Build a quote.
An enquiry has come in. Your job: turn it into a clear, honest quote that wins the work and makes a profit. You’ll get the bits — put a price together, then be ready to defend every part of it.
Watkins Estimating · Project Brief
The quote brief
The enquiryYour buddy will give you a small real job — a bathroom refit, a few radiators, an office rewire. Pick one to price.
Your taskBuild up a price properly: the costs first, then the business bits, then a total.
Show your workingA number on its own is useless — show where every part came from.
OutputA one-page quote: materials, labour, the extras and a clear total.
Hand inTalk your buddy through it before the end of your placement.
TimeAround 60 minutes — ask your buddy if you’d like longer.
01 Build it up in order
- List everything the job needs
- Price the materials
- Add labour: hours × day rate
- Add plant hire, if any
- Add a share of overheads
- Add your margin (profit)
- Add a small contingency
- Total it up
02 Getting it right
- Be realistic on labour — it’s what people most underestimate
- Don’t forget the small stuff: fixings, waste, travel
- Price the job you were asked for — watch the scope
- Make it clear and easy to read
- A quote is a fixed price — be sure before you send it
Why this matters
Win it — and make money.
A good quote does two jobs at once: it’s keen enough to win the work, and high enough to make a profit. Holding that balance is the whole craft of estimating. Prefer a real one? Ask your buddy for an actual enquiry to price up instead.
Priced it up?
Once you’ve built your quote and talked it through with your buddy, mark this complete to add the stamp to your punchcard. Keep your working — a clear, defendable price is worth more than a fast one.