Sales & quotes
Quote checklist for trades
The quote went out, you won the job – and then on site it turns out the scaffolding was forgotten, disposal wasn't included and nobody checked the foundations. The quote was written at ten at night, after twelve hours on site.
You'll get …
- 1
Complete quotes
For each project type, every line item that belongs is listed – including the extras that otherwise go missing from the quote.
- 2
Questions answered before the price
Anything that needs clarifying sits as a list of open points next to the draft, before the quote goes out.
- 3
Your pricing know-how, written down
Line items, follow-up questions and risks for each project type are recorded, not just kept in the boss's head.
01Intro
The quote checklist turns your pricing know-how into a system: for each project type, it lists the line items that belong in the quote, the questions that need answering before you name a price, and the risks that have cost you money before. When a project brief comes in, the assistant prepares the draft – with the right line items from your library and a short list of open points: foundations unclear, structural calculation needed above 3 m projection, price only once clarified. The boss checks, decides and sends.
Worth knowing: the quality depends on your pricing logic. If line items and rules of thumb only exist in the boss's head, writing them down is the first step of the project. The system can build binding prices into the draft – but a person always does the final check and sends it.
02How it works
- 01
Make project types and line items visible
What types of project do you offer, and what always belongs with each – scaffolding, travel, disposal, extras? Right now that knowledge is in the boss's head. Writing it down is the core of the project.
- 02
Collect questions and risks for each type
What needs clarifying before you name a price (ground conditions, access, structural work), and what has cost you money before? Rules of thumb become checklist items that no quote can skip again.
- 03
Curate the text building blocks
Your best quote copy becomes a library: introductions, service descriptions, terms – in your company's tone, not AI-speak.
- 04
Build the drafting workflow
A project brief in, a draft and list of open points out – as a lean internal tool. The more structured the input (see the project qualifier), the better the draft.
- 05
Test it on real cases and adopt it
Your last ten real inquiries go through it: where does the assistant get it right, where is a line item missing? Once the checklists are refined, the workflow becomes part of the routine, and quotes go out faster.
03Stages
The entry level needs no software of its own – just your pricing know-how in good shape.
Starter: checklists + building blocks
Line items, follow-up questions and risks for each project type as curated checklists, plus a library of text building blocks – no tool needed.
Next step: the internal mini tool
A project brief in, a draft and list of open points out – a small tool of your own for the quoting process.
Full build: connected
Connected to your trade software, a line-item database and email drafts.
04Try it yourself
On the left a project brief, as the project qualifier delivers it. On the right the quote starts empty – one click, and the quote checklist puts it together from your building blocks. The last 20 % are yours: settle the open points, then send.
The draft never leaves the building automatically: check, adjust, decide, send – that stays reserved for humans.
05Technical implementation
- Input: a qualified project inquiry, measurement notes or photos – the more structured the input, the better the draft.
- Knowledge base: line-item catalogs, checklists for each project type, text building blocks and sample quotes – carefully curated, not thrown together.
- The language model suggests line items and wording and flags open points; it never makes up prices where the logic doesn't provide them.
- Output to suit your process: a draft document, an email template or an entry in your trade software.
- The safe way to start is exporting rather than sending – a direct connection only comes once the workflow has proved itself.
- Hosting: as a small internal tool or a feature within your existing website stack.
for context · This shows how something like this usually gets built – not how it has to be built for you. What actually fits is worked out in the project: around your existing setup, your team, and what stays easy to maintain.