Things to consider
● Prior to creating a Quote, verify that the appropriate Quote Tags & Job Types are added in Custom Fields settings.
● Visit Quote Settings to configure Quote Templates and Quote Preferences.
● You must have at least (1) Pricebook created.
● Set up a Quote External Message Template on your Company Settings page.
● A Customer & Property must already be created in BuildOps before you can create a Quote.
Ways To Create A Quote
There are several ways to create a Quote in BuildOps:
● From the + Icon next to the Global Search bar.
● From the Quotes table.
● On an existing Job.
● From the Recommendations table.
● From the Mobile App (limited capability).
Navigating The Quotes Table
To access the Quotes table, hover over Operations → click Quotes.
The Quotes table displays all Quotes in your BuildOps account.
Use filters to quickly refine the table for relevant Quotes. You can also
adjust the table density and choose which columns to display or hide.
Similarly to the other tables in BuildOps, you can create and utilize saved Table Views to assist with your internal office workflows.
Across the top of the Quotes table, you will see quick filters to filter Quotes according to their status: Draft, Sent to Customer, Approved, Approved & Job Added, My Quotes.
Click on a status label to sort the table quickly.
Export data from the Quotes table if needed by clicking “EXPORT” (upper right corner). Use a saved Table View to export specific data at any time.
Creating A Quote
1. To create a Quote from the Quotes table, click + NEW QUOTE.
2. Start typing and select a Property from the list. Click “CONTINUE”.
Listed below are tabs at the top of the quote which provide a comprehensive view and easy access to all essential details and actions related to the quote.
Info
Scope of Work
Pricing
Recommendations
Forms & Attachments
Email History
Activity
Info
3. Fill in the following details on the Info tab (see definitions and
examples below).
* Indicates a REQUIRED field. The user will not be able to continue to the next step until all required fields have been entered.
Quote Title: Enter a name for the quote. This title will appear as the subject line when the quote is emailed to the customer (e.g., "Replace Exhaust Fan").
Issue Description - Add a more detailed issue description. This field maps to the Job Issue Description and will be visible on the Job record page and Mobile App (e.g., “Replace exhaust fan in main kitchen”).
Version Title - Use this field to distinguish between multiple Quote versions (e.g., Version 1, Version 2).
Project manager - Your PM will receive notifications when the Quote status changes to approved or rejected.
Account manager - This field populates from “Representatives on our side” within the Customer/Property Contacts.
Sold by - This field populates from your personnel list. It will display every user in the system.
Department* - Select the Department primarily associated with this Quote.
Customer PO number - Add a customer provided PO number, if applicable.
Service Agreement - Track pull through work by selecting an associated Service Agreement.
Pricebook* - Select a Pricebook (e.g., Standard).
Quote Due By - Add the date that you need to send the Quote to your Customer.
Expiration* - Add a deadline (in days) for your Customer to approve or reject the Quote.
The expiration countdown starts on the day you send the Quote to your Customer (e.g., If you send the Quote on 4/16/25 and the expiration is set to 30 days, the Customer has until 5/15/25 to approve or reject the Quote).
Job type* - Select an appropriate Job Type. This dropdown populates based on what is set up for Job Types in Custom Fields settings.
Internal Notes - These are internal notes which will only be visible to your team and not your customer for this Quote (e.g., Make sure to order all parts & materials ASAP).
Property, Billing Customer, Customer – Shows the property and customer information associated with the quote being created.
Property Representative - This pulls from the Property Contacts "Representatives. This contact will then pull over to the Job as the “Property Representative".
Company Representative - This pulls from the Customer Contacts "Representatives. Select the Billing Contact. This contact will pull over to the Job as the “Authorized By”.
If there is an email associated with the Company Representative contact, it will populate in the “Email To” field when you send out the Quote.
● If you click “Show Details” at the bottom of either section, you can review and update an existing contact in the Property / Customer Representative fields.
