Create Standard Estimate and Proposal Templates

A. Finished-Project Specification

Quantity: one master internal estimate template, one master customer-facing proposal template, two completed test proposals (one standard repair, one larger remodeling project), and one attorney review record, each dated and stored in the company record system.

B. Document Schedule (Component Schedule)

Document	Quantity	Format	Content Required	Preparation / Purpose
Master Internal Estimate Template	1	Structured worksheet, linked to Chapter 7	Cost detail, labor hours, margin, and internal notes	Confidential planning document not shown to the customer
Master Customer Proposal Template	1	Structured document, two to eight pages depending on project size	Header, summary, scope, materials, responsibilities, conditions, price, exclusions, assumptions, legal placeholders	The controlling document issued to every customer
Test Proposal — Standard Repair	1	Populated proposal	One completed sample using a Chapter 6 standard repair service	Validates the template on a small, simple project
Test Proposal — Larger Remodeling Project	1	Populated proposal	One completed sample using a multi-phase Chapter 6 service package	Validates the template on a complex, multi-section project
Attorney Review Record	1	Written comments and disposition	Reviewer name, date, sections reviewed, comments, and resolution	Required before the templates are approved in Section H

C. Information Takeoff

• Business-model and licensing information: legal business name, trade name, license numbers, insurance statements, and jurisdictions of use, gathered before Step 1.
• Scope library information: every approved Chapter 6 scope identifier and reusable description that may appear on a proposal.
• Pricing information: the locked Chapter 7 pricing worksheet, used to populate every priced line item.
• Legal reference: the attorney's jurisdiction-specific requirements for payment, deposit, cancellation, warranty, and acceptance language, obtained before Section H review.

D. Acceptance Standards

Check	Standard
Internal/customer separation	Confidential cost, labor-hour, and margin detail appears only on the internal estimate, never on the customer-facing proposal
Header and identification	Legal business name, license information, project, customer, proposal number, date, revision, and validity are each present and accurate
Scope linkage	Every included-work line item references its Chapter 6 scope identifier
Exclusions and assumptions	Every exclusion and assumption is written in project-specific language, not a generic disclaimer
Pricing consistency	Every priced commitment on the proposal matches the Chapter 7 pricing worksheet for that project
Legal placeholders	Payment, warranty, cancellation, and acceptance sections carry only attorney-approved, jurisdiction-specific language before approval
Testing	The template has been populated and reviewed on one standard repair and one larger remodeling test proposal without missing or unpriced commitments
Approval	The master templates are reviewed by the attorney and management, revised to address comments, and signed, dated, and stored in the company record system

E. Identification and Structure

1. Identify the estimate and proposal types used by the business. Record whether the business issues fixed-price, unit-price, time-and-material, or service-call proposals, and note which template sections apply to each type.
2. Separate internal estimates from customer-facing proposals. Build the internal estimate and customer proposal as two distinct documents from the outset; do not attempt to redact one into the other.
3. Create a controlled template header with legal business name, trade name, address, contacts, license information, and insurance statements only as required and verified. Pull each value from the verified Chapter 3 licensing file and Chapter 4 insurance file; do not estimate or approximate any header value.
4. Create project, customer, property, proposal number, date, revision, plan date, and validity fields. Assign a controlled numbering convention for proposal identifiers before the first test proposal is created.
5. Create a concise project-summary section. Limit the summary to the project objective, location, and overall scope in plain, customer-readable language.

F. Scope, Materials, and Line-Item Organization

1. Create a scope section linked to approved Chapter 6 scope identifiers. Insert the identifier and reusable description for every included service.
2. Organize work by phase, room, system, service package, or line item appropriate to the project. Select one organizing structure per project type and apply it consistently.
3. Define quantity and unit display rules without disclosing confidential cost unless intended. Show quantity and unit of measure on the customer proposal; withhold unit cost and margin unless the business has decided to disclose it.
4. Create separate base, alternate, allowance, unit-price, credit, and optional-service sections. Do not combine these categories into one undifferentiated list.
5. Create a materials and finishes section that identifies brand, model, grade, color, selection status, or allowance basis. Mark each material item as selected, pending, or allowance-based.

