Commercial HVAC quoting software: make the scope clear before the price goes out.

“Replace fan motor, $875” leaves plenty to argue about. Which unit? Does that include the return trip? What if the supplier’s replacement costs more than the part someone priced last month?

Good quoting software gives the estimator a place to settle those questions before the quote goes out. Decide the work you can stand behind first, then price it.

One small repair, ready for review.

Proposed scope: supply the specified replacement condenser fan motor for RTU-3, replace the failed motor in one return visit and record the operating check. Before approving the quote, the office checks the replacement motor and supplier price against the actual unit.

Scroll sideways to see the quantities, selling prices and amounts.

Keep supplier cost and your selling price apart, and make sure the customer copy shows the agreed scope and final charges without your estimating notes.

Say where the price stops.

Here the price assumes one tech, one return visit in normal working hours, and roof access arranged by the customer. The material price assumes the specified motor is available at the price the office checked.

Excluded: repairs to controls or other components, refrigerant work, after-hours work, extra visits and unrelated equipment. If the work changes, agree the new scope and price with the customer before adding it to the job.

Put a validity date on the quote and spell out any parts or access conditions. A customer can accept the price before roof access is sorted, so leave the work date open until it is.

Two approvals mean different things.

First the office checks the equipment, scope, quantities, prices, exclusions, recipient and customer copy. In this example that check is still pending, so the customer hasn’t been asked to accept yet.

Then the customer decides, and the decision should name the version they’re accepting. If an email says “go ahead,” file it with the quote it answers, along with the person’s name, the date and any PO number. Approving one repair doesn’t approve every other finding at the site.

How BoltWright handles quotes.

In BoltWright the office creates a draft quote for a customer and links it to a site, job or finding. The draft holds the scope, notes, recipient, dates and line items. You enter quantities and prices, and BoltWright works out the amounts and totals.

Drafts stay editable until the office approves them. Approval needs priced line items, and it locks that version as the customer’s copy. The customer’s acceptance or decline is recorded against that approved version, so when a question comes back you know exactly which quote they saw.

Quotes sit in the same system as dispatch, field records, reports and invoicing. For what happens after the customer decides, see the finding-to-repair guide.

Test one quote before you choose.

Bring a redacted repair note and a supplier price. Build the scope, leave one line unpriced and see what happens when you try to approve it. Then price it, review the customer copy and have the vendor show exactly which document the customer accepts. The software comparison guide covers the rest of your shortlist.