Free Construction Quote Template: Layout to Copy (Word, Excel, PDF)

Copy the quote layout on this page line by line into Word or Excel, fill in your details, then export the result as a PDF for sending and signing. There is no file to download: the layout is text to reproduce in the format of your choice. In construction, a quote is the document that describes the proposed works, their price and their terms before any order is placed.

The quote is one of a business's commercial documents, along with the invoice and the general terms of sale (CGV), according to the service-public.fr page Everything you need to know about invoicing. You may copy the layout freely for your company's quotes. If your website or page reuses it, cite this page as the source with a link.

Which quote format should you choose: Word, Excel or PDF?

Choose Word to write a description freely, Excel to calculate totals automatically and PDF to send or have signed a fixed document. Many companies combine all three, provided each price is entered in one place only: the same price in two files ends up creating a gap between two versions of the quote.

Which quote layout should you copy line by line?

Each bullet corresponds to one line of the quote. Copy them in order, from top to bottom; square brackets mark the fields to fill in for each works quote. Delete the lines that do not apply to your situation (business customer, signature outside business premises, reduced VAT rate, mediator).

• [Company name], [legal form], [address], [contact details]
• [Registration number]
• Professional insurance and ten-year liability cover: [insurer], [contact details], [geographical coverage]
• Quote no. [number], issued on [date]
• Customer: [name or company name], [billing address]
• Site: [address of the works], project title: [title]
• Works: [description, materials, what is included or not]
• Pricing line: [description] | [quantity] | [unit] | [unit price excl. VAT] | [total excl. VAT]
• Emergency repair or repair work: [hourly labour rate excl. VAT], [call-out charge excl. VAT]
• Total excl. VAT: [amount]
• VAT at [rate]: [amount]
• Total incl. VAT: [amount]
• Reduced VAT rate, only for works in a dwelling: [statement by which the customer certifies that the works meet the conditions for the reduced rate]
• Payment: deposit of [amount or percentage] at [due date], balance at [due date]
• Timing: works start [date], estimated duration [duration]
• Validity of the offer: until [date]
• Quote: [free or paid, price]
• Consumer customer signing outside business premises: [information on the right of withdrawal]
• Business customer: [payment period, late-payment penalties, recovery fee]
• Consumer mediator, only if your activity is subject to it (to be checked): [name, contact details]
• “Approved” (bon pour accord): date [date], customer's signature [signature]

How do you use the layout in Word, Excel and PDF?

1. In Word, paste the lines in order and set out the pricing as a table.
2. In Excel, put each field of the pricing line in a column: description, quantity, unit, unit price excl. VAT, discount, VAT rate, total excl. VAT.
3. Fill in your fixed information once (header, insurance), save the result as a blank template and always work on a copy.
4. Export the finished copy as a PDF with “Save as” or “Export”.

A construction quote identifies the company and the customer, describes the works, itemises prices and sets the terms and validity of the offer. Check these details when you send the quote and, at the latest, before the customer signs. For a public buyer, other rules apply: see the guide to responding to public tenders in construction. For invoicing public buyers, also see the Chorus Pro community.

Which details are required by law, and which are good practice?

Three levels coexist. The first is consumer information: a doorstep seller “must state the existence” of the right of withdrawal “specifying the conditions, the period and the procedures for exercising it”, according to the page Doorstep selling. The second concerns activities subject to a mandatory quote, whose content is set activity by activity. The third is good practice (number, validity period, “approved”, signature): none of the texts cited here requires it for every quote, but it proves the agreement and limits the offer in time.

To justify labour costs, the method for setting your construction hourly rate provides a basis. With a business customer, the page Commercial documents covers payment periods and late-payment penalties.

Which details are specific to construction: insurance, emergency repairs, works?

Insurance first. According to the page Commercial documents of a micro-business, businesses registered in the national business register (RNE) for crafts and trades state their professional insurance on their quotes and invoices where it is compulsory for their trade. On the invoice, the page Mandatory details on an invoice requires the contract references, the contact details of the insurer and the guarantor, and the geographical coverage. Ask your insurer whether your activity is subject to ten-year liability insurance, then copy its contact details onto every quote and every invoice.

Emergency repairs and works next. The page Mandatory quote: activities concerned, checked by Entreprendre Service Public, lists the activities subject to a prior written quote (a version for consumers also exists). The obligation applies to emergency repairs and repair work as well as to certain works, and such a quote itemises the hourly labour rate, the call-out charge and prices excluding and including VAT. Look up your activity on the page to see whether it is covered and which list of details applies.