These changes will be saved at the Customer Contact and Property Contact level where they can be edited if needed.
4. Click “SAVE” (upper right corner).
5. After clicking “SAVE”, you will now see the Quote number, name, status, version number, tags, and email status across the top of the Quote.
6. If there are any Recommendations that have been created, you will see a blue banner notification.
Scope of Work
7. Click to the “Scope of Work” tab.
8. Define the scope of work to be performed under this quote (e.g.,
1. Demo old exhaust fan. 2. Install new exhaust fan).
NOTES:
● The scope of work in this context refers to a brief description of the work to be executed.
● This paragraph can then be automatically inserted into the final customer-facing document.
● The scope of work is not visible to technicians.
● The Scope of Work will transfer to the project once a quote is converted, mapping to the project's Scope of Work field.
9. Select Assets from this property that are covered by this Quote, if applicable. Check the box to select an asset.
All assets on the property will be listed in the Assets table, including details like Asset Type, Name, Make, Model, and Serial Number, facilitating easy distinction between assets.
Pricing
10. Click to the “Pricing” tab.
You have the flexibility to define the Pricing tab according to your preferences. You can choose to create a single section encompassing all labor and materials, or opt for multiple sections to specify different aspects of the work.
Examples of how you can use Quote sections to build your Pricing:
Section 1: Incurred cost (during initial inspection)
Section 2: Proposed Scope
Section 1: Demolish
Section 2: Installation
Section 1: Labor
Section 2: Equipment
Section 3: Subcontractor
Section 4: Material
11. If there are existing Recommendations for the Property, click the blue banner to review them. Choose whether or not to add the Recommendation(s) to the “Pricing” tab as a Quote Section, and edit the labor and items as needed. The Recommendation will also be listed in the “Recommendations” tab of the Quote.
12. Within the “Pricing” tab, there will be a default Section for quick Labor and Material addition. To update the section name, type into the Section header (e.g., “Demolition”).
13. Optionally, type a Section description underneath the Section
name (e.g., “Demo old exhaust fan”).
14. Click “+ Add Labor” to add a labor line to the Section.
15. Fill in the following data fields.
* Indicates a REQUIRED field. The user will get an error and not be able to approve the quote until all required fields have been entered.
● Labor Rate Group/ Labor Type* - Select an option from the
dropdown (e.g., “General Labor – Foreman”).
● Description - Add a Labor Description (e.g., “Demo old EF”).
● Payroll Hour Type* - Regular Time, Overtime, etc.
● Cost Type - Verify the Cost Type for reporting purposes (e.g.,
Labor). Cost Types are set up in Project Settings).
● Unit Cost* - This value is the cost to your business and it will auto
populate based on the Payroll Hour Type selected.
● Hours* - Add an estimated duration for the labor (e.g., 3 hrs).
● Billing Hour Type* - Regular Time, Overtime, etc.
● Unit Price* - this is the price to your Customer and it will auto populate based on the Billing Hour Type selected.
● Billable Hours* - Add how many hours you want to bill the Customer for.
NOTE: This number can be higher or lower than the Hours
field.
For instance, if you have an onsite minimum but know the work will take less time, you can enter a higher number of hours in the Billable Hours field.
● Markup - This field will auto populate, but you can manually override it if needed.
Markup = (Unit price - Unit Cost)/Unit Cost
● Taxable - Check the box if Labor is taxable.
The taxable checkbox will be checked if the Billing Hour Type selected is tied to a taxable item.
● Subtotal - The labor subtotal is listed at the end of the Labor line.
The Approve button will remain unavailable if there are any errors in the Labor section. Make sure all required fields are completely filled out to enable the Approve option and successfully mark the quote as approved.
16. To add parts & materials to the Quote, click “+ Add Item”.
17. Start typing to search for Items in your Item list.
NOTE: If you do not see your Item, it needs to be added in your Item List / Inventory Settings.
18. Select your Item and fill in the data fields accordingly.
● Item name - Will auto populate based on the selected item.
