Recruitment quotation
Quotation template for recruiters and staffing agencies: hiring requirements definition, candidate sourcing and interview scheduling. Excel or Word.
Templates by industry
- Hiring requirements definition
- Candidate sourcing
- Interview scheduling
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Hiring requirements definition", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Interview scheduling", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Hand over the final report or activity record with the versions of the inputs reviewed. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
Recruiters and staffing agencies send this quotation to an employer before starting a search. It breaks the assignment into defining the role, finding candidates and organizing interviews, which suits a retained search where stages are paid as they are completed. If you work on a success fee instead, use the quotation to state the fee, the event that triggers it, usually the candidate’s acceptance of the offer or first day, and any guarantee if the hire leaves early.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Hiring requirements definition, Candidate sourcing, Interview scheduling: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Hiring requirements definition
- Name the role and the outputs, such as a job description and a candidate profile agreed with the hiring manager.
- Candidate sourcing
- State how many candidates you aim to present on a shortlist and the channels you will search.
- Interview scheduling
- Give the number of interview rounds or candidates you will coordinate, and whether you attend the interviews.
- Assignment and inputs
- Identify the subject, source versions, and the inputs the client will supply with their due dates.
- Time and completion basis
- State the hourly or fixed-fee basis, meeting allowance, output format and review rounds.
- Scope to agree
- Specify the role, sourcing scope, interview coordination allowance and agreed event that triggers the fee.
Before sending
- Does “Hiring requirements definition” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Candidate sourcing” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Interview scheduling” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 3 more
- Check whether meeting preparation and follow-up revisions are included in the fee.
- Name the person who can approve additional research or a change in scope.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring requirements definition | 3 × $750.00 | $2,250.00 |
| Candidate sourcing | 3 × $650.00 | $1,950.00 |
| Interview scheduling | 6 × $300.00 | $1,800.00 |
| Subtotal | $6,000.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $480.00 | |
| Total | $6,480.00 | |
Quoted net amount $6,000.00, sales tax $480.00, quoted total $6,480.00.
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
How do I quote a fee based on the candidate’s salary?
Write the percentage and the salary basis, for example the first-year base salary, in the notes, since the amount is not known until an offer is accepted. The invoice issued after the hire then shows the actual figure and quotes this quotation’s number.
What should the quotation say about a replacement guarantee?
If you offer one, state the period and whether you replace the candidate free of charge or refund part of the fee. Keep it to what you are willing to deliver, and say what voids it, such as late payment of the fee.
Can the client hire one of my candidates for a different role?
Your terms should say whether a fee is due in that case and for how long after the introduction. Put that clause in the quotation’s notes, so it is accepted together with the price rather than discovered later.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $480.00 on a net amount of $6,000.00, for a total of $6,480.00. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
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 Recruitment quotation: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist and Quote to invoice: how to convert a quote, step by step. The VAT and GST calculator adds tax to your quoted prices.