Excavation quotation
Quotation template for groundworks contractors: excavation, spoil removal and backfill. Fill it in online, download Excel or Word, or print to PDF.
Templates by industry
- Excavation
- Spoil removal
- Backfill
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Excavation", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Backfill", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Confirm completed quantities, site photos, agreed test results and any remaining remedial work. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
Excavation is priced by volume, and the volume tends to grow once the ground is opened: dug soil bulks up, rock or old foundations turn up, and groundwater can stop the work. A clear quotation separates digging, carting the spoil away and backfilling, each in its own unit, and states what the price assumes about the ground. That way an unexpected layer of rock becomes a priced extra rather than a dispute.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Excavation, Spoil removal, Backfill: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Excavation
- Quote the in-place volume in cubic metres from the drawings, with depth, plan size and machine size, and say that rock and obstructions are excluded unless priced.
- Spoil removal
- Price per truckload or per loose cubic metre, allowing for bulking, and name the disposal or reuse site; contaminated soil becomes a separate line if testing finds it.
- Backfill
- Say whether you backfill with the dug material or with imported fill, and how it is compacted in layers; imported material is often bought by the tonne.
- Site and measured quantities
- Record the site, work zones, areas, lengths or counts, and access hours.
- Materials and work stages
- Specify materials, labor, removal, disposal and making-good allowances, and completion criteria for each stage.
- Scope to agree
- State the depth and volume, who is responsible for locating buried services, and where the spoil is taken.
Before sending
- Does “Excavation” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Spoil removal” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Backfill” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 3 more
- Agree how quantity changes following measurement or drawing revisions will be approved.
- Confirm client-supplied materials and work that other contractors must finish first.
- Check quote validity, the customer approval method and payment milestones.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | 3 × $1,200.00 | $3,600.00 |
| Spoil removal | 4 × $60.00 | $240.00 |
| Backfill | 4 × $650.00 | $2,600.00 |
| Subtotal | $6,440.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $515.20 | |
| Total | $6,955.20 | |
Quoted net amount $6,440.00, sales tax $515.20, quoted total $6,955.20.
What the document must show
The details a quotation has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist
Frequently asked questions
Who should locate buried cables and pipes before digging?
Agree it in writing before the quotation is accepted: who obtains the utility plans and who marks the services on site. If that is the client, state that damage to services that were not marked is excluded from your price.
How do I price waiting time when groundwater or weather stops work?
Add a standby rate per hour or per day for the machine and operator, and a separate rate for pumping if water must be removed. State that these apply only when the stoppage is outside your control and is recorded on the day.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $515.20 on a net amount of $6,440.00, for a total of $6,955.20. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I use it in another language or currency?
Yes. The document language can be set to any of 33 languages, and changing the country setting updates the currency, the date format and the tax rate.
Can I email it to the customer?
Yes, from your own mail app. With a free account, the editor’s download menu offers Email this document, which opens your mail app with a message about the document already written. QuoteBill sends nothing itself, so save the PDF and attach it before you send.
Read next
Reading for the Excavation quotation: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist and Estimate vs quote: what binds you, with a remodeling example. The VAT and GST calculator adds tax to your quoted prices.