Free Formal Quote Template
Create a professional formal quote in minutes
Put the price, terms and approval details into a clear, structured offer. Plain language keeps it businesslike and makes it easier for customers to choose you.
Email, print or download your quote as a PDF.
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Formal Quote Template Examples
Use these previews for layout ideas. Each opens the same Docelf quote editor, where you add your own offer and any references the buyer needs.
What Is a Formal Quote?
A formal quote is a structured written offer your business sends to a customer. It sets out what you will provide, the price, and the terms. The buyer can check the offer and pass it to the person who approves purchases.
Use one when the customer has specific purchasing requirements or the job has several parts. You do not need stiff language or long legal paragraphs. Clear references and specific descriptions do more to help the buyer decide.
How to Write a Formal Quote
Start with the business and buyer details, then explain the offer. Keep the customer's project reference with the scope so everyone reviewing the quote can identify the purchase.
- Business Details: Enter your business name and contact details.
- Your Logo: Add the logo used on your other business documents.
- The Customer: Use the buyer's purchasing name and contact details.
- Number and Dates: Check the quote number, issue date, and valid-until date.
- The Offer: List each product or service with its quantity and unit price.
- Terms and Conditions: Add the project reference, scope, timing, and payment terms.
- Acceptance and Sending: Add signature fields if needed. Review the offer, then email it or download a PDF.
How to Present a Formal Quote Price
Group the price in a way the buyer can compare with the request. Name the product or deliverable precisely and show separately charged services on their own rows. A delivery charge belongs in the item table.
This fictional offer supplies eight office chairs to one business address. Prices are in US dollars, and an illustrative 8% tax applies to all three items. The total is the offered price; it does not record a payment.
| QTY | Description | Unit Price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Adjustable office chair — model A, black | $185.00 | $1,480.00 |
| 8 | Chair assembly — per chair | $15.00 | $120.00 |
| 1 | Delivery to the customer's office | $80.00 | $80.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,680.00 | |
| Sales Tax (8% illustrative) | $134.40 | |
| Quote Total | $1,814.40 |
What to Include in Formal Quote Terms
Use Terms and Conditions to connect the price to a clear scope and approval step. A purchasing reference, delivery timing, and exclusions can help a second reviewer understand the offer without reading the whole email exchange.
The sample below belongs to the chair offer above. Adapt it to the terms you actually use, and make sure the valid-until date matches. Add a deposit, milestone schedule, cancellation policy, or warranty only when it matters to this purchase; check local requirements for any regulated terms.
Example: Terms and Conditions
- Customer reference: Office Refresh 24. Includes eight model A chairs, assembly, and delivery to the address on this quote.
- Quote valid for 30 days from the quote date. Delivery within 10 business days after acceptance.
- Removal of existing furniture is not included. Additional work requires a revised price and customer approval.
- Please confirm acceptance and quote the customer reference. Payment is due within 14 days of the invoice date.
Create a Formal Quote Ready for Review
Give the buyer a clear offer to review. Docelf keeps the price and terms organized and calculates the total.
Check the Buyer's Requirements Before Sending
A purchasing team may need the legal business name, department, project code, or a particular contact on the quote. Use the references the buyer supplies; do not invent a purchase order number before one has been issued.
Check that the description answers the request: what is included, when it can be delivered, and what the customer needs to provide. If the buyer needs a specification or scope document, attach it as a PDF or image. Docelf supports PDF, JPG, GIF, PNG, and WebP attachments up to 5 MB each.
Make the Quote Easy to Approve
Before the quote goes to another reviewer, check these four points. The aim is an offer that makes sense on its own.
Clear Reference
Use your own quote number to identify the offer. Keep the buyer's project or purchasing reference alongside it.
Itemized Offer
Show quantities and prices against specific products or deliverables. Label optional work and explain what any allowance covers.
Defined Timing
Distinguish the date the offer expires from the proposed delivery or work dates. State any customer action the schedule depends on.
Acceptance Details
Ask who should receive the quote and how the buyer confirms acceptance. Include signature fields when they are useful to the purchase.
More Formal Quote Layouts
These previews offer more layout ideas for the same quote editor.
After You Send the Formal Quote
Check the document history to see whether your emailed quote was delivered and opened. Customers can accept or decline it online, and Docelf updates the status and emails you when they respond.
If the buyer requests a change, update the affected scope, price, or timing before resending. Check any new purchasing reference as well. When billing begins, create an invoice from the quote to reuse the customer, item, and price details.
Formal Quote Template File Formats
These pages offer separate document and spreadsheet templates. Word or Google Docs gives you room to edit the wording; Excel or Google Sheets suits detailed quantities and prices. Docelf downloads the finished online quote as a PDF.
Related Formal and Professional Quotes
Choose professional for presentation, official for business references, or written when the main goal is recording the agreed offer.
Formal Quote Template FAQs
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What is a formal quote?
A formal quote is a structured written offer. It names your business and the customer, defines the scope, and shows the itemized price. It also records the dates, terms, and acceptance instructions.
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When should I use a formal quote template?
Use one when the customer has specific purchasing requirements, the job has several parts, or the offer needs a clear internal approval record.
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Does a formal quote need formal language?
No. Clear, direct wording is usually easier to review. Use specific scope and terms instead of legal or corporate phrases that do not add meaning.
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What should a formal quote include?
Include the quote number, customer, and any project or reference code. Define the scope and show quantities, rates, and the total. Add the dates, payment terms, exclusions, and acceptance details.
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Should I add a customer reference or purchase order number?
Add the project or purchasing reference the buyer gives you. Do not invent a purchase order number. If the customer issues one after accepting, keep it with the purchase records and use it on the invoice when requested.
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Can I send a formal quote as a PDF?
Yes. Download the finished quote as a PDF for an email attachment or the customer's purchasing records. You can also email it directly from Docelf.
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Can I turn an accepted formal quote into an invoice?
Yes. Docelf copies the relevant customer, item, price, and document details into a new invoice. Review its payment terms and due date before sending.
Ready to Send a Clear, Formal Quote?
Give the buyer an offer they can check and pass on for approval.
- Identify the customer and purchasing reference
- Set out the offer, price, and terms
- Review the quote and send the customer copy
