Software Development Quote Template
Custom business software is priced on effort, and the client wants to see where the days go. Split the work into phases with person-days and a day rate, give data migration its own line, and state up front whether this is a fixed-scope contract or billed on time.
No sign-up. Totals, tax and deposit are worked out for you; print it or save it as a PDF.
Free download (no sign-up): Excel / Word
This quote as a file you can fill in and send: the line items below, with amounts, tax and the total worked out by formulas.
How to use this file
- Download it and open it in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, Word or Google Docs.
- Put in your business details and the client, then replace the example lines and prices with your own. In Excel, amounts, tax and the total update as you type.
- Check the payment terms, then save it as a PDF and send it to the client.
Example line items
| Item | Unit | Qty | Example price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements workshops and specification | person-day | 8 | 600–1,200 / day |
| System design: data model, screens, integrations | person-day | 10 | 600–1,200 / day |
| Development | person-day | 45 | 500–1,000 / day |
| Testing and user acceptance support | person-day | 12 | 500–900 / day |
| Data migration from spreadsheets or the old system | job | 1 | 2,000–10,000 |
| Support and maintenance | month | 12 | 500–3,000 / month |
Amounts are examples before tax, not price advice. Add sales tax or VAT where it applies.
What to put on the quote
- Scope as a numbered list of functions, and what is out of scope.
- Effort per phase in person-days, with the day rate behind every figure.
- Who provides test data, cleans the old data and signs off acceptance.
- Hosting, licences and third-party APIs: who pays and whose account they sit on.
- Contract type (fixed scope or time and materials), user training and how changes are estimated.
Common mistakes
- Quoting the build only, while the client assumes testing, migration and training are inside it.
- A fixed total on a scope that is still a two-page wish list.
- Moving the old data as it is, with no cleanup line, then spending weeks on duplicate customers.
- Support with no hours cap, so every new report or field turns into free development.
Deposit, balance and validity
30% on signing, 40% when the test version is delivered and 30% on acceptance; support is billed monthly from go-live. Changes after the specification is signed are estimated in person-days and approved in writing before work starts. Quote valid for 30 days.
Questions people ask
Why is the quote in person-days?
They show how big each phase is, so you can see what drives the price and which feature to cut if the budget is tight.
Can we start small and add modules later?
Yes. Phase one is quoted as a fixed scope, and later modules are listed as options with rough ranges, not commitments.
What if our staff find bugs after go-live?
Defects against the signed specification are fixed free during the warranty period; new behavior goes through the change process.
Should the old system keep running during the switch?
Usually for a short overlap. The quote states how long, and whether a second migration run is included.