Should the consumer mediator be stated on a construction quote?

The consumer mediator is a third party tasked with seeking an amicable solution to a dispute between a professional and a consumer. The official pages cited in this guide (mandatory quote, doorstep selling, invoice details) do not say whether this statement is required of a construction business: the line therefore remains optional in the layout. Check with your trade body or a legal adviser whether your activity is subject to it. If it is, add the mediator's name and contact details to the quote and to your CGV; if not, delete the line.

What does the company risk if it leaves out a detail?

Omitting a required detail is a breach of the professional's duty to inform. The French directorate-general for competition, consumer affairs and fraud control (DGCCRF) checks these obligations. The cited pages give no penalty amount applicable to a quote, so this guide does not present any fine as certain for a quote. Depending on the detail omitted, the risk is mostly one of evidence and disputes.

• Dispute over the works: without a signed document, you must prove an extra, a scope or a deadline using scattered exchanges (emails, messages), while the customer can contest each line.
• Inspection: a missing detail may be noted during a DGCCRF inspection.

To fill in a construction quote, go through the template in order: identify the company and the customer, number and date the document, then describe the works. Each field below indicates what to write and the mistake to avoid.

How do you fill in the header and identify the company?

State your company name, legal form, address, contact details and registration numbers. The Siren number identifies the company and the Siret its establishment: the page How do you obtain a Siren or Siret number? explains how to get them. Add the insurer for professional liability and ten-year liability cover, with its geographical coverage. Common mistake: a header copied from an old document, with an outdated address, status or insurance.

Should you state RGE and Qualibat qualifications on a quote?

RGE stands for “recognised environmental guarantor” (reconnu garant de l'environnement): this label is a condition for certain grants available to the customer for renovation works, such as MaPrimeRénov'. The service-public.fr page on RGE gives the official framework: consult it to find out which works and grants are concerned.

The FFB (French building federation) points out that the first step is to choose the qualification matching exactly the works you carry out. Your quotes therefore serve as supporting documents: take care over them. Customers check companies in the France Rénov' directory.

Qualibat is a body that qualifies construction companies. Mention these qualifications only if you hold them, if they are valid and for the relevant field of works. Common mistake: showing an expired qualification.

How do you state the customer, the site, the number and the date?

Write the customer's full name and billing address, then the site address if it differs. For a business customer, add its company name and identification references. Give each quote a unique number and date it on the day it is issued. Write the validity deadline in full, rather than leaving the starting point of the period open to interpretation. Common mistake: reusing a number by duplicating an old file.

How do you write the description of the works?

Describe each service precisely enough for the customer to know what they are buying and what is not included: materials, preparation, removal of site waste. Common mistake: a vague line such as “bathroom renovation”. Example: “Removal of the old tiling, preparation of the substrate, supply and fitting of [reference] tiles, grouting included. Removal of rubble included / not included”.

Fixed-price or estimate quote, firm or revisable price: how do you choose?

A fixed-price quote sets an overall price for precisely described works. An estimate quote gives an approximate amount: the final price depends on the quantities actually carried out. A firm price does not change during the project, whereas a revisable price changes according to a revision clause written on the quote. State which of these arrangements applies, so that the customer knows whether the amount may vary.

The priced part of a construction quote includes quantities, units, unit prices and VAT, value added tax. Fill it in line by line, then recalculate the totals before sending.

How do you enter quantities, units, labour and supplies?

State the quantity and unit of each line: square metre, linear metre, item, hour, lump sum. Enter the unit price excluding tax, the line total, then the overall total. Separate labour (hours and hourly rate), supplies and the call-out charge if billed: the customer can compare two quotes more easily and you can more easily justify a variation order. Common mistake: mixing units, or prices excluding and including VAT, in the same column.

Which VAT rate applies to each line of a construction quote?

According to the tax administration page Which VAT rate applies to works carried out in dwellings?, the standard VAT rate is set at 20% and two reduced rates may, under certain conditions, apply to works carried out in dwellings. Only works and equipment carried out and invoiced by the company (fitting, installation, adaptation or maintenance services) are concerned.

The rate for a line therefore depends on the nature of the works, the premises (dwelling or other premises) and the status of the customer. A single quote may include several rates. On that page, read the value of each reduced rate and its conditions on the date of your quote, then apply them line by line.

How do you get the customer to certify the reduced VAT rate?