G. Responsibilities, Conditions, and Schedule

1. Create a contractor-responsibility section. List labor, supervision, equipment, protection, cleanup, testing, and documentation the contractor provides.
2. Create an owner-responsibility section. List access, decisions, selections, utilities, and payment responsibilities the owner provides.
3. Create an access, occupancy, utility, protection, storage, and working-hours section. State the assumed access and occupancy conditions the price is based on.
4. Create a permits, inspections, design, engineering, testing, and code-responsibility section. Identify who is responsible for obtaining and paying for each required permit or inspection.
5. Create a demolition, salvage, disposal, cleanup, and restoration section. State what is removed, salvaged, disposed of, and restored as part of the proposed price.
6. Create a schedule-assumption and lead-time section that avoids unsupported promises. State schedule assumptions as estimates dependent on material lead time, weather, and inspection scheduling, not as guaranteed dates.

H. Pricing, Legal Placeholders, Testing, and Approval

1. Create a pricing, tax, freight, escalation, and expiration section. Populate this section from the Chapter 7 pricing worksheet and state the proposal's validity period.
2. Create an exclusions section in clear project-specific language. Write each exclusion in terms specific to the project rather than a boilerplate disclaimer list.
3. Create an assumptions and concealed-condition section. State the specific conditions assumed to exist and the process for pricing a condition that differs from the assumption.
4. Create a change-order and allowance statement consistent with Chapter 10. Reference the Chapter 10 change-order and allowance procedures rather than restating them in different language.
5. Create a payment, deposit, financing, retainage, cancellation, lien, and collection placeholder requiring jurisdiction-specific attorney-approved language. Mark this section clearly as a legal placeholder pending attorney review.
6. Create a warranty and manufacturer-information placeholder requiring approved terms. Mark this section clearly as a legal placeholder pending attorney review.
7. Create signature and acceptance placeholders appropriate to proposal status without treating the proposal as a contract unless legally intended. State explicitly whether signing this document constitutes contract execution or only proposal acceptance pending a separate contract.
8. Create a document-reference section for drawings, specifications, photographs, site reports, and clarifications. List every attachment referenced elsewhere in the proposal.
9. Create attachment lists for selections, schedules, allowances, notices, plans, and terms. Maintain a single attachment index per proposal.
10. Create a proposal-status field such as draft, budget, issued, revised, accepted, declined, expired, or withdrawn. Update this field every time the proposal's status changes.
11. Create a revision table identifying what changed and why. Record every revision with date, section changed, and reason.
12. Create a customer-friendly summary page and a detailed scope attachment. Separate the short summary a customer reads first from the detailed scope they can review in full.
13. Create accessibility, readability, font, page-number, footer, and print controls. Set a minimum font size, consistent footer with proposal number and page count, and print-ready margins.
14. Create PDF, electronic-signature, email-delivery, and archive procedures with legal review. Confirm the delivery and signature method satisfies the jurisdiction's requirements for proposal and contract delivery.
15. Test the template on one standard repair and one larger remodeling proposal. Populate both templates completely using real or representative project data.
16. Compare proposal scope with the pricing worksheet and identify missing or unpriced commitments. Correct any scope statement that lacks a corresponding priced line item.
17. Review the template with attorney, management, estimator, project manager, and customer-service personnel. Record each reviewer's name, date, and comments on the attorney review record.
18. Remove unauthorized legal language and replace it with approved terms. Update the payment, warranty, cancellation, and acceptance sections to match the attorney's approved language exactly.
19. Approve the master templates and lock controlled fields. Sign, date, and lock the master estimate and proposal templates against uncontrolled editing.
20. Create a template revision and jurisdiction-selection procedure. Record how the template is updated when jurisdiction, license, or legal requirements change, and who is authorized to approve that update.