Software development quotation
Quotation template for software developers and studios: requirements analysis, feature development and acceptance testing. Download it as Excel or Word.
Templates by industry
- Requirements analysis
- Feature development
- Acceptance testing
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Requirements analysis", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Acceptance testing", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Deliver the agreed test results and configuration notes, and assign owners for outstanding items. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
Software estimates are least reliable before the requirements are written down, which is why this quotation prices requirements analysis as its own step. Some clients approve only that line first and decide on development once the specification exists; others accept the whole quotation with the development figure marked as an estimate to be confirmed. Acceptance testing gets a line too, so the time spent proving that the software works is not squeezed out of the development budget.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Requirements analysis, Feature development, Acceptance testing: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Requirements analysis
- State the workshops or interviews included, the document delivered, such as a specification with user stories and screen sketches, and how many review rounds it gets.
- Feature development
- Break development down by feature or module with an estimate for each, and say whether the price is fixed or time and materials with a cap.
- Acceptance testing
- Describe who writes the test cases, how many test rounds are included and how long the client has to report findings before the software counts as accepted.
- Environment and dependencies
- Record target systems, integration counts, data volume and who supplies test access.
- Acceptance and support
- Set acceptance scenarios, the review window, support duration after handover and excluded work.
- Scope to agree
- Set the features in and out of scope, the criteria acceptance testing must pass, and how long defects are covered after handover.
Before sending
- Does “Requirements analysis” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Feature development” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Acceptance testing” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 3 more
- Separate third-party service charges from implementation fees.
- Agree who handles the production transition and what recovery work is included if it fails.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements analysis | 5 × $300.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Feature development | 6 × $1,200.00 | $7,200.00 |
| Acceptance testing | 12 × $95.00 | $1,140.00 |
| Subtotal | $9,840.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $787.20 | |
| Total | $10,627.20 | |
Quoted net amount $9,840.00, sales tax $787.20, quoted total $10,627.20.
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
How do I quote work that depends on a third-party system?
Name the system and the access you need, such as a test account or API keys, and when the client must provide them. If late access stops the work, say in the quotation how waiting time or rescheduling will be handled.
Should hosting and licences be on this quotation?
Keep them apart from the development price. List them as optional lines or leave them to the client to buy, with a note of what is needed, because they recur after the project ends and are often paid in the client's own name.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $787.20 on a net amount of $9,840.00, for a total of $10,627.20. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I download it as Excel, Word or PDF?
Yes. A PDF needs no account: fill in the template and use Print / PDF. The Excel and Word files download from this page with a free account, and the spreadsheet keeps its formulas, so changing a quantity updates the tax and the total.
How is the document numbered?
QuoteBill gives each new document a unique number of its own. A member can switch to numbers in sequence in settings, such as QUO-2026-0001: one sequence for each kind of document, starting again every calendar year. A number you type yourself is kept as it is.
Read next
Reading for the Software development 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.