Since the French 2025 finance act, the customer must certify, by means of a statement on the quote or invoice, that the works carried out by the professional meet the conditions for applying one of the reduced rates (source: tax administration, page cited above). Add this statement to the quote, have it validated by the customer's signature and keep the signed quote in the project file. Check that the nature of the works described on the quote matches what the customer certifies.

What does a filled-in quote with two VAT rates look like?

The following example uses two rates, called A and B. The quantities and prices are fictitious and serve only to illustrate the calculation. Replace A and B with the rates applicable to your works.

How do you check the totals before sending?

Check the rate for each line on service-public.fr or on the website of the French public finance directorate-general. Recalculate the total excluding VAT with a second tool, then check that excluding-VAT total plus VAT gives the including-VAT total. Finally, reread the reduced-rate certification statement if the quote includes one.

The terms of a construction quote set out payment, the deposit, the timing of work, the validity period of the offer and the guarantees. Write them on the quote itself: a verbal condition is hard to prove in the event of a disagreement.

How do you write the payment terms, the deposit and the retention?

State the due dates, the accepted means of payment and, where applicable, the deposit requested at the time of order. If the project includes a retention, a sum the customer withholds from payments to guarantee that the reservations made at handover are lifted, write that down too. The legal conditions for this retention are not in the official pages cited here: have them validated by your adviser before putting them on a quote. Example: “Deposit of [agreed amount or percentage] on order, balance on handover of the works”.

Consumer customer signing outside business premises With a consumer signing outside business premises, the professional must not receive any payment during the withdrawal period, according to the French Consumer Code. The page Doorstep selling mentions the case of a service fully performed before the end of the withdrawal period, provided that the consumer has given prior consent and waived the right. Unless an exception applies, set the deposit due date after the end of the period and do not write “deposit on signing”.

For the corresponding invoice, see the construction deposit invoice. Clear terms from the quote stage make it easier to track payments: the guide to preventing unpaid invoices in construction covers this prevention in detail.

What late-payment terms should you provide for a business customer?

Between businesses, the page Payment periods between businesses and late-payment penalties, checked by Entreprendre Service Public, states that “the payment period must appear on the invoice and in the general terms of sale (CGV)”. It specifies that the fixed recovery fee “must be stated in the supplier's general terms of sale (CGV) and on the invoices it issues”. Without this statement, you may be unable to apply it to a customer who pays late.

Carry these elements over from the quote stage: payment period, penalties applicable after the due date with their rate, recovery fee. Look up the minimum penalty rate, the amount of the fee and the document retention period on page F23211 and on the page Commercial documents, copy them into your CGV and note the date of your check.

How do you calculate a late-payment penalty on an unpaid invoice?

Set out the calculation in a simple table, filled in with the values from your CGV: amount due, due date, actual payment date, number of days late, penalty rate set by your CGV, penalty calculated by the method your CGV indicates, then the fixed recovery fee if it appears there. Attach this calculation to your reminder, together with the invoice concerned. If your CGV provide neither a rate nor a method, you have no written basis to put to the customer: complete them before the next quote.

How do you state the deadlines and the validity period?

Announce the start date or the lead time, the estimated duration of the project and the validity period of the quote, which limits the offer made to the customer in time. No single duration is imposed in the cited pages: choose it according to the price stability of your materials. Without a written period, the limit of the offer remains uncertain. Example: “Works due to start from [date or lead time], estimated duration [duration]. Quote valid until [date]”.

Which guarantees should be recalled on the quote?

10 years: Duration of builders' ten-year liability, from handover of the works Service-public.gouv.fr, page Builders' ten-year liability (F2034)

Ten-year liability is described on the page Builders' ten-year liability: information on the corresponding insurance appears on the quote. The guarantee of perfect completion requires the contractor to repair defects noted at handover or appearing within the legal period that follows it; check this period with your adviser before writing it down. This guarantee applies regardless of the quote: mentioning it is a drafting choice.

Yes, certain details of the construction quote change with the legal form: company name, identification, VAT treatment and insurance information. The structure stays the same: customer, works, prices, terms, validity. Adapt only the fields concerned.

What are the differences between sole trader, micro-entrepreneur and company?

The sole proprietorship (EI) is a business run in the owner's own name. The micro-entrepreneur, or auto-entrepreneur, is not a separate legal form: they operate as a sole proprietor under a simplified regime, and their quote follows the rules for an EI. The page Commercial documents of a micro-business covers their quotes, CGV and invoices: it is the reference to consult for the auto-entrepreneur quote template. A company, for example an SARL or an SAS, is a legal person distinct from its manager.

