Produce Proposal
Turn a finished estimate into a polished client proposal and send it as a web link or PDF, without leaving Core Estimator.
Who this is for: Builders, subcontractors, and estimators who are ready to present a costed estimate to a client as a formal proposal.
Before you start
To produce and send a proposal you'll need:
A project with at least one estimate that has been costed in the Costing Items grid
The client's email address saved as a Contact in Core Estimator (required to send the proposal)
What Produce Proposal is for
Once the numbers are done, you still have to put something in front of the client. Produce Proposal takes your estimate and packages it into a professional proposal — with your branding, a cover, a client letter, itemised scope, terms, and more. You choose which sections to include and in what order. When you're happy with it, you publish the proposal and send it to the client as a web link they can open on any device, or as a PDF.
Each estimate can have more than one proposal — so you can create alternatives, different versions for different scopes, or a revision after a client negotiation, all from the same estimate.
Things worth knowing upfront
A proposal starts as a Draft. You can send a draft proposal, but the recommended workflow is to Publish it first. Publishing locks the content at that point in time — if you send a draft, the client's web link will reflect any subsequent changes to the estimate as they happen.
You can preview the proposal as a web page or PDF at any stage — including while it's still a draft — using the Preview Web and PDF buttons.
The proposal builder has draggable sections. You can turn sections on or off and reorder them to suit the job. Only sections you enable will appear in the final proposal.
Proposal Settings controls display options like whether totals show GST-inclusive and whether markup is shown. Set these before publishing.
The Days Valid field sets how long the proposal is valid from the issue date. The client sees this on the proposal.
How to get there
Projects (top header) → Projects (left menu list) → [open a project] → Estimates tab → [open an estimate] → Produce Proposal (estimate left nav)
From the black header at the top of the screen, click Projects.
In the left menu list, click Projects.
Click the project row to open it.
Click the Estimates tab inside the project.
Click the estimate you want to produce a proposal from.
In the estimate's left nav, click Produce Proposal.
What you'll see
You land on the Produce Proposal page, which lists all proposals created for this estimate. The table shows:
Column | What it shows |
Proposal | The proposal name and reference number (e.g. P-0021) |
Estimate Version | Which estimate version this proposal is based on |
Proposal Quote Type | The pricing type — e.g. Fixed Price |
Status | Draft or Published |
Valid From | The date the proposal becomes valid |
Valid To | The date the proposal expires |
A New Proposal button sits at the top right. Click any proposal row to open the proposal builder.
Step-by-step: creating a new proposal
On the Produce Proposal page, click New Proposal in the top right. A panel opens on the right side of the screen.
Fill in the proposal details:
Field | What to enter | Notes |
Proposal Name | e.g. Brennan Street Renovation — Proposal 1 | This is the name that appears on the proposal document and in the list. |
Estimate Version | Select the version to base this proposal on | If your estimate has multiple versions (cost scenarios), choose the one you're presenting to this client. |
Proposal Quote Type | e.g. Fixed Price | Options include Fixed Price and others depending on your setup. This appears on the proposal. |
Days Valid | e.g. 30 | How many days the proposal is valid from the issue date. The client sees this on the cover. |
Click Save. The proposal is created as a Draft and the builder opens.
Step-by-step: building the proposal
The proposal builder is where you choose what the client sees and in what order. The left side of the builder shows the list of available sections.
Sections available
Two sections are always present and can't be moved: Header and Footer. The rest are optional and draggable:
Section | What it includes |
Cover | Project name, client details, valid dates, and your logo |
Client Letter | A personal introductory letter to the client |
About Us | Your company background and credentials |
Past Projects | Previous work examples |
Estimate Categories Summary | A summary of cost categories from the estimate |
Quote Descriptions | Written scope descriptions for each section of work |
Estimate Items | The full line-by-line breakdown from the costing grid |
Markup Table | A breakdown of markup applied |
PC Items | Prime cost items listed separately |
PS Items | Provisional sum items listed separately |
Excluded Items | A list of items explicitly excluded from the price |
Terms & Conditions | Your standard T&Cs |
Meet the Team | Key people on the project |
Testimonials | Client testimonials |
Custom Section 1–5 | Free-form sections you can fill with any content |
Enabling, disabling, and reordering sections
Toggle any section on or off using the enable/disable switch next to it. Only enabled sections appear in the proposal.
Drag sections up or down to reorder them. The order in the builder is the order the client sees.
Click a section to open its settings on the right side and configure what it displays.
Tip: For most residential jobs, a practical set of sections is: Cover, Client Letter, Estimate Categories Summary, Quote Descriptions, Terms & Conditions. Add Estimate Items if the client wants full line-item detail.
Configuring Proposal Settings
Click the Proposal Settings button in the toolbar.
Set your display preferences:
Setting | What it does |
Include markup in totals | Controls whether markup is rolled into the displayed totals or shown separately |
Redistribute allowance markup amounts | Spreads markup across allowance items rather than showing it as a separate line |
Display totals as inclusive of GST | Shows all figures with GST included. Turn off to show ex-GST figures. |
Click Save and Close.
