05 · Client Projects · Lesson 01 of 03

How to Quote a Project

A total can conceal a surprising amount of work. Freight, coordination, installation and unresolved site conditions may all sit behind the same number. A useful quote brings that work into view, so the client can compare what is being offered rather than guess what has been left out.

What belongs in the base price?

Products, quantities, labor, services and allowances need a clear relationship to the current scope. Tax, freight, timing assumptions, validity and payment terms make the basis explicit. Exclusions and unknown field conditions belong beside that information. An allowance should explain what remains undecided, rather than making an incomplete selection look like a fixed commitment.

How should alternatives be compared?

Alternates belong apart from the base scope, with their effects on cost, timing and the finished work explained. Quantities should reconcile with the verified project record, and important coordination or installation costs deserve context. A consistent revision identifier lets the client and team recognize the copy awaiting acceptance. An unverified drawing remains an uncertain basis even when the arithmetic is correct.

What happens when a pricing or scope error is found?

The correction needs to be traced through the full quote before a replacement total is issued. A complete dated revision should identify the change, its consequences and the approval required, while the earlier version remains marked as superseded. Ordering and scheduling then follow the required acceptance. Sending a corrected number does not itself establish agreement to the changed work.

Sources and further reading

Apply the lesson

Proposal preparation

Make the scope easy to understand and approve.

From the lesson into the project

How to Quote a Project

For client work

Put the decision on paper

A location-based schedule and proposal with quantities, assumptions, alternates, and approvals aligned.

Carry it forward in: Hardware schedule and client approval.

A worked example

Separate 42 standard pulls, two appliance pulls, freight, installation, and a finish allowance so a later appliance change does not obscure the base scope.

What should be true before you move on?

A traceable quantity-and-cost build-up with assumptions, exclusions, alternates, lead-time basis, tax, freight, validity, and terms.

Apply the lesson

Proposal preparation

Make the scope easy to understand and approve.

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Project-specific decision

Know where general guidance stops.

This lesson organizes a quote; it does not supply tax, insurance, licensing, or contract terms.

  • Confirm the legal entity, jurisdiction, tax treatment, insurance, licensing, and payment requirements.
  • Use the actual approved cost basis, allowances, validity, escalation, and change terms.
  • Have qualified accounting or legal counsel review terms outside your authority.

Reviewed September 2026 · Inspire Hardware