What it's for
This construction proposal template is what you send a client once a job is priced: the work, what's in and out, the price, the start and the payments. It goes out on your letterhead, to a homeowner, a commercial client or a general contractor you're quoting as a sub. When an owner's bid package includes its own bid form, submit that form instead, as our guide on how to write a construction bid explains.
It's a form, not a contract. Every field starts blank, and the file supplies no contract terms: TERMS AND CONDITIONS is a heading over three blank lines for your own. Neither the file nor this page is legal advice. If you want your terms reviewed, ask your attorney.
What's inside
Three Letter-size pages, with our logo, a credit link and the page number in each footer. The pale yellow lines are yours to fill in, nothing calculates, and there's no instructions page to strip out.
Page 1. Your letterhead (YOUR LOGO, Your Company Name, then lines for your address, phone, email and license number), with PROPOSAL, Proposal no., Date and Valid until on the right. Then PREPARED FOR (CLIENT, PROJECT, PROJECT ADDRESS), SCOPE OF WORK with 6 numbered lines, and INCLUSIONS and EXCLUSIONS with 4 each.
Page 2. PRICE has 8 lines under ITEM, DESCRIPTION and AMOUNT, and a bright yellow Total line with a $ sign. Under it, a line reading ALLOWANCES ARE: has two boxes, "Included in the total" and "In addition to the total". ALLOWANCES opens with "Allowances are budget amounts for items still to be selected, such as fixtures or finishes." and has 3 lines under ALLOWANCE, DESCRIPTION and AMOUNT, with no total. SCHEDULE asks for START (ON OR ABOUT) and DURATION. PAYMENT SCHEDULE has 4 lines under MILESTONE, PERCENT OR AMOUNT and DUE.
Page 3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS has 3 numbered lines, right above ACCEPTANCE and its line "Signed below, this proposal is accepted as written." Then CONTRACTOR and CLIENT signature blocks, each with SIGNATURE, PRINTED NAME AND TITLE and DATE lines.
How to fill it in
- Type your company details over the letterhead and put your logo where it says YOUR LOGO.
- Type over the underscores after Proposal no., Date and Valid until, then fill in PREPARED FOR.
- Write the SCOPE OF WORK, INCLUSIONS and EXCLUSIONS one item to a line. The numbers are typed, not automatic, so number any row you add.
- Under PRICE, enter one line per item, or one line for a lump sum, then add the lines yourself and type the total after the $. Work the number out first in the construction estimate template or the bid price calculator.
- List what the client still has to choose under ALLOWANCES, with a budget for each. Then type an X over one box on the ALLOWANCES ARE: line: Included in the total or In addition to the total. If they're included, carry their combined amount on a price line so the Total adds up.
- Fill in START (ON OR ABOUT) and DURATION, then give each payment a MILESTONE, a PERCENT OR AMOUNT and when it's DUE.
- Write your own terms under TERMS AND CONDITIONS. If they need more than three lines, add rows or attach them and say so.
- Page through before you send it. PRICE and TERMS AND CONDITIONS always start a new page, so lines that push page 1 or 2 past the bottom spill onto a page of their own.
Writing a proposal a client can say yes to
Write the scope as work, not products: "set the new vanity and connect it to the existing supply and drain", not "vanity, faucet, supply lines". Say where the work stops: ready for paint is not painted.
Inclusions and exclusions head off "I thought that was included." List anything a client could read either way: haul-off, patching, permits, work behind walls you haven't opened. Extra work asked for after signing goes on a change order form.
Describe what each allowance is meant to buy, and agree up front how a pick that costs more or less gets settled.
Tie each payment to something both of you can see, such as cabinets set or drywall hung, rather than "halfway through". The form suggests no deposit or split.
Fill in Valid until with a date you can hold the price to. Prices move, and an open-ended proposal can come back signed after your numbers have gone stale.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use it for a quote or an estimate?
Yes. PROPOSAL at the top is plain text, so type QUOTE or ESTIMATE over it and change Proposal no. to match.
Does it calculate?
No. It's a Word form with no formulas: every amount is typed, the Total included.
Can I put my logo on it?
Yes. Delete the words YOUR LOGO at the top left and insert your logo there.
Does it work in Google Docs or Pages?
Both open .docx files, and this one has no macros, form fields or content controls. Each app lays out Word files its own way, so check the page breaks.
Is it a contract?
No. It's a proposal form with no contract terms in it. Whether a signed proposal binds either side is a legal question the file doesn't decide. If you want your terms reviewed, ask your attorney.