Quote Management & Workflows

Learn how to create, manage, and process quotes for all types of facilities management work including service requests, project quotes, and contractor variations.

On this page

Overview

Managing quotes in the Facilities Management industry involves handling various quote types and business processes. Facilitease provides a comprehensive quote management system that supports multiple quote types, flexible workflows, and contractor involvement throughout the process.

Quote Management Workflow Diagram
Quote management workflow showing the interaction between Client, HD/Contact Centre, Internal Manager, and Contractor

Flexible Quote Management: Quotes can span multiple sites and/or assets with automatic linking to contractor jobs and service requests where applicable.

Quote Status Flow

New Quote → Quote Submitted → Under Review → Waiting for Approval → Approved

Alternative outcomes: Declined Deferred Cancelled

Quote Types

The system supports various quote types to cover all facilities management scenarios:

📝
Quote Requests
General quote requests from customers or internal teams
🛠
Service Quotes
Quotes linked to service requests
💻
Asset/Maintenance Quotes
Quotes for asset repairs or scheduled maintenance
📚
Project Quotes
Large-scale project quotations
🔄
Variation Quotes
Changes to existing work scope

Creating a New Quote

There are two main ways to create quotes: directly from the Quotes entity or from an existing Contractor Job.

Create from Quotes Menu

Creating a new quote from the Quotes menu
The Add Quote dialog showing how to create a new quote from the Quotes menu

  1. Navigate to Quotes

    Select Quotes from the side navigation menu, then click on Quotes submenu.

  2. Add New Quote

    Click the Add Quote button at the top of the quotes list.

  3. Select Site

    Choose the relevant site from the dropdown. Use the search function to quickly find the site.

  4. Confirm Creation

    Click Add Quote to create the quote. A new window will appear for entering further details.

Adding Quote Details

The quote creation wizard guides you through a 5-step process. The first step captures essential quote information.

Quote Info Tab showing all fields
The Info tab in the quote creation wizard with numbered fields for easy reference
1
Info
2
Financial
3
Stakeholders
4
Related Items
5
Save

Info Tab Fields

Field Required Description
Related Sites No Select any additional sites related to this quote
Quote Type Yes Select the type of quote (Service Quote, Project Quote, etc.)
Quote Priority Yes Set priority level (Non Urgent, Urgent, Emergency, etc.)
Service Type No Add service types for trend analysis across trades (e.g., Fencing, Electrical)
Quote Number No Enter your custom quote number or reference
Short Description Yes Brief summary of what's needed
Full Description No Detailed description of the quote requirements
Tag No Add tags for categorization (e.g., Capex Projects)
Quote Attachment No Upload any supporting documents
Contractor No Select contractor if known at this stage. Use "Show All Contractors" to see the complete list

Contractor Selection Tip: If your required contractor doesn't appear in the dropdown, enable "Show All Contractors" to see contractors from outside the site's usual service area.

Adding Financial Information

Step 2 captures the financial details of the quote. These fields can be updated at any stage of the quote process.

Quote Financial Tab
The Financial tab showing cost centre, contractor value, quote value, and order number fields
✓
Info
2
Financial
3
Stakeholders
4
Related Items
5
Save
Field Description
Cost Centre Select the appropriate cost centre for budget allocation
Contractor Value The value quoted by the contractor (in dollars)
Quote Value The final quote value presented to the customer (may include markup)
Order Number Purchase order or reference number if available

Adding Stakeholders

Step 3 defines who is involved in the quote process and how they should be notified.

Quote Stakeholders Tab
The Stakeholders tab showing notified stakeholders, customer contacts, and approval settings
🔔 Notified Stakeholders
Users who receive email notifications with each status change
👁 Non-Notified Stakeholders
Users who can view the quote but don't receive notifications
💼 Project Manager
Person responsible for delivering the work to the customer
🔍 Quote Reviewer
Internal reviewer (added during "Send for Review" step)
✓ Customer Approver
Customer with authority to approve/decline (added during approval step)

Customer Contact Information

You can also capture customer contact details for the quote:

  • Customer Site Contact Name - Select from existing site contacts
  • Customer Contact Name - Manual entry for contact name
  • Customer Contact Number - Phone number for the contact
  • Customer Contact Email - Email address for correspondence

Customer-Created Quotes

Customer Administrators have the ability to request quotes directly through the system. This typically occurs when a customer wants you to provide pricing for work.

What Happens When a Customer Creates a Quote

  1. Customer Submits Request

    The customer goes through the same quote creation steps but with fewer fields due to access restrictions.

  2. Helpdesk Notification

    The associated Helpdesk automatically receives an email alert about the new quote request.

  3. Add Details

    The Helpdesk can add additional details to the quote or send it straight to a contractor for pricing.

Sample Quote Request Email

Creating Quotes from Contractor Jobs

Quotes can be initiated directly from existing contractor jobs, either by the contractor submitting a quote or by the Helpdesk requesting one.

Automatic Linking: When a quote is created from a contractor job, the system automatically links it to the related scheduled job, service request, contractor job, and asset (if assigned).

Request Quote from Contractor Job

  1. Open the Contractor Job

    Navigate to the contractor job from within a service request or the contractor jobs list.

  2. Access Job Actions

    Click on Job Actions from the contractor job panel and select Request Quote.

