Quote Descriptions
Build reusable scope description templates so every proposal goes out with consistent, professional written descriptions of what's included in the price.
Who this is for: Builders, subcontractors, and estimators who want to write scope descriptions once and reuse them across proposals rather than writing from scratch every time.
What Quote Descriptions is for
A price alone doesn't tell a client what they're getting. Quote Descriptions is where you build the written scope — the section-by-section explanation of what's included in your price. You build these as reusable templates: structured categories (like Structural, Wet Areas, Finishes) each with written descriptions of what's covered. When you're producing a proposal, you import the relevant template and the descriptions drop straight into the Quote Descriptions section of the proposal.
Doing it this way means you're not writing the same scope text from scratch on every job. You build a template once for your standard residential scope, refine it over time, and reuse it. The descriptions can be adjusted per job once they're imported into a proposal.
Things worth knowing upfront
Quote Descriptions are organised as templates. Each template has a name and a set of categories, each with its own description items. You create and manage these templates here, then import them into individual proposals from within Produce Proposal.
Templates are not job-specific — they sit in a shared library and can be imported into any proposal. Changes to a template do not update proposals that have already imported it.
The Items tab inside each template uses a hierarchical structure: categories at the top level, with description items nested underneath. You can copy, move, and delete items and categories in bulk.
A template needs to be built here before it can be imported into a proposal. If your proposals don't currently include scope descriptions, this is the starting point.
How to get there
Projects (top header) → Quote Descriptions (left menu list)
From the black header at the top of the screen, click Projects.
In the left menu list, click Quote Descriptions.
What you'll see
You land on the Quote Descriptions template list. There's a single All Templates tab showing every template you've created. The table shows one column — the template name — with a search input to filter by name and a New Template button at the top right.
Click any template row to open it.
Step-by-step: creating a new template
On the Quote Descriptions page, click New Template in the top right.
Enter a name for the template — e.g. Residential Renovation.
Click Save. The template is created and opens to the Overview tab.
Click the Items tab to start building the template's categories and descriptions.
Tip: Name templates by the type of job they suit — "Residential Renovation", "New Build — Timber Frame", "Bathroom Fitout". The name is what you'll see when importing into a proposal, so make it easy to identify at a glance.
Step-by-step: building the template structure
The Items tab is where the actual scope content lives. The structure is hierarchical: categories at the top level (e.g. Structural, Wet Areas, Finishes), with description items nested underneath each category.
On the Items tab, add your first category — e.g. Structural Work.
Under that category, add description items — the written scope text for what's included under that heading.
Repeat for each category in the template.
Save as you go.
Bulk actions
Once you have items and categories in a template, you can manage them in bulk:
Action | What it does |
Copy Items To | Copies selected description items to another category or template |
Move Items To | Moves selected description items to another category or template |
Delete Items | Removes selected description items |
Copy Categories To | Copies selected categories (and their items) to another template |
Move Categories To | Moves selected categories to another template |
Delete Categories | Removes selected categories and all items inside them |
Warning: Deleting a category removes all description items inside it. This can't be undone.
Worked example: building a residential renovation template
A builder wants a standard scope template for kitchen and bathroom renovation jobs so they don't have to write descriptions from scratch on every tender.
They go to Quote Descriptions and click New Template. They enter the name Residential Renovation and click Save. They go to the Items tab and build three categories:
Category | Description items (examples) |
Structural & Preparation | Demolition of existing fitout; making good of walls and floors; structural framing where required |
Wet Areas | Waterproofing to AS 3740; floor and wall tiling to client selection; shower screens and frameless glass supply and installation |
Finishes & Fixtures | Joinery supply and installation; tapware and fixture installation to client selection; painting — two coats low sheen to all surfaces |
The template is saved and now available to import into any residential proposal. When they produce the next renovation proposal, they import the Residential Renovation template into the Quote Descriptions section — the categories and descriptions populate automatically, and they adjust any job-specific details before sending.
Step-by-step: using it in the estimating workflow
Templates built here are imported into proposals through the Produce Proposal module.
Open the relevant estimate and go to Produce Proposal.
Open the proposal in the builder.
Enable the Quote Descriptions section in the proposal layout.
Use the import or template option within that section to load your Quote Descriptions template.
Review the imported descriptions and adjust any wording specific to this job.
Note: Importing a template copies the content into the proposal. Changes you make to the proposal's descriptions do not affect the original template, and future changes to the template do not update proposals that have already imported it.
Step-by-step: editing a template
From the Quote Descriptions list, click the template row to open it.
To rename the template, update the name field on the Overview tab and click Save.
To edit categories or descriptions, go to the Items tab and make your changes.
Step-by-step: deleting a template
On the Quote Descriptions list, find the template row.
Click the trash icon at the right of the row.
Confirm deletion in the window that appears.
Warning: Deleting a template removes it from the library. Proposals that have already imported from it are not affected — their content is a copy and remains intact.
Tips
Start with one solid template. Build a thorough template for your most common job type — residential renovation, new build, whatever you do most. Once that's solid, duplicate or adapt it for variations rather than starting from scratch.
Write descriptions from the client's perspective. They're reading this to understand what their money is buying. "Waterproofing to AS 3740 — all wet areas" tells them more than "waterproofing".
Be specific about inclusions. The Quote Descriptions section in a proposal is also your first line of defence against scope disputes. If tiling grout colour selection is included, say so. If PC item supply is by the client, say that too.
Use bulk copy to build variants fast. If you have a "New Build" template and want a "Renovation" variant, copy the categories across to a new template and adjust — faster than starting from scratch.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
I can't find my template when importing into a proposal | The template may not have been saved, or was deleted | Go back to Quote Descriptions and confirm the template exists in the list |
I updated a template but the changes aren't showing in an existing proposal | Importing copies the content — changes to the template don't update existing proposals | Re-import the updated template into the proposal, then reapply any job-specific edits |
I accidentally deleted a category with items inside it | Deleting a category removes all its items permanently | Recreate the category and re-enter the items, or import from the template again if the proposal content was affected |
The Quote Descriptions section is missing from my proposal | The section may be disabled in the proposal builder | Open the proposal in the builder, find the Quote Descriptions section in the layout list, and enable it |
Related articles
Produce Proposal — import Quote Description templates into the proposal's scope section
Quote Desc Templates — manage the underlying template definitions used by this module
Estimates — the estimate the proposal and its scope descriptions are built from
Still stuck?
Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.