Free Quotation Generator

What a quotation includes

• Who it is from and for

  Your business name, address, email and phone, and the customer's name, company and address. Add your logo so it looks like your other paperwork.

• A number and two dates

  A quote number the customer can reference on the purchase order, the date you sent it and the date it expires. Thirty days is common; shorten it when your costs move fast.

• Line items

  What you are supplying, the quantity and unit (each, feet, hours, boxes) and the unit price, with any line discount. Specific descriptions (part numbers, sizes, finish) prevent arguments later.

• Discount, tax, shipping, total

  The subtotal, any overall discount, tax on the taxable lines, shipping and the total, worked out to the cent so the numbers on the page add up.

• Terms

  Payment terms, the lead time from order, what is excluded (installation, freight, permits), and how long the prices hold.

• Acceptance

  A line for the customer to sign and date, or a sentence telling them how to accept: reply to the email, or send a purchase order with the quote number.

Quote, estimate, invoice or RFQ response?

Quote

A fixed price for a stated scope, valid until a date. Sent before the sale.

Estimate

An approximate price that can change once the work is better known. Sent before the sale.

Invoice

A request for payment for goods or work already delivered or agreed. Sent after the sale.

RFQ response

A quote that answers a buyer's request for quotation, usually in the buyer's format and by their deadline.

Answering a formal request? See what an RFQ is and how buyers compare the replies.

Tips for a quote that gets signed

• Set a validity date

  A quote without an end date can be held against you months later. Pick a date you can live with and put it near the top.

• State the lead time

  Buyers plan around the date. Give the lead time from order confirmation, pad it with a small buffer, and confirm it with the plant or supplier first.

• Say what is excluded

  Freight, installation, permits, disposal, rush fees: if it is not in the price, write that it is not. It is the cheapest dispute you will ever avoid.

• Follow up

  Most quotes are decided in the follow-up. Call or email within a few days, answer the questions it raised, and ask what would get it approved.

For what to say after you send it, see our quote follow-up email templates.