Creating and Sending Quotes
Manual and AI-powered quote creation, billing types, versioning, and sending to clients
What You'll Learn
- Create quotes manually with detailed line items
- Use AI to generate quotes from a project description
- Understand the three billing types (Fixed, Not-to-Exceed, Time & Materials)
- Send quotes and track client responses
- Create new versions of existing quotes
- Duplicate quotes for similar projects
Quotes Power Your Workflow
Quotes are the starting point of the WorkCentral workflow. When a client accepts a quote, it automatically becomes a project with tasks and a Kanban board. You can create quotes manually or use AI to generate detailed line items from a plain-English project description.
This guide covers both approaches.
Start a New Quote
Navigate to Quotes and click "Create Quote". WorkCentral runs a few automatic checks before loading the form.
Pre-flight Checks:
- Permission check: You must have quote creation permissions
- Plan limit check: Your monthly quote limit is verified
Monthly Quote Limits:
- Free: 5 quotes/month
- Professional: Unlimited
- Business: Unlimited
Hit your limit? If you've reached your plan's monthly quote limit, you'll be redirected to billing settings with an upgrade prompt showing the next plan tier.
Fill in Quote Information
The quote form starts with basic project information. Some fields are required, others help provide context.
Required Fields:
- Client: Dropdown of your active clients (can be pre-selected if you came from a client page)
- Quote Title: e.g., "Website Redesign - Phase 1"
- Billing Type: Fixed Project, Not to Exceed, or Time & Materials (see Step 3)
Optional Fields:
- Project Type: 16 options including Web Development, Mobile App, E-commerce, Design & Branding, Consultation, and more
- Industry Category: 22 options including Technology, Healthcare, Finance, Legal, and more
- Tax Rate: Percentage applied to the subtotal
- Expiration Date: Minimum is tomorrow
- Project Description: Detailed scope description (also used as input for AI generation)
Understand Billing Types
The billing type you choose determines how your quote is presented to the client and what column labels appear on line items.
Fixed Project Amount
"The price will not change unless additional scope is added."
Column headers: Quantity • Price
Not to Exceed
"Billing will not exceed the total quoted."
Column headers: Est. Quantity • Rate
Time and Materials
"We will bill for actual hours incurred which could be greater than or less than the estimated total."
Column headers: Est. Hours • Hourly Rate
Pro Tip: Choose "Fixed Project" for well-defined scopes, "Not to Exceed" when you want a ceiling, and "Time and Materials" for ongoing or exploratory work.
Add Line Items (Manual)
Build your quote by adding individual line items. You need at least one line item to save a quote.
Each Line Item Has:
- Description: What this line item covers (required)
- Category: Development, Design, Consultation, Project Management, Testing, Deployment, Maintenance, Training, or Research (optional)
- Quantity: Number of units or hours (required)
- Rate: Price per unit or hourly rate (required)
- Amount: Auto-calculated as quantity × rate
How It Works:
- Add and remove line items dynamically
- Subtotal, tax, and total calculate live as you type
- Use the "Improve with AI" button to enhance your project description (counts against AI usage)
OR Use AI Quote Generation
Instead of adding line items manually, you can describe your project in plain English and let AI generate detailed line items for you.
Prerequisites:
- OpenAI API key configured (see AI Setup Guide)
- AI usage within your monthly limit
AI Generation Fields:
- Default Hourly Rate: Required, minimum $25
- Budget Range: Required — Under $5K, $5K-$15K, $15K-$30K, $30K-$50K, $50K-$75K, $75K-$100K, or Over $100K
- Timeline: Optional — Rush (1-2 weeks), Fast (1 month), Standard (2-3 months), Extended (3-6 months), or Long-term (6+ months)
- Additional Requirements: Optional, max 1,000 characters
The "Generate with AI" Button Enables When:
- Project description has at least 10 characters
- A client is selected
- Hourly rate is $25 or higher
- A budget range is selected
What AI Generates:
- A quote title (if the title field is empty)
- 4-7 detailed line items with descriptions, quantities, and rates
- Budget validation: green (within target), yellow (within max), or over-budget with adjustment guidance
After Generation:
- You can manually edit any AI-generated content
- Regenerate with different parameters if needed
- Nothing is saved until you click "Create Quote"
Preview first: AI generation is preview-first — nothing is saved to your account until you review the results and click "Create Quote". Edit anything that doesn't look right.
Save Your Quote
Once your quote looks right, you have two save options.
Save Options:
- Save as Draft: Saves the quote without sending it. Status is set to "Draft" and you can continue editing freely.
- Save & Send: Saves the quote and immediately proceeds to send it to your client.
Quote Numbering:
Quote numbers are auto-generated in the format QT-YEAR-0001 and increment per organization per year. You don't need to manage this.
Send to Your Client
From the quote detail page, click "Send to Client" to deliver it.
Send Options:
- Expiration: Set how long the quote is valid (1-365 days, optional)
- Personal Message: Add a note to the client (max 1,000 characters, optional)
What Happens:
- Quote must have at least 1 line item
- Client receives an email with a link to view the quote
- The public link is a signed URL valid for 30 days (regenerated on resend)
- Quote status updates to "Sent" with a timestamp
Track Client Response
After sending, WorkCentral tracks your quote's status automatically.
Quote Status Flow:
Client Actions:
- Accept — with optional notes
- ✗Reject — with a reason
- ↺Request Changes — you can create a new version
Automatic project creation: When a client accepts a quote, a project is automatically created with tasks and a Kanban board (if auto-create is enabled in Settings → AI & Quote Settings).
Quote Versioning
When a quote is no longer in draft status, you can create a new version instead of editing it directly.
How Versioning Works:
- Click "Create New Version" on the quote detail page
- All content is copied to a new quote with a fresh quote number
- Version numbers increment (v1, v2, v3...)
- The new version starts in draft status so you can edit freely
- The quotes list shows only the latest version in each family
- All versions are accessible from the quote detail page
Duplicating Quotes
Use "Duplicate Quote" to copy an existing quote as a starting point for a new one. All content is copied and the title gets "(Copy)" appended. This is useful for similar projects with different clients.
Versioning vs. Duplicating: Use versioning when revising a quote for the same client (creates a linked version history). Use duplicating when reusing a quote as a template for a different client or project (creates an independent copy).
You're Ready to Quote!
You now know how to create quotes manually or with AI, choose the right billing type, send to clients, and manage versions. Next up — learn what happens when your client accepts.