Which VAT regimes exist and how do you prepare a quote under the VAT exemption scheme?

According to the page Filing and paying VAT, the rules for filing and payment depend on the company's tax regime: VAT exemption scheme (franchise en base), simplified VAT regime or normal standard regime. The standard regime involves detailed recording of transactions (VAT return generally monthly, accrual accounting, retention of invoices). A business falls under the exemption scheme if it meets cumulative conditions, listed on this page.

The VAT exemption scheme (franchise en base de TVA) is a regime in which the business does not charge VAT. The quote removes the VAT line and carries the statement “VAT not applicable”, together with the reference to the French General Tax Code (CGI) provision on which the exemption is based. Look up this reference and the thresholds, which are subject to change, on page F23566 or on the website of the French public finance directorate-general, or ask the business tax office.

How do you prepare a subcontracting quote with VAT reverse charge?

In subcontracting, the reverse charge may apply: the subcontractor invoices without VAT and the company that entrusts the works to them declares the tax. The page VAT reverse charge for subcontracting in construction, page checked by Entreprendre Service Public, presents this regime and covers the mandatory invoice statement concerning the reverse charge. The article on VAT reverse charge in construction subcontracting details the statement to include. Confirm with your accountant that this regime covers your project. Whatever the form, check that the insurance matches the activity actually carried out, in the name of the entity that signs.

Yes: a construction quote is free or paid depending on what the company announces to the customer, and in every case you state it on the document. If it is paid, inform the customer before preparing it and write its price. This precaution follows from the general duty of prior information to the consumer, recalled by the page Doorstep selling. The template on this page, for its part, is free.

Is a written quote mandatory before the works?

For certain activities, handing over a written quote before the service is mandatory. This is established for emergency repairs, repair work and certain works, according to the page Mandatory quote: activities concerned, which specifies the required content activity by activity. If your trade is listed there, the written quote is compulsory. The article on the plumber's quote covers an emergency repair case. Even where it is not compulsory, a written quote remains the simplest proof of what was agreed.

When does the quote bind the company and the customer?

Before acceptance, the quote is an offer that the customer can refuse or have modified. When the customer accepts it without reservation within the validity period, the signed quote in practice constitutes written proof of the agreement on the works and their price. For the construction of an individual house, seek legal advice: the applicable contract is not covered here.

If a consumer customer signs outside business premises, their right of withdrawal (French Consumer Code) applies in addition, subject to the exceptions provided for: the quote then states this right, its conditions, its period and the procedures for exercising it. The texts in force can be consulted on Légifrance and service-public.fr.

How do you prove the customer's agreement, including by electronic signature?

Keep the date of acceptance, the signature and the “approved” (bon pour accord) statement, handwritten or added by electronic signature on the PDF. This statement is good practice: it records the acceptance and serves as evidence. Keep the signed copy, on paper or digital, with the trace of its sending.

What should you do if the works change during the project?

Draw up a variation order (avenant), a document that supplements the original quote, or a new quote depending on the scale of the change, and have it signed before the additional works. If you entrust part of the project to a subcontractor, the construction subcontracting contract similarly sets the price and scope of their works. The proforma invoice, a preparatory document announcing an amount, replaces neither the accepted quote nor the final invoice. In the event of a dispute, seek legal advice.

Keep a blank template, always work on a copy, number each quote in a continuous sequence and name your files according to a fixed rule. Send the quote as a PDF and file it by customer or by project with the signed copy and any variation orders.

How do you structure an Excel quote sheet with VAT, discount and deposit?

How do you lock the formulas and send the quote as a PDF?

• Lock the calculation cells (totals, VAT, total incl. VAT) and protect the sheet: only the input cells remain editable.
• Test the file with a simple case whose result you know.
• Send the quote as a PDF to fix its layout and avoid accidental modification.

How do you number, name and customise quotes?

Add your logo to the header and save the result as your reference template. Choose a unique, continuous numbering system, for example the year followed by a sequence number, and name files according to a fixed rule: number, customer name, nature of works. Keep a register to spot a duplicate or a gap. For the invoice, the page Everything you need to know about invoicing recalls that, on paper or digital media (PDF, email), “the company must itself number the invoice and check that it includes all the mandatory details”.

How do you file, back up and retain quotes?

