Why a proposal and not a quote
On a repipe or a sewer replacement, the argument is almost never about the price. It is about whether the price included putting the yard back, or patching the drywall, or the permit. A proposal exists to settle that before anyone digs.
The four sections that do the work
- Scope of work. Plain sentences describing what you’ll do, in the order you’ll do it. Write it so a homeowner understands it, not so an inspector does.
- Included. The things you want credit for. Haul-off, permit coordination, pressure test, cleanup.
- Not included. The section that saves the job. Be specific. “Drywall repair and paint” is better than “cosmetic work.”
- Payment schedule. When money changes hands and against what milestone.
Pricing a big job
Long jobs punish shops that price from memory, because the errors compound across days instead of hours. Build the price from a price book with your real labor rate and overhead in it, then add the job specific pieces on top.
If the customer is deciding between doing all of it and doing part of it, consider offering good better best pricing instead of one number. It turns a yes or no into a choice.
