Workflow guide

Turn a Xero quote into a branded proposal

Xero gets the numbers right. The quote it prints is fine for a small job, but a high-value build deserves a document that sets the scope and the allowances, names the next step, and lets you see when the client opens it. You do not have to move your quoting off Xero. You keep the numbers there and wrap them.

For AU builders and trades on Xero7 minute read

What the Xero quote leaves out

A Xero quote is a clean list of line items and a total. For a $2,000 job that is the right amount of document. For a $40,000 bathroom or a $300,000 extension it leaves the client with the questions that lose you the job: what exactly is included, what is not, which items are allowances, and how do they say yes. The numbers are correct; the document is doing half the work.

The same job, two documents

A bathroom renovation, the same totals both ways. On the left, the quote as exported. On the right, the proposal the client reads, with the Xero quote still attached underneath. Illustrative line items, not a real client.

From your accounting tool

Riverbend BathroomsQuote QU-0147
Strip-out and waterproofing$3,200.00
Tiling, labour$4,800.00
Plumbing fit-off$2,600.00
Tapware allowance$900.00
Subtotal$11,500.00
GST 10%$1,150.00
Total$12,650.00
No scope. No exclusions. The allowance reads as a fixed line. No way to accept except reply-to-email.

The proposal the client sees

Proposal

Bathroom renovation

Riverbend Bathrooms for the Okafor family

PR-0147
Valid 30 days

Scope

Strip existing bathroom, re-waterproof, tile walls and floor, install new vanity and fixtures, plumbing fit-off, make good.

Excludes

Relocating the soil stack, structural changes, asbestos if found.

Allowance

Tapware PC item $900, adjusts to your selection.

Total incl GST

$12,650   Xero quote attached

Accept online Opened 2 days ago
Same totals, different document. The proposal adds scope, exclusions and a clear allowance, lets the client accept in the page, and keeps the original Xero quote attached so nothing is hidden.

The four-step workflow

1

Quote in Xero

Price the job as you do now. Export the quote or copy the line items; the numbers stay the source of truth.

2

Wrap in Proposr

Bring the line items across and add a cover, plain-language scope, inclusions and exclusions, and your branding.

3

Attach the original

Keep the Xero quote attached to the proposal, so the client can see the underlying figures and nothing is hidden.

4

Send as a portal

Share a link, not a PDF. You see when it is opened; the client reads it, asks a question and accepts in the page.

Quote stays in Xero; the document moves to Proposr. Four steps, no change to your accounting.

What this is, and is not

This is a workflow, not a native Xero integration. You move the line items across; Proposr does not touch your accounting or your invoices. Keep raising and reconciling in Xero. Use Proposr for the one job that document does badly: presenting a high-value quote as a proposal the client reads and accepts online.

When to bother. A two-line maintenance quote does not need this. A renovation, an extension or a fit-out where the client is comparing builders does, because the clearer document is the one that gets signed.

Wrap your next Xero quote

Bring the line items into Proposr, add the scope and your brand, and send a proposal the client accepts online. The Xero quote stays attached and your accounting stays put.

Sources

General information for Australian builders. Proposr is not affiliated with Xero; "Xero" is a trademark of its owner, used here to describe a workflow. Figures and line items shown are illustrative.