Notes for owners · Sales management
How a contractor writes a quotation clients can compare fairly
A contractor's quotation format with scope, inclusions, exclusions and rate basis in plain lines, so a client can compare it fairly with others and disputes about extras do not start later.
The GullySales team · Updated 17 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
On this page
A quotation clients can compare fairly states the scope, the inclusions, the exclusions and the basis of each rate, in lines the client can set beside another contractor's. It is easier to approve than the cheapest figure, because nobody has to guess what the number covers. It also protects you. Later, when an argument about extras starts, the quote is the page both sides point to.
Why the cheapest quote is often the one that causes trouble
A client with two or three quotes puts them side by side. If one figure is far lower, that contractor gets the call. Weeks later they discover that the low figure left out the false ceiling's electrical points, the paint primer, the debris removal. The contractor then bills extras and the client feels cheated.
You gain nothing by joining that race. Write a quote so clear that a client who compares line by line sees why your number is what it is.
What should every quotation contain?
Work through these in order.
- Project and site. Address, floor, area worked on, and the drawings or measurements the quote is based on, with their dates.
- Scope by area or trade. "Living room: false ceiling with cove, TV wall panelling, wardrobes in master bedroom" is better than "interior work".
- Specification. Board thickness, brand family or grade, finish type, hardware class. Where you offer a choice, name the choice and its effect on price.
- Rate basis. Per square foot, per running foot, per point, lump sum. Say how quantities will be measured, since a rate means nothing without a measuring rule.
- Inclusions. Materials, labour, transport, protection of finished work, basic cleaning.
- Exclusions. Approvals, society charges, furniture and appliances, changes after drawings are frozen, anything dependent on site surprises.
- Payment stages tied to work completed, not to dates alone.
- Validity and change rule. How long the quote holds, and how a change in scope is priced and agreed in writing.
Keep each line a sentence a client could read to a relative. If you need to explain it on the phone, it is not yet clear.
Where you cannot know the cost until walls are open, such as concealed wiring or old plumbing, do not bury it in the main figure. Put in a named allowance, say it is an allowance, and say who decides if the real cost is higher. That one line removes a common source of extras arguments.
A quotation layout you can copy
| Area | Work | Spec | Rate basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living and dining | False ceiling with cove | Gypsum board, standard finish | Per sq ft of ceiling | your figure |
| Master bedroom | Wardrobe, floor to ceiling | Boards of stated thickness, laminate finish, soft-close hardware | Per sq ft of front | your figure |
| Kitchen | Base and wall units | As above, with named worktop | Per running foot | your figure |
| All rooms | Painting | Putty, primer, two coats | Per sq ft of wall | your figure |
Below the table, two short blocks: "Included: ..." and "Not included: ...", each as plain lines. Last, a line for validity and one for how extra work is handled.
The amounts column is left for your own figures because rates depend on your region, materials and the client's choices. Fill in your own, and keep the total at the bottom with its own line for any tax that applies. Tax and licensing rules for contractors differ and change, so check how to show them with your own adviser.
What a vague quote cost a contractor in Bhavnagar (invented)
Take an invented interior contractor in Bhavnagar who quotes a three-bedroom flat with one line: "Complete interiors as discussed, one figure". The client has two other quotes and asks why this one is higher. The contractor says the boards and hardware are better. Nothing on the page says so, and the client has no way to check.
The contractor rewrites it area by area, listing board thickness, hardware class and finish. A short "not included" block says rewiring and civil changes sit outside the figure and will be priced after inspection. Set beside the other two, the number is no longer the odd one out. The gap is explained. The client asks the other contractors the same questions, and one of them says their figure left out the primer.
The client still negotiates. The contractor agrees to a simpler wardrobe finish to bring the figure down by a fraction, and loses part of the margin on that room. The clear quote won the argument, but not the full price.
This will not win every job. Some clients choose on the lowest number alone, and a clear quote only shows them that is what they are doing. You are not trying to win every client, only to be paid fairly by the ones you do win.
How to handle the questions after the quote
Expect three kinds of question: "can you reduce it", "can you remove this item", and "the other contractor says they include this". Answer the second and third with scope, not discount. If you remove an item, remove its price. If the other contractor includes it, ask to see their line.
On reduction, offer to change the specification, not only the price. A different finish or a simpler detail brings the figure down honestly. A discount with no change in scope can make the client wonder whether the first figure was padded.
After sending the quote, follow up with a question that moves the decision, not "any update?". Our post on following up on a quotation gives the pattern, and why buyers go quiet after your quotation lists what to send. If you quote from drawings, how fit-out contractors raise drawing queries before quoting comes one step earlier.
Your first task
Take the last quote you sent, set it beside the eight points above, and mark every line a client could read two ways. Rewrite those lines first. The real estate and construction hub covers how contractors, developers and suppliers win work beyond the quote, and if you want a quotation format built around your own trade, tell us what you need.