Saving a layout as a template
If you've arranged a section layout you want to reuse on future proposals, save it as a template.
Click the Layouts button in the toolbar.
Select Save Current Structure as Layout.
Next time you create a proposal, you can load this layout instead of starting from scratch.
Worked example: Brennan Street Renovation proposal
A builder has finished pricing a kitchen and bathroom renovation for Sarah Brennan and is ready to send the proposal. They go to the estimate, click Produce Proposal, and click New Proposal.
They fill in the panel:
Proposal Name: Brennan Street Renovation — Proposal 1
Estimate Version: V1
Proposal Quote Type: Fixed Price
Days Valid: 30
They click Save. In the builder, they enable and order these sections: Cover, Client Letter, Estimate Categories Summary, Quote Descriptions, Terms & Conditions. They click into Proposal Settings and turn on Display totals as inclusive of GST, then save.
They click Preview Web to check how it looks. Happy with it, they click Publish to lock the content, then click Review & Send. They fill in Sarah's email in the To: field, leave the Content Type as Web Link, adjust the email subject and body, and click Send Proposal. Sarah receives an email with a link to the live web proposal.
Step-by-step: publishing a proposal
In the proposal builder, click Publish in the top-right toolbar.
A confirmation dialog appears. Click Publish to confirm.
The proposal status changes from Draft to Published. The content is now locked.
Warning: Publishing locks the proposal at its current state. If you update the estimate after publishing, the client's web link will continue to show the published version — not the updated figures. Create a new proposal or republish to send the client the updated numbers.
Step-by-step: sending a proposal
In the proposal builder, click Review & Send. A panel opens on the right side of the screen.
Fill in the send details:
Field | What to enter | Notes |
To | The client's email address | Required — the Send Proposal button stays disabled until this is filled in. |
Enable Reply To Email | Toggle on if you want replies to go to a different address | Optional. When enabled, a Reply to Email Address field appears. |
Content Type | Web Link or PDF Attachment | Web Link sends a link to the live proposal. PDF Attachment sends the proposal as a file. |
Load Email From Template | Select a saved email template | Optional. Defaults to Default Email if templates are set up. |
Email Subject | e.g. Brennan Street Renovation — Your Proposal | The subject line the client receives. |
Email Body | Your message to the client | Supports basic formatting. Keep it brief — the proposal does the heavy lifting. |
Click Send Proposal. The proposal is emailed to the client.
Note: If you chose Web Link, the client receives a unique link to a live web proposal at quote.coreestimator.app. They can open it on any device. If you chose PDF Attachment, the proposal is sent as a PDF file.
Understanding Status
Status | What it means |
Draft | The proposal is being built. It can be previewed and sent, but the content is not locked — any changes to the estimate will update the client's web link in real time. |
Published | The proposal is locked at the point of publishing. The recommended state before sending — the client sees a fixed version regardless of any subsequent estimate changes. |
Step-by-step: editing proposal details
You can update the proposal name, type, version, and validity period after creation.
In the proposal builder, click the pencil icon next to the proposal name in the header.
A panel opens with the editable fields: Name, Reference, Estimate Version, Proposal Quote Type, and Days Valid.
Make your changes and click Save.
Step-by-step: deleting a proposal
On the Produce Proposal page, find the proposal row you want to remove.
Click the trash icon at the right of the row.
A confirmation window appears. Click Delete to confirm.
Tips
Preview before publishing. Use Preview Web to see exactly what the client will see before you lock it in. It's the fastest way to catch a section that looks wrong or content that needs updating.
Save your standard layout as a template. If you send a similar set of sections on every job, save it once and load it on every future proposal. Saves setup time on every tender.
Keep the email body short. The proposal itself has all the detail — the email just needs to introduce it and tell the client what to do next. Two or three sentences is enough.
Use the web link for most residential clients. It looks better on a phone than a PDF and the client can share it easily. Use PDF attachment when you know the recipient prefers or requires a file.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
I want to lock the proposal before sending | The proposal is still a Draft — sending a draft means the client's link updates live with any estimate changes | Click Publish in the toolbar before sending to lock the content at its current state |
The Send Proposal button is disabled | The To: field is empty | Enter the client's email address in the To: field — the button activates once a recipient is added |
The estimate figures look wrong in the proposal | Proposal Settings may have GST display set differently from what you intended | Open Proposal Settings, check the GST display option, save, and preview again |
I need to update the proposal after publishing | Published proposals can't be edited directly | Create a new proposal from the same estimate with the updated content, or revise the estimate and create a fresh proposal |
The client says they can't open the web link | The link goes to quote.coreestimator.app — they may be on a restricted network or have an old link | Resend with the PDF option selected, or confirm their email received the correct link |
Related articles
Estimates — the estimate must be costed before a proposal can be produced from it
Proposals Sent — track all proposals that have been sent across all projects in one place
Quote Descriptions — write the scope descriptions that appear in the Quote Descriptions section of the proposal
Still stuck?
Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.