The job quoting process, from enquiry to signed quote

The job quoting process runs in five steps: collect the facts that change the price through an enquiry form, visit the site only when those facts are not enough, price every cost including disposal and risk with a fair margin, write a quote that states the scope, exclusions, payment terms and an expiry date, and get the customer to sign an acceptance on that exact version. business.gov.au puts the stakes plainly: if a customer accepts your quote, it becomes a legally binding contract.

Most quoting problems start before the price. A vague enquiry produces a site visit, the visit produces a rough number, and the rough number produces an argument when the ground turns out to be rock. The steps below move the facts earlier and the surprises into writing.

The enquiry form: collect what changes the price

The first contact decides how much the quote will cost you to prepare. A form that asks for a name, a phone number and “I need a fence” guarantees a call, then a visit, then a price. The Ridgeway Fencing and Decking quote request form asks for the facts a trade actually prices from, grouped in the order a customer standing at the job can answer them.

The job, as choices. What the customer is after is a checklist (new fence, gate, deck, retaining wall and more), the height or spec is a dropdown that ends with “No idea, please recommend”, and who removes the old fence is its own question, because removal and disposal are a common reason a quote gets revised.

A measurement. The approximate length of the run in metres is a required number field. A rough number is far more useful than a blank.

One specified photo. The photo field asks for a single shot, and its instruction says exactly how to take it: stand at one end and shoot down the line so the far end is visible. That one picture shows the slope, what is growing into the line and whether a truck can get close. A separate upload takes up to six more files, photos or PDF, for plans or a neighbour’s written agreement.

The ground. A checklist covers vehicle access within ten metres, access only through the house, a step or drop in the run, rock or reclaimed fill, services in the line, a pool or spa, and a dog on site. Each one is a cost or a delay the quote has to carry.

Budget and competition. A budget dropdown includes an honest “I have no idea, that is why I am asking”, and the last question asks whether the customer has had other quotes. The NSW Government’s advice to homeowners is to give at least three contractors the same information so the quotes can be compared, so assume you are one of three.

The thank-you screen then sets the expectation: a written quote in two to three working days, valid for thirty days.

The site visit: only when the form is not enough

A visit is worth making when the photos show something that changes the job: an old footing, a boundary that is hard to read, a slope the customer described as gentle that is not. Go with the form response in hand and check the specific facts it left open rather than starting again.

Write down what you find and send it back to the customer before you price. The NSW guidance warns homeowners that if they do not specify exactly what they want, a quote may include only the cheapest products and materials. The same gap works against you: a quote built on assumptions the customer never saw is a quote they can dispute. Site notes they have read turn assumptions into agreed facts.

Pricing: every cost, then a margin

business.gov.au gives three tips for quoting: write it down, know what the customer is trying to achieve and be clear about what the quote includes, and quote for profit, not just to win the job, including all the costs and a fair margin.

Price the job as lines, not a lump sum. Materials, labour by trade or task, disposal, equipment hire, access costs and the margin should each be visible to you, even if the customer sees fewer lines. In Victoria, Consumer Affairs Victoria says a domestic builder must make a reasonable allowance for the nature and location of the site when estimating supply and delivery, such as transport and access costs on a steep or rural site. It is good practice anywhere.

Where something genuinely cannot be priced yet, say so in the quote rather than guessing. A provisional sum is a reasonable estimate for work you cannot give a definite price for, and a prime cost item is a fitting the customer has not chosen. Consumer Affairs Victoria requires a breakdown of these items showing the estimated quantity and unit cost, and notes that specifying everything so you can give a fixed price avoids disputes.

The quote document

The document itself, what it must include, how long it stays valid and how it differs from an estimate, is covered in how to write a quote, using the Copperfield Bathrooms quotation as the worked example. What matters for this job is that the quote carries the scope, prices and exclusions settled at the site visit, line for line.

Check the payment terms against your state before you copy anyone’s. For residential building work in New South Wales, the NSW Government says the deposit must not exceed 10 per cent of the contract price, a written contract is required when the price is over $5,000 including GST, and jobs over $20,000 need a larger contract with a progress payment schedule and a cooling off period. In Victoria, a domestic building deposit cannot be more than 10 per cent for contracts under $20,000 or 5 per cent for contracts of $20,000 or more. The Copperfield quotation takes 10 per cent on acceptance and carries its own warning to check state deposit rules before copying it, because of the Victorian cap. The deposit clause page has wording and variants, and quote vs invoice vs proforma explains which document comes next.

Acceptance: a signature on that version

A quote accepted by a thumbs up in a message thread is hard to prove. The quote acceptance signing example turns the Copperfield quotation into a certified file: the homeowner signs once on the acceptance section, her name and date are filled for her, and she types her own reference into an optional field. The builder watches her status move from Waiting to Viewed to Signed, and the completed PDF is emailed to both of them.

Once signed, changes go through a written variation. The NSW Government’s guidance is that all variations must be in writing and signed by both parties, and Consumer Affairs Victoria says the new price and completion date should be agreed in writing before the work is done. The ASBFEO notes that a quote with relevant details is part of the paperwork that proves what was agreed if a dispute arises.

The steps at a glance

The table at the end of this article lists ten steps from enquiry to signed changes, with the document each produces and the question it settles. The building thresholds in it are state rules for residential building work; other trades and other states have their own, so check before relying on a quote alone.

Common mistakes

Quoting from a phone call. Without measurements and photos, the number is a guess, and the customer will remember it as a price.

Leaving out disposal and access. They are real costs, and adding them after acceptance looks like a price rise.

No expiry date. A quote accepted months later at old material prices is a job done at a loss.

Copying another state’s deposit. A deposit that is lawful in one state can be over the limit in another.

Starting extra work on a verbal yes. Price the variation, get it signed, then do it.

Build it

Start from the form builder page to build the enquiry form. Either format works: the photo field and file upload both render on a classic or a conversational form. A classic form keeps the whole enquiry on one page, which suits a customer checking measurements before sending. The photo field is single photo by design. A file upload takes 1 to 10 files, and its allowed types are two toggles, images and PDF. On a classic form a field’s description is shown only on file upload and photo fields, which is why the photo instruction sits there and any other help text belongs in a paragraph block.

For the quote itself, the document generator writes the scope, inclusions, exclusions and payment tables as content, since documents never carry input fields. The guide to sending a document for signature covers the last step: add a signature block, where each party is one signer with a name, an email and a signing order, then send it so each signer gets their own private link.