  3. Complete Quote Details

    Fill in the quote details including priority, reference number, description, tags, stakeholders, and any comments to send with the request.

  4. Submit Request

    Click Request Quote to send the request to the contractor.

Contractor Quote Submission

When a contractor submits their quote (either from their own contractor job or in response to a request), the associated Helpdesk receives an email notification.

Send for Review

If your business process requires internal review before customer approval, you can send the quote for review.

Optional Step: The review step is optional. You can send quotes directly to customers for approval if your business process doesn't require internal review.

Available Action Buttons

  1. Open the Quote

    Navigate to the quote record from the Quotes list.

  2. Click Send for Review

    Click the Send for Review button at the top of the quote.

  3. Verify Financial Values

    Contractor Value is auto-filled but can be overridden. Add the Quote Value if not already entered.

  4. Add Stakeholders

    Add any Notified Stakeholders and select the Quote Reviewer who will review and send to customer.

  5. Set Quote Expiry

    Add a Quote Expiry date if not already set by the contractor.

  6. Add Comments & Submit

    Add any comments for the reviewer and relevant attachments, then click Continue.

The Quote Reviewer will receive an email notification and can access quotes pending review through dashboard reports.

Send for Approval

Once a quote is ready for customer decision, send it for approval. This can be done by the reviewer or directly by the Helpdesk/System Admin.

Action Buttons for Reviewed Quote

  1. Click Request Client Approval

    From inside the quote, click Request Client Approval.

  2. Add Stakeholders

    Add any Non-Notified Stakeholders (view access only) and Notified Stakeholders.

  3. Select Customer Approver

    Add the Customer Approver - this person will have access to the Approve/Decline buttons.

  4. Add Comments & Submit

    Add any comments for the approver and attachments, then click Continue.

Important: Only the designated Customer Approver will have access to the Approve/Decline buttons. System Admins can override this if needed.

Approving Quotes

While approval typically comes from a customer, any designated approver can approve a quote.

Approval Action Buttons

  1. Click Approve Quote

    From inside the quote record, click Approve Quote.

  2. Add Order Number

    Enter the purchase order or reference number if applicable.

  3. Update Stakeholders

    Add any Non-Notified Users for view access and update Notified Users as needed.

  4. Add Approval Comments

    Add any approval comments and attachments, then click Continue.

When a quote is approved, the associated Helpdesk automatically receives an email notification.

Deferring Quotes

Quotes can be deferred when a decision needs to be postponed. This puts the quote on hold until a specified review date.

  1. Click Defer Quote

    From inside the quote record, click Defer Quote.

  2. Set Hold Review Date

    Enter the date when you want to review this quote again.

  3. Add Deferral Comments

    Add any comments explaining the deferral reason and attachments, then click Continue.

Review Reminders: Dashboard reports and widgets will alert you to quotes that are due or coming up for review based on the Hold Review Date.

When a quote is deferred, the associated Helpdesk automatically receives an email notification.

Declining Quotes

When a quote is not accepted, it can be declined with feedback.

  1. Click Decline Quote

    From inside the quote record, click Decline Quote.

  2. Update Notified Users

    Add or change the users who should be notified of the decline.

  3. Add Feedback

    Add feedback or comments explaining the decline reason and any attachments, then click Continue.

When a quote is declined, the associated Helpdesk automatically receives an email notification.

Cancelling Quotes

Quotes can be cancelled by internal users. Customers must request cancellation, which is then actioned by the Helpdesk.

Customer Cancellation Requests: Customers cannot cancel quotes directly. They use the "Request Cancellation" button, which alerts the Helpdesk to complete the cancellation.

  1. Click Cancel Quote

    From inside the quote record, click Cancel Quote.

  2. Update Notified Users

    Add or change the users who should be notified of the cancellation.

  3. Select Cancellation Reason

    Choose a reason for the cancellation from the dropdown list.

  4. Add Comments

    Add any feedback or comments and attachments, then click Continue.

When a quote is cancelled, all Notified Users and Assigned Users will receive notification.

Archiving Quotes

Archiving removes quotes from active reports and counters while preserving the data. Quotes can be archived individually or in bulk.

When Can Quotes Be Archived?

The Archive button only appears when a quote has reached a terminal status:

  • Approved
  • Cancelled
  • Declined

Quotes in progress (New, Submitted, Under Review, Waiting for Approval) cannot be archived.

Archive a Single Quote

  1. Navigate to Quotes

    Select Quotes from the menu, then select Quotes again.

  2. Open Quote Actions

    Click on Quote Actions for the quote in the listing.

  3. Archive Quote

    Select Archive Quote from the dropdown menu.

Bulk Archive Quotes

To archive multiple quotes at once:

  1. Select multiple quotes using the checkboxes
  2. Hover over the With Selected dropdown
  3. Select Archive Quote

Automatic Archiving: Quotes are automatically removed from certain reports once they have been in a terminal status (Approved, Cancelled, or Declined) for 12 months or longer. Quotes still in progress are never auto-archived.

Effects of Archiving

  • Archived quotes are highlighted in the listing view
  • Excluded from counters and dashboard widgets
  • Excluded from standard reports
  • Data is preserved and can still be accessed if needed
Previous Helpdesk Call Management Next BWOF Management