● Description - Update the Item description, if applicable
● Cost Type - Select a Cost Type for reporting purposes (e.g., “Materials”). Cost Types are set up in Project Settings.
● Unit Cost - This value is the cost to your business
● Markup - This field will auto populate, but you can manually override it if needed.
If you change the value in one field, the other field will adjust accordingly.
● Unit Price - This field is the price you are charging your Customer and it will auto populate based on your Markup/Margin.
● Quantity - Update the item quantity.
● Taxable - Check the box if the Material Item is taxable. The taxable checkbox will be checked if the Item is marked as taxable in the Item List.
● Subtotal - The Item subtotal will be calculated on the right side of
the item line.
19. Click “+ Add Section” to add additional Sections if applicable. Add additional Labor and Items by following the same steps listed above.
20. To delete a Section, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the section line → click “Delete Section”.
21. To delete a Labor line or Item line, click the “X” on the right side
of the line.
22. Verify the selected Pricebook (upper left corner).
23. As you add Sections, Labor, and Items to your Quote, the Quote Profitability box (bottom section of the screen) will update automatically allowing you to see the Quote Subtotal, Total Cost, Profit, Margin, & Markup.
24. To add additional line items to the Quote that do not qualify as Labor or Parts & Materials (e.g., Subcontractor fees, Equipment rentals, etc) click “+ ADD LINE ITEM” under the Task Subtotal in the bottom right corner.
25. Fill in the table and click “SAVE”.
● Product
● Department
● Description
● Quantity*
● Unit Cost*
● Markup/Margin
● Unit Price*
● Cost Code, Cost Type, Revenue Type
● Total Amount
● Taxable
26. To add any discounts to the Quote, click “+ADD DISCOUNT” (under + ADD LINE ITEM).
27. Fill in the table and click “SAVE”.
● Product*
● Department*
● Discount*
● Description*
● Cost Code, Cost Type, Revenue Type
● Total Amount
● Taxable
28. Tax rate - Select a tax rate, if applicable.
29. Subtotals/totals - Verify the Subtotal/Total.
You can drag and drop labor, parts, and materials to adjust their order inside a section. The generated PDF will now follow the exact same order you see in the quote, ensuring alignment between the web view and final document.
Recommendations
30. Click to the “Recommendations” tab.
💡Any Recommendation that is associated with the quote will be listed in this section, allowing sales users to cross-check them with the original Recommendations from the field.
31. To remove a Recommendation from a Quote, click the 3 dots next to the Recommendation line → click “Remove from Quote”.
32. Confirm the popup: “Proceeding will remove the selected recommendation from this quote and revert its status to “Recommended”. This action will not affect the scope and pricing of this quote. Do you wish to proceed?”
33. If you wish to remove the corresponding Recommendation Section from the Quote, it must be deleted from the “Pricing” tab.
Forms & Attachments
34. Click to the “Forms & Attachments” tab.
💡Add supporting attachments to your Quote.
These attachments will be carried over to the Job once a Job is added to the Quote. You can also share them with your Customer when you send the Quote for Customer approval. Examples of documents that can be added in this section include cut sheets, product data, and submittals for products used during installation.
NOTE: If a Recommendation is added to a Quote, any related Recommendation Forms will appear in the Forms & Attachments section of the Quote. Forms created from Mobile Quotes will also show in the Forms & Attachments section of the web Quote.
35. To add a supporting document, click “+ ADD ATTACHMENT” (upper right corner)
36. Upload the attachment, rename the file, and update the file description. Click “SAVE”.
Check “Share with Technicians on Mobile” if you’d like this document to be available to Technicians in the Mobile App.
Check “Internal File” if this file is internal only. It will not be available to share with customers.
Email History
The Email History section helps you track every time a quote was emailed to your customer.
