How to Use the Quote Builder
Work through the four steps to build a complete, print-ready quote:
- Job Details — your business info, client name, and payment terms
- Labour — add each labour line with hours and rate (you can add markup for admin/profit)
- Materials — add each materials or subcontractor line with your markup
- Review — check the formatted quote, then print or save as PDF
Tips for Professional Quotes
Labour markup: Many tradies add 10–20% markup on subcontractor labour to cover management overhead. Your own labour should already be priced at your target rate — no additional markup needed.
Materials markup: A 15–25% markup on materials is standard in NZ to cover procurement time, handling, and warranty risk. This is different from the cost of the materials themselves.
Contingency: For jobs with uncertain scope (renovations, maintenance work), add a 5–10% contingency to materials to buffer against underestimates.
Quote validity: 14–30 days is standard. For material-heavy jobs, shorter validity protects you from price changes. Always note that material costs are subject to availability.
GST: If you're GST-registered, always show GST separately on quotes and invoices. Clients can then see the pre-GST price and the 15% GST amount.
After the Quote is Accepted
Once your client signs the quote: - Issue a deposit invoice if required (use our Tax Invoice Template) - For any scope changes, issue a variation order before doing the extra work (Variation Order template) - At completion, issue the final invoice referencing the original quote number
Use our Job Cost Calculator to check your margins after the job is done.