Consulting proposal software questions, answered

Statements of work, fee options, retainers, tenders, signers, payments, AI and integrations: the questions consultants ask before they switch.

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QuoteCloud is proposal, statement of work and eSignature software for consultants. These answers cover how SOWs, fee options, retainers, tenders, multiple signers, payments on signing, the AI Co-Worker and CRM integrations work, which plan each feature needs, and what QuoteCloud does not do, such as billing milestones or renewing retainers.

Winning the work

Statements of work, fee options, tenders, rate cards and the AI Co-Worker.

What is QuoteCloud for consultants?

QuoteCloud is proposal, statement of work and eSignature software for management, strategy, operations, HR and change consultants, independent advisers and boutique firms. You send engagement proposals, SOWs, tender responses, NDAs and retainer agreements from your own templates and content library, with price tables, several signers and the first payment taken on signing.

What goes into a consulting statement of work in QuoteCloud?

Whatever your SOW needs, as content blocks: a cover, the situation and objectives, your approach and phases, deliverables, the team, a price table, assumptions and exclusions, terms and signature blocks. A Gantt chart of the phases is on the Business plan. Start from your own template or the Consulting Services Proposal.

Can a client choose between a fixed fee, day rate or retainer?

Yes, as options in the price table. Put each model in a single-choice group and the client picks one, with the total updating; add-ons such as a workshop can be optional rows they tick. If each model needs different scope, keep a template per model or send a revised version. Price tables are on Essentials and above.

Can our team see cost and margin while the client sees only the fee?

Yes. Price tables can carry costs and margins that are hidden from the client, and the product catalogue holds each role's day rate and cost, imported from a CSV file. An approval workflow on discount percentage or total value is on the Business plan, so a large discount waits for a partner before the SOW can be sent.

Can we use QuoteCloud for tenders and government RFPs?

Yes, to write, price and approve the response. Keep approved answers, case studies and insurance wording in the content library, lock wording that must not change (Business) and require approval above a total value. QuoteCloud does not connect to tender portals: export the response as a PDF and upload it yourself.

Does the AI Co-Worker write proposals for us?

No. On the Business plan the AI Co-Worker helps your team inside the editor: it can draft an executive summary or introduction from call notes you attach and expand, shorten or rewrite text in a tone you set. Its content stays flagged until a person accepts, edits or rejects it, and nothing is sent automatically.

Can two consultants edit the same SOW at the same time?

QuoteCloud doesn't offer real-time co-editing. Your team and the client can comment and reply inside the document, and Revise Last Version creates a new version while keeping the earlier one, with version history on the Business plan. Most firms have one person own the draft and others comment.

Getting it signed

Several signers, NDAs, change requests and retainers.

Can the sponsor and procurement both sign?

Yes. A document can have several signers, each with their own signature block, signing in their own browser without an account. You can add an optional one-time passcode by email before signing. eSignatures are legally binding and eIDAS compliant, included on every plan, with an audit trail and a certificate of authenticity.

Can we send NDAs for signature?

Yes. Use the Non-Disclosure Agreement template or your own NDA, add both parties as signers and send it before the briefing. An NDA needs no price table or payment, and eSignatures are on every plan, including Free. QuoteCloud does not give legal advice on NDA terms.

How do we handle a change in scope after the SOW is signed?

Send the change as its own change request for the client to sign, or revise the SOW with Revise Last Version, which keeps the earlier version. Version history is on the Business plan. A change request can carry its own price table and, if you need one, its own payment on signing.

Do retainer agreements renew automatically?

No. A retainer shows its monthly fee and term in the agreement and has an expiry date, and it ends on that date. The Expiring Soon filter shows agreements ending soon, and you can bulk-send renewal offers from the Essentials plan. Each renewal is a new agreement the client signs.

Can we see when the client has opened the SOW?

Yes. Tracking and notifications, on the Essentials plan and above, tell your team when a document is opened, and the activity shows comments, signatures and payments. QuoteCloud also tracks reading time on the document as a whole. Per-section reading is not shown.

What QuoteCloud does not do, and what to do instead

The questions partners ask before they switch, answered plainly.

Bill milestones or retainer months
QuoteCloud takes one payment when the client signs. Write later milestones and months into the SOW and invoice them from your accounting system.
Renew agreements by itself
Agreements end on their expiry date. Use the Expiring Soon filter and bulk send to put renewal offers in front of clients.
Retainers & renewals
Real-time co-editing
Colleagues and clients comment and reply in the document. Revise Last Version keeps earlier versions, with version history on Business.
Write proposals on its own
The AI Co-Worker helps your team draft inside the editor (Business). Its content stays flagged until a person accepts it.
Library & AI
Tick options from an automation
The API, Zapier or Make create a document, fill data items and add price rows. The client ticks options; your template sets the blocks.
CRM & integrations
Submit to tender portals
Write, price and approve the response in QuoteCloud, export it as a PDF and upload it to the buyer's portal yourself.
Tenders & RFPs

Payments

What is paid in QuoteCloud, and what you invoice yourself.

Can the client pay when they sign the SOW?

Yes. Set a payment on signing as a percentage of the total or a fixed amount, or ask for the full amount, and the client pays through Stripe or PayPal as they sign. Payments are on the Essentials plan and above and need a connected Stripe or PayPal account.

Does QuoteCloud bill milestone payments?

No. QuoteCloud takes one payment when the client signs. Later milestones, days worked and retainer months are written into the SOW as content, and you invoice them from your accounting system. QuoteCloud does not set up instalments, recurring billing or payment reminders.

Does QuoteCloud bill the monthly retainer fee?

No. The agreement shows the monthly fee as a repeating charge with its term, and the first month can be paid on signing. Later months are invoiced by you. Xero and QuickBooks Online are native on the Business plan, or connect through Zapier, so finance hears about the signed agreement.

Can a retainer client pay by PayPal?

Yes. QuoteCloud takes payments on signing through Stripe or PayPal, whichever your firm connects. The money goes to your own Stripe or PayPal account; QuoteCloud does not hold funds for you. Later monthly fees are invoiced by your firm in the usual way.

Running QuoteCloud in your firm

Integrations, templates, plans and getting started.

Does QuoteCloud connect to our CRM?

Pipedrive connects directly on the Business plan, so a SOW can be created from a deal and its status shows on the record. HubSpot and Zoho CRM connect through Zapier; Salesforce through Zapier or the Sync add-on. Zapier, Make and the API are on Essentials and above, with a per-document fee for API and Zapier documents.

Are there templates for consultants?

Yes. The QuoteCloud library includes a Consulting Services Proposal, a Strategic Plan, a Consulting Contract, a Consulting Agreement, an HR Services Proposal, a Financial Consulting template, a Non-Disclosure Agreement and a Project Customer Acceptance Form. Each can be branded and edited.

Which plan does a consulting firm need?

Essentials ($39 per user per month) covers price tables, the rate card catalogue, the content library, payments on signing, bulk send and Zapier, Make and the API. Business ($59) adds approvals, Gantt charts, content locking, version history, the AI Co-Worker and native CRM and accounting integrations, including Pipedrive.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. QuoteCloud has a free plan and a 14-day free trial of Essentials or Business with no credit card required. During the trial QuoteCloud converts one of your existing templates for free on the Essentials, Business and Enterprise plans, and paid plans include a 45-minute training session.

Still have a question? Try it on your own SOW

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your current SOW and we'll convert it into a template during the trial.

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