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Sales & CRM Systems

Proposal and quote automation: built from the scope, not the last quote

Most quotes start as a copy of the last one, edited until it looks right. Quote automation starts from the scope recorded at the visit, prices each line from your price book, leaves anything unusual for a person to price, and checks the margin before a version exists. The estimator reviews a draft instead of building one.
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Scope · OP-712Home2-storey, 1,900 sq ftFurnace80k BTU, gas, high-efficiencyDuctworkkeep; add 1 returnAccessbasement, clearExtrassmart thermostatOld unitremove and disposeQ-731 · draftFurnace, 80k BTU high-efficiencyprice book F-80HE$4,850Install, 1 day, 2 technicianslabour rate × 16 h$1,600Add a return ductno price-book entryneeds a pricepriced by E2 from the visit notes$420Smart thermostatprice book T-SMART$260Remove and dispose of the old unitprice book D-REM$180Total$7,310margin 34% · floor 30% · passesQ-731 v1 · ready for E2 to review and send

Last month's quote, edited

When quotes are built by copying an old one, every quote carries the old one's mistakes: a price from last year, a line that doesn't apply, a discount nobody approved. Two estimators quote the same job differently, and nobody notices the margin until the job is done.

Quote automation builds each quote from two things you control: the scope recorded at the visit and the price book. Every line says where its price came from. Anything the book doesn't cover waits for a person, a margin floor is checked before the quote can be sent, and each change makes a new version rather than overwriting the old one.

Five rules for quotes you can stand behind

  1. 01

    Built from the scope

    Recorded at the visit

    Lines come from what was measured and agreed, not from a similar job.

  2. 02

    Every price has a source

    Price book, rate or person

    Each line shows whether it came from the book, a labour rate, or someone's judgement.

  3. 03

    Unusual work is priced by a person

    Waits, doesn't guess

    A line with no entry stays open until someone who knows the job sets it.

  4. 04

    The floor is checked first

    Before anything is sent

    A quote under your margin floor goes for approval instead of to the customer.

  5. 05

    Every change is a version

    v1, v2, never overwritten

    Revisions keep the earlier versions, so what the customer saw can always be found.

Three quotes

Most quotes come straight from the book. The other two are why the rules exist.

Q-728 · water heater replacement

  1. Scope complete

    from the visit on Mon

    done

  2. Lines priced

    5 of 5 from the book

    done

  3. Margin check

    36%, floor 30%

    done

  4. Version 1

    ready for review

    done

Built in under a minute; the estimator reads it, adjusts nothing, and sends it.

What quote automation hands off

In

Scope
from the site visit
Price book
items, labour rates, margins
Rules
discount limits, approvers
Quote builder
scope → lines → checks → version

Out

Quote version
ready for review
Open lines
for a person to price
Approvals
under the floor, to the approver

Worth building when quotes are copied and edited

Good fit

  • You quote similar work often, from a site visit or a call.
  • Two people quoting the same job get different numbers.
  • Margins are found out after the job, not before the quote.

Not the right fit

  • Every job is bespoke and priced from scratch by one person.
  • You don't have a price book yet. Start there.

Where it's built in

Next to quote automation

Questions about quote automation

Where does the price book live?

Wherever it's maintained today, often a spreadsheet or your field service tool. The quote builder reads it; changing a price is still done by the person who owns the book.

Can estimators change a line?

Yes. A changed line shows who changed it and from what, and the margin check runs again before the quote can be sent.

Does it work for good, better, best options?

Yes. Each option is a set of lines from the same scope, checked the same way, and the customer sees them side by side.

What about bigger proposals with written sections?

The priced part is built the same way. Written sections can be assembled from approved paragraphs, with a person editing anything specific to the job.