Create a folder per customer or per project, containing the quote as sent, the signed copy, the reduced-rate VAT certification statement where applicable and any variation orders. Back up regularly to a medium separate from your working computer. Retention periods vary with the nature of the document (quote, contract, invoice): the page Commercial documents refers to the section “How long should businesses keep documents?”. Note the period you have adopted for each type of document and the date of your check.

To track each quote from the customer's request through to signature, keep a register (number, customer, date, status) or centralise your customer file and sales tracking in one place.

A Word or Excel quote template is a static file: it does not check your calculations, assigns no number, does not track the status of quotes and passes nothing on to invoicing. These limits matter little for a few quotes a month. They grow with volume and the complexity of projects.

• Calculation errors: an overwritten cell or a badly copied formula skews a total with no warning.
• Multiple versions: several copies of the same quote circulate, and it becomes hard to know which one was sent.
• Manual numbering: duplicates or gaps if the person creating the quote forgets to check the previous one.
• No tracking: nothing shows whether a quote is sent, accepted, declined or awaiting a follow-up.
• Re-entry for the invoice: the quote data must be copied over, with a risk of discrepancy between the two documents.

Where do discrepancies between quote and invoice arise?

A project generally goes through four stages: accepted quote, deposit, progress statements, final invoice. A progress statement is an interim invoice recording the progress of the project. With files, you can duplicate the quote and change its title, but you reconcile the lines, deposits and statements by hand.

What are the e-invoicing deadlines for a construction company?

E-invoicing is the issuing of invoices as structured data, rather than as simple paper or PDF documents. The lines of your quote feed your invoice: an error in description, quantity or VAT rate therefore carries over into the invoiced document. The timetable of the reform is public. According to the news item Obligation to issue and receive electronic invoices: what is the timetable? (service-public.fr, published 19 January 2026 and updated 27 February 2026), the obligation to receive electronic invoices will apply to all businesses from 1 September 2026.

Sheet 3 of the DGFiP (French tax authority) series for very small businesses, From when must my business be ready (updated October 2026), distinguishes receiving your suppliers' invoices from issuing: each supplier must determine whether it is required to issue an electronic invoice. For construction-specific detail, see the guide on e-invoicing in construction.

What penalties apply for failing to comply with e-invoicing?

According to the news item e-invoicing penalties are changing (service-public.fr, 20 February 2026), the French 2026 finance act (article 123) clarifies the penalties applicable in the event of failure to comply with the rules of the reform, which starts to apply on 1 September 2026. The news item distinguishes two situations: failure to meet the obligation to issue electronic invoices, and omission or failure to use an approved platform to receive electronic invoices. Read the amounts and conditions in that news item: this guide reproduces none of them.

Which other transmission concerns transactions with consumers?

According to the page Everything you need to know about invoicing, the businesses concerned send the tax administration certain information on transactions not covered by electronic invoicing (transaction amount, amount of VAT charged). Check on this page whether your business is required to do so.

Move to a management tool when total errors, duplicate numbers or forgotten quotes keep recurring, or when several people create quotes. If you work alone, with few quotes and simple projects, a locked template and rigorous filing are often enough.

Which questions should you ask yourself to decide?

• How many quotes do you prepare each month?
• Do several people create them?
• Do your projects often involve variation orders, deposits or progress statements?
• Have you already noticed a total error, a duplicate number or a forgotten quote?
• Can your invoicing tool receive electronic invoices, an obligation applying to all businesses from 1 September 2026?

If you answer yes to several of these questions, compare tools according to your trade: the page construction software by trade details the selection criteria. Depending on the size of your company, also see the pages solutions for small construction businesses and solutions for mid-sized construction businesses. To try a management tool on your own quotes, you can create an account.

Key takeaways Distinguish the details required by law (withdrawal off premises, payment period and recovery fee between businesses, content of mandatory quotes) from good practice (number, validity, “approved”). A written quote is mandatory for emergency repairs, repair work and certain works, with the hourly rate, the call-out charge and prices excluding and including VAT: check on page F31144 whether your trade is covered. For a reduced VAT rate in a dwelling, the customer has certified since 16 February 2025 that the works meet the conditions, by a statement on the quote or invoice. Receiving electronic invoices applies to all businesses from 1 September 2026; issuing is rolled out gradually from the same date, depending on business category. With a consumer signing outside business premises, do not ask for payment during the withdrawal period, and state the consumer mediator only if your activity is subject to it.