After a quote is sent from BuildOps, you’ll be able to review all email activity in a clear, organized table. This includes:
Email Status — whether the message was sent, delivered, opened, or read
Quote Version — which version of the quote was emailed
Recipient Address(es)
Email Subject
Message Body
Date Sent
Status Updated — the most recent activity on the email
Document Link — quick access to the exact quote that was sent
Quote Email Statuses
BuildOps shows email activity for each quote so you can easily track what has been sent to your customer and how they’ve interacted with it.
Available Email Statuses
You may see the following statuses when viewing a quote’s Email History:
Sent – The quote email was successfully sent.
Delivered – The email reached your customer’s inbox.
Bounced – The email could not be delivered.
Quote Read – Your customer clicked the link to view the quote.
Note: The “Open” status has been removed from the email summary banner. Quote statuses will no longer update based on “Email Read.” Instead:
Sent to Customer stays until your customer actually clicks the quote link.
Customer Viewed appears only when a real interaction is recorded (such as clicking to view the quote).
Activity
The Activity Log records all internal activity against this Quote. The Activity tab can be referenced for accountability purposes to review past history.
Quote Configuration & Sharing a Quote
1. Once you are ready to share a Quote with your customer, configure the Quote by clicking the arrow on the top right side of the screen to expand the Quote configuration window.
2. Adjust the "Quote Configuration" settings. These toggles control the following 2 combo-smart-fields if these exist in your customer-facing quote template:
Sections
Totals & Subtotals
3. We recommend creating Quote Presets which automatically generate your Quote with your preferred Quote Configuration settings.
4. After you have chosen your settings, click the arrow to hide the Quote Configuration Settings.
5. Click “GENERATE Proposal” (upper right corner).
6. Choose a Quote Template (upper left corner).
7. Edit the Quote text and formatting as needed by using the formatting bar at the top, or click directly into the Quote to make changes. Different smartfields within the Quote pull in data from the Info, Scope of Work, and Pricing Tab.
NOTE: If you wish to modify your current Quote document layout, navigate to Quote Settings to make updates to your Quote template(s).
8. Click “SAVE” in the upper right corner if you make any changes to the smartfields.
9. If you go back to the Pricing page and adjust the Quote pricing, you will need to click “REFRESH SMARTFIELDS” to update the Quote document to represent the latest Quote information.
10. Click “GENERATE PDF AND SEND”.
If you have previously edited and saved your Generated Quote, new changes to the Quote Customization options will not immediately show on the Quote.
Open the quote by clicking Generate Quote In the menu at the top of the screen, click Refresh Smartfields. This will re-generate the quote with your last customization options applied. Be sure to click Save Changes to save the updates you made.
10. Fill in the data fields before clicking “SEND” to email the Quote to
your customer.
● Quote PDF Attachment - Visible at the top of the Share Quote
modal.
● Days until Expiration - Will display the days until expiration and
expiration date.
● EMAIL TO - This field will populate with who you have listed as the
Company Representative in the “Info” tab.
● Add additional email addresses to the CC & BCC fields.
NOTE: If you add additional email addresses, you must click CREATE below the email address.
The email address will then be saved in the EMAIL TO field.
● Quote Template - Choose a Quote [external message] Template so that the message of the email will populate.
● Attachments - Select Attachments if applicable (these populate based on the Attachments & Forms you have added during Quote creation). Any attachments that were marked as “Internal File” will not be listed in the dropdown.
● Subject - This will populate the from the Quote title. Update the Quote Subject if needed.
● Email Message - This message will populate the body of the
email. Update this language if needed.
11. Back on the Quote page, review the Quote Status, Email Status, and Email History, as these will update throughout the quote's lifecycle.
12. Once the Customer receives the Quote email, they will be able to view the Quote as an attachment, and click to open the Quote where they can Approve or Reject it.
13. The Customer will then be required to add an Approval or Rejection Message.
14. Once a Quote is approved, the Project Manager will receive a notification.
Additional Actions
Add a New/Existing Job, Project, Purchase Order
1. To add a New Job, Project, Purchase Order, or to add the Quote
to an Existing Job, click “ADD” (upper right corner).
