How to Write a Service Quote With Labour, Materials and Delivery

A useful service quote explains the proposed work, the price and the limits of what is included. Break the job into meaningful charges, describe the scope and state any conditions the customer needs to understand before accepting.

For a small business, the goal is straightforward: help the customer make a decision without a long exchange of clarification messages.

Quotavani lets you prepare a quotation draft on Android, review the details and share a PDF. The most useful preparation happens before you send it: deciding exactly what you are offering.

Begin with the customer's requested outcome

“Repair water pump” may be enough for an internal note, but a customer quote benefits from a clearer scope.

For example:

Replace the agreed pump seal, complete the repair and test the pump on site. Any additional faults found during the work require a revised quote before extra work begins.

This gives the customer a specific result to expect and a clear process for agreeing extra work and its price.

Choose a clear charging basis

Decide whether the service is a fixed-price job or charged by a unit such as an hour, metre or visit.

Do not combine those ideas accidentally. “Installation: 1 job at N$900” is different from “Installation: 3 hours at N$300 per hour,” even though the initial amounts match. The agreement needs to make clear whether additional time changes the price.

If a quantity is estimated, label it and explain how changes will be agreed. If materials are included in a fixed price, say so rather than listing them again as extra charges.

An itemised service-quote example

This fictional pump-repair example shows the structure. The rates are illustrative, not recommended market prices. No tax is included in the example.

Alongside the item table, explain:

• Included: the agreed seal replacement and on-site test.
• Excluded: additional parts and work on unrelated faults.
• Timing: the proposed appointment or lead time, subject to confirmation.
• Payment terms: the terms actually offered to the customer.
• Validity: how long the offered price remains available, if applicable.

Use the currency and tax treatment that apply to your business and transaction, and include the fields required where you operate.

Turn the job details into a Quotavani draft

Enter the customer, items, quantities and agreed rates in your quotation draft. Use the quote fields to prepare the document; contact our team if you need to check AI quotation availability in your version.

Gather the details in a short note like this, then enter them into your quotation:

Quote for Anna: pump repair labour at a fixed N$700, one replacement seal at N$180 and a single delivery charge of N$120.

Review the editable draft before generating the PDF. Check that fixed charges have not become hourly rates, delivery appears only once and the quotation includes the intended work.

Add the agreed scope and conditions in the appropriate available fields. If the customer needs a separate scope document, make its connection to the quote clear.

Explore the quotation app for Android to see where this fits into the workflow.

When the customer accepts, review again before invoicing

A quote sets out the proposed scope and price before work begins. An invoice requests payment. Once the quote is accepted, use it to start an invoice draft and check the work supplied, payment terms and agreed changes.

If the customer approved an extra part, include it with the agreed price. If part of the work was not performed, check how the invoice should reflect that agreement. Review the new invoice before generating the final PDF.

For the distinction between the two documents, read quote versus invoice.

Make the quote easy to understand and easy to answer

A well-presented PDF helps, but clarity comes from the contents: recognisable work, understandable units, agreed prices and visible conditions.

Before sharing, ask yourself: could the customer explain what this price includes without calling me?

See Quotavani’s sample documents, or get notified at launch.

Use the free invoice line-item calculator to check the example subtotal. This browser tool is separate from the Android quotation workflow.