scope creep is the accepted job that sits unscheduled while the customer cools. In SKEDS an accepted job goes onto the dispatch board, the assigned crew see it on their phones, and the eventual invoice inherits the quoted lines, so the quote, the work and the bill stay one connected record. The Starter plan is free for one user if you want to try that loop on your next quote.

Pricing psychology that works face to face

Deliver quotes fast. The business that quotes within 24 hours wins a disproportionate share of work, partly because speed signals reliability and partly because you are often the only number the customer has yet seen, which makes you the anchor everyone else gets compared against. A quote delivered ten days later is compared against that anchor instead of setting it.

Offer a choice when the job allows it: the quoted scope, plus one sensible option above it, such as the extra circuit or the better fitting, priced separately. Customers given a good-better choice pick the larger option often enough to lift average job value meaningfully, and even when they do not, the base quote now reads as the restrained one. Never present three near-identical numbers though; two clear scopes beat a menu. And resist rounding down to a friendlier figure at the last second. Confidence in the number is part of what the customer is buying, and a quote you visibly discounted before they even pushed teaches them to push.

Frequently asked questions

Should I charge for quotes?

For standard residential work, free quotes remain the norm and customers expect it. For design-heavy or diagnostic work, a paid quote credited against the job filters tyre-kickers fairly.

How detailed should the price breakdown be?

Itemise the scope, but you rarely need to split labour and materials per line for fixed-price residential work. One clear total per scope item is enough, with the variations rate stated for anything extra.

What validity period should a quote have?

Thirty days is standard. If material prices are volatile in your trade, use fourteen and say why; customers respect a stated reason.