A client digs out a quote you sent eight months ago and wants to sign it at the old price. Since then your material costs have gone up, and so has your hourly rate. If the quote says nothing about how long it is valid, the conversation gets awkward. The validity period sets how long your price binds you, and choosing it well keeps you from working at a loss on a forgotten quote.
Why the validity period matters
A quote is an offer. While it is valid, the client can accept it at the stated price, and you must honour that price. With no written validity, the offer is ambiguous: the client may think it still stands, you may think it has lapsed.
A validity period makes things clear for everyone: until this date the price is firm; after it, you talk again.
Choosing the right period
You set the period. These guidelines help:
| Situation | Suggested validity | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stable material prices | 1 to 3 months | Low risk of increases |
| Volatile material prices | 2 weeks to 1 month | Metals, timber, some insulation |
| Large job scheduled far ahead | 1 month, then update | The start may be distant |
| Small repair | A few days to 1 month | Quick turnaround |
Thirty days is the most common choice. Shorten it if a supplier has announced a price rise, or if most of the quote is a material whose price swings.
A date rather than a duration
"Valid for 30 days" makes the client count from the quote date. "Valid until 15 November" is clearer: nothing to interpret. Most software works the date out for you from the issue date.
The expiry date as a follow-up tool
The expiry date gives you a natural reason to follow up: "your quote is valid until 15 November; after that I will need to update the prices". That is not artificial pressure; it is true, useful information. The full method is in our article on following up a quote.
When a client signs an expired quote
Three options, depending on your situation:
- 1Accept the original price if your costs have not moved and you want the job. Confirm it in writing.
- 2Send an updated quote with today's prices and a new validity date.
- 3Update only the affected items, such as materials, and explain what changed.
Whatever you choose, do not start work until the applicable price is clear and accepted.
Validity period and lead time
Do not confuse the two:
- the validity period says until when the client can accept the quote;
- the lead time says when work will start or finish after acceptance.
A quote can be valid for a month for work starting three months after signature. If that start is far off and your prices may move, say so in the quote.
Extending a quote
The client wants a little more time to decide? Send a new version with a new validity date, checking that the prices still hold. The old version should no longer be signed. For everything else a quote should contain, see our guide to writing a quote.
Summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who sets it? | You |
| Common period? | Thirty days |
| How to write it? | A specific date |
| Expired quote signed? | Confirm or update the price |
For the difference between a firm quote and a rough figure, see our article on quote vs estimate.