Everything you need to know to create a professional quote that wins the client and builds trust.
A quotation (also called a "quote") is a formal document a seller gives to a prospective client before a sale is finalized. It outlines the products or services on offer, their prices, payment terms, and the validity period of the offer. The quotation forms the basis for the client's decision to accept or reject the deal.
A quotation is sent before the sale: it is an invitation from seller to buyer to agree on specific terms, and it asks for no money. An invoice is sent after the sale and is a formal request for payment for goods delivered or services completed. If you need money before you start, invoice the deposit; a quotation never asks for payment.
Some trades call a looser figure an estimate: a price that may change once the job is understood. A quotation is a firm price for a set period. If yours is an estimate, call it one, and explain in the terms what could change the price — the hours, the materials, or a site visit still to come.
"Website design — 15,000" gives the client nothing to approve but a number. Break the work into what they will receive:
Then list what is not included — content writing, photography, hosting fees — and close with a line that covers the rest: "Anything not described above will be quoted separately." When the scope starts to grow, that sentence is what protects the project. State the number of revision rounds: "unlimited revisions" is how a profitable job stops being one.
Count the delivery time from acceptance, not from the date of the quotation: "six weeks from written acceptance and receipt of your content".
A lump sum is quick to read and suits a small job both sides understand. Itemise when the buyer will compare you with other suppliers or approve the quotation line by line, and even under a lump sum give a short itemised summary, so the price has visible substance. Show the prices before tax clearly: a business that reclaims VAT compares suppliers on the figure before tax.
A single figure invites one decision: yes or no. Three options — say Essential, Standard and Complete, each adding scope to the one before — invite a different question: which one? Clients often pick the middle option, so make the middle the one you want to sell. The top option earns its place even when nobody buys it: beside it, the middle looks reasonable rather than expensive.
Long enough for the client to decide, short enough that your costs will not have moved. Thirty days is common for goods, and shorter where prices or exchange rates change quickly. Many tenders set the period themselves, in days from the date of the offer; count them and write the date. After the expiry date you are free to quote again at current prices.
A workable starting point: about a week where prices or exchange rates move quickly, two weeks for services, a month when the buyer needs procurement approval, and for a tender whatever period its documents set.
Sending a quotation and waiting is how good work is lost. A simple sequence:
Never simply lower the number; take something out. "I can bring it to 12,000 by reducing to three page templates and one round of revisions" keeps your margin, and teaches the client that the price follows the scope. A discount for nothing tells them the first figure was arbitrary, and every quotation after it will be negotiated.
Check the arithmetic first: on a 15,000 project with 9,000 of costs, a 15% discount cuts what you keep from 6,000 to 3,750 — a 37.5% fall. The discount calculator shows it before you agree.
End the quotation with an acceptance block: the client's name, signature and date, space for their company stamp, and their purchase order number. Address the quotation to the company's registered name rather than the person you deal with, so the acceptance comes from the party that will pay.
Give quotations their own number series, such as QUO-2026-0012, separate from your invoices. Quotations that are never accepted then leave no gaps among your invoice numbers.
Before the client accepts, send a revised version rather than editing the one they have: keep the number with a version mark (QUO-2026-0012 v2), or give it a new number that says which quotation it replaces.
If the client accepts after the expiry date, reissue the quotation with a new date, or new prices, and get the acceptance on that version.
After acceptance, any change of scope needs a revised quotation or a written variation both sides agree. Absorb extra work silently and the next request will assume it is included.
Many buyers raise a purchase order that quotes your quotation number; deliver against it, then issue the invoice with the same lines and prices and the quotation number in its notes, so both sides can match the documents. In Xuvilo, Export CSV on the quotation's lines and Import CSV in the invoice generator start the invoice with the same items — there is no one-click conversion.
A price sent in a chat message is quick, but it fixes nothing: no scope, no validity, nothing the buyer's procurement team can raise a purchase order against. Send the quotation, and use the message to say it is on its way.
A proforma invoice looks like an invoice, is marked Proforma, and is sent before delivery — often for a customs declaration, an import permit, a letter of credit or the buyer's internal approval. It is still an offer: it does not replace the invoice you issue when you deliver.
Send the quotation in the language your buyer works in; an Arabic-speaking buyer will often want it in Arabic. In Saudi Arabia the tax invoice that follows must be issued in Arabic. Xuvilo prints each document in one language: Arabic when you are using Xuvilo in Arabic or have chosen an Arabic template, English otherwise. So for an Arabic quotation, switch Xuvilo to Arabic or choose an Arabic template before you download.
Xuvilo's quotation generator has a Valid Until date and a Terms & Conditions box that print on the quotation. Choosing the currency suggests that country's standard VAT rate for lines that have no tax yet, totals and tax are worked out as you type, and every design has an Arabic version that prints right to left. Download PDF gives you an A4 file, and the WhatsApp and Email buttons send it.
A quotation is an upfront price offer sent before the client decides to buy. An invoice is sent after the order is confirmed and requests payment.
It varies by industry, but 7 to 30 days is common. State the expiry date clearly.
Generally, a quotation isn't a binding contract until the client accepts it in writing. However, some jurisdictions treat it as an open offer during the validity period.
Yes, always make it clear whether prices are tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive to avoid confusion.
See also: Invoice Guide · Receipt Guide