NOTE: You can only add a Job or Project if a Quote is in the approved status, but you can add a Purchase Order to a Quote draft. Once you add a Job to the Quote, everything will be pulled over to the Job.
2. Click the three dots in the upper right corner next to “GENERATE
QUOTE” to perform the following actions:
● Approve - Manually approve the Quote and add an approver note.
● Reject - Manually reject the Quote and add a rejection note.
● Cancel - Cancel the Quote.
● Clone - Create a Quote duplicate.
● Mark as Sent - Change the Quote status to “Sent To Customer”.
Create Multiple Versions
1. To create another Quote version, click Version 1 drop down >
“CREATE NEW VERSION”. Make changes to the new version as needed.
2. A Quote version that is not marked as the Primary version will be
read-only. To make edits to a Quote version, click “SET AS
PRIMARY”.
NOTES:
● When a Quote is marked as “primary” it will be the version that gets cloned or duplicated when creating a new Quote version.
● The latest version will be set as the primary version by default and users can manually mark a prior version as primary.
● On the quote list view, only the primary version quote info gets displayed.
FAQs
Q: Why am I not getting notified when a quote is Approved, Rejected, or a Job was Added?
Quote notifications are triggered when a Quote is Approved, Rejected, or if there was a Job Added.
By default, only the users listed under “Account Manager" and “Sold By” on the Quote info will receive the notifications.
If you are neither of those users and you still want to be notified on specific Quotes (but not all), you may opt to “Watch this Quote” to receive notifications.
Lastly, if you want to be able to receive notifications for ALL Quotes, you may update your notification Preferences instead.
Q: Why is the Approve button greyed out?
The Approve button will remain greyed out if required fields in Pricing are not completed. Make sure that all line items have their required fields filled in—there should be no red triangles visible. Once everything is complete, the Approve button will be enabled.
This can happen because the quote is in the 'Review Needed' status. This status exists to prevent premature sending in case further modifications are required
Q: Why is the job not showing when I try to add a project to a job?
This can happen if the job is already in Complete or Closed status, or if the job is linked to a different property.
Q: How do I add or edit a Quote Subtotal in a job?
For a new job, you can enter the Quote Subtotal during job creation. For an existing job, click EDIT on the job page and update the Quote Subtotal field. However, if the job is linked to a quote, any pricing changes must be made on the quote itself, not on the job.
Q: How can I adjust an approved quote that’s already linked to a job?
Approved quotes are locked from direct editing, but you can update them by following these steps:
Dissociate the job from the quote – This will allow the quote to be updated.
Revert the quote back to draft
Edit the quote or create a new version – Make the necessary adjustments.
Approve the updated quote – Finalize and confirm the changes.
Reassociate the job – Link the updated quote back to the job.
Q: Why do I get the error: Cannot perform the required action. Please try again. when approving Quote
This can happen when you are trying to approve quote that is associated with a job in CLOSED status. To resolve, you should revert the job status back to in progress.
Q: How do I revert an approved quote back to draft?
To revert an approved quote back to Draft, follow these steps:
Cancel the quote.
Once canceled, reopen the quote as this will change its status back to Draft.
Once the quote is in draft status, you can make any necessary edits.
Q: How do I enable Overrides on a Quote?
Go to the Quote → open Scope & Pricing → select the arrow next to the Quote Preset (beside the profitability module) → click Enable Overrides.
Q: When should I enable Overrides?
Enable Overrides if you want the flexibility to manually adjust (freeform) pricing on the Quote instead of using preset values.
Q: How can I disable overrides on a quote?
Once quote override is enabled on a quote, it cannot be turned off through the UI. This behavior is intentional to maintain data integrity, since manual edits may have already impacted pricing or profitability.
If you need the override disabled, the recommended approach is to cancel the current quote and create a new one with the override option left unchecked.