Getting started with QuoteCloud

QuoteCloud implementation for multidisciplinary practices

Fee proposal and report templates converted, the clause library loaded, roles and approval rules set, and every studio trained, owned by the practice manager.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

A QuoteCloud implementation for a practice converts its fee proposal and report templates, loads limitations, terms, specification clauses and fee scales into the content library and price tables, sets teams, roles and approval rules, connects the CRM or accounting system, and trains each studio. One template conversion is free during the trial.

Four sheets behind divider tabs, taking turns at the front, each something a fictional practice, Fenwick Arden, sets up in its QuoteCloud rollout: the converted condition report template with its cover and contents, the fee scale for a staged fee proposal with fixed and percentage fees, the insurances and registrations as a locked company block, and an approval rule that holds every report from the condition audit template In Review until the associate and the director approve it.

A practice rollout, in seven steps

A sample plan for a fictional 30-person practice with an architecture studio, building services engineers and building surveyors. Each step says what you bring, what QuoteCloud gives you and how you know it's done.

  1. Phase 1, Weeks 1–2

    Convert the fee proposal and report templates

    You bring
    The Word or InDesign fee proposal and the report format each discipline sends most, such as the condition audit and the plant inspection report.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    One template converted free during the trial on Essentials, Business or Enterprise; more conversions are a paid add-on, per template. Any document can also be saved as a template.
    Done when
    Each discipline can start a branded fee proposal or report from a practice template.
    Architecture & engineering templates

  2. Phase 2, Week 2

    Build the clause library

    You bring
    Limitations, terms of engagement, specification clauses, scope descriptions by stage, insurances and team CVs, signed off by the principals.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Company content in library folders, inserted several blocks at a time, with the wording that carries liability locked so it can't be edited in a document.
    Done when
    Nobody needs last year's Word file to write a report.

    Content library: Essentials · locking: Business

    Practice templates & library

  3. Phase 3, Weeks 2–3

    Load the fee scales and rates

    You bring
    Your stage percentages, fixed fees, hourly rates by role and the additional services you offer.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Price tables saved to the library, with Percentage and Formula columns for fees on construction cost and optional rows for additional services.
    Done when
    A fee proposal prices each stage from the practice's own scale.

    Advanced pricing and custom formulas: Business

    Staged fee proposals

  4. Phase 4, Week 3

    Set teams, roles and template access

    You bring
    Your studios and disciplines, who drafts, who reviews, who sends, and who looks after the library.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Custom roles and unlimited teams, library permissions by role, and Template Restrictions so each team sees its own templates.
    Done when
    Each discipline sees its templates, and only the practice manager edits the library.

    Custom roles and teams: Essentials and up

  5. Phase 5, Week 3

    Set the approval rules

    You bring
    Your QA rule: which reports need a reviewer, and the fee or tender value that needs a director.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Approval workflows that trigger on the template, total value, discount percentage, team, role or customer, and hold the document In Review until it's approved.
    Done when
    A report from the audit template can't be sent until the associate and the director approve it.

    Approval workflow: Business

    Approvals, review & client sign-off

  6. Phase 6, Weeks 3–4

    Connect the CRM, accounts and payments

    You bring
    Your CRM, Xero or QuickBooks Online, your projects board and your Stripe or PayPal account.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    Native CRM and accounting integrations on Business; Zapier, Make and the API from Essentials for monday.com, OneDrive and the rest; retainers on signing.
    Done when
    A signed fee proposal reaches accounts and the projects board without retyping.
    CRM, accounting & project integrations

  7. Phase 7, Weeks 4–5

    Pilot one commission, then train each studio

    You bring
    One live fee proposal and one report, and a lead from each studio.
    QuoteCloud gives you
    A 45-minute training session on paid plans, extra 60-minute sessions as a paid add-on, and the user guide's step-by-step articles.
    Done when
    Every fee proposal and report leaves the practice from QuoteCloud.

Sample planning, not a promise: your timing depends on how many templates you convert, the size of your library and the systems you connect.

What changes for each person in the practice

The value of the rollout, role by role, for the same fictional practice.

The jobBefore rolloutAfter rollout
Director Reads big fee proposals and reports as email attachments, if someone remembers to send them. Approves or declines documents In Review, under the rules the practice set (approval workflow, Business).
Project architect Rebuilds the fee letter from the last job and retypes the stage percentages. Starts from the studio's fee proposal template and the saved fee scale, and writes the scope.
Building services engineer Formats each plant report by hand and pastes in the asset list. Uses the plant report template with the asset register table and maintenance schedule in place.
Building surveyor Copies the limitations from an old report and hopes they're the current ones. Drops in the locked method and limitations and spends the time on the findings.
Specifier Searches past projects for a clause and emails the schedule for comment. Inserts clauses from library folders; the client comments on the schedule itself.
Practice manager Chases retainers and keys every signed fee into Xero. Owns the templates, roles and library; retainers are paid on signing and fees reach accounts.

Help from the QuoteCloud team when you want it

Smaller practices set up with the trial and the training session. A multidisciplinary rollout often needs more hands; these are the services to ask about.

  • Onboarding services

    One template converted during the trial and a 45-minute training session on paid plans, to get the first fee proposals and reports out.

    Onboarding services

  • Professional services

    More template conversions, extra 60-minute training sessions for each studio, and consultancy and set-up for Zapier, APIs and other platforms. Ask us for prices.

    Professional services

  • Premium support

    Premium 24×7 support with guaranteed SLAs as a paid add-on. Enterprise includes implementation support and a dedicated account manager.

    Premium support

  • The user guide

    Hundreds of step-by-step guides for authors and admins, from building a price table to setting up an approval workflow.

    QuoteCloud user guide

Fee scales loaded once, used in every proposal

Part of every practice rollout is turning the fee spreadsheet into a price table. Each work stage becomes a line: concept as a fixed fee, the later stages as a percentage of the construction cost, with hourly rates for additional services underneath.

Save the table to the content library and every fee proposal starts from the same scale. The architect changes the construction cost and the stages that apply; the percentages stay as the practice set them.

  • Fixed and percentage fees in one table
  • Hourly rates by role for additional services
  • Saved to the library and reused in every fee proposal

Price tables: Essentials and up · Percentage and Formula columns (advanced pricing): Business

Staged fee proposals
Fenwick ArdenFee proposal · Architectural services FA-2405 Sample · fictional business

Fees by work stage

Estimated construction cost$1,450,000

StageTimeBasisFee
Brief & concept designSite analysis, brief review, two concept options 4 wks Fixed $16,500
Developed designPlans, sections, elevations and a materials palette 6 wks 2.25% $32,625
Technical design & documentationConstruction drawings, specification, consultant coordination 10 wks 3.5% $50,750
Tender & contract administrationTender, site visits and certificates to practical completion Build 1.75% $25,375
Total fees ex tax$125,250
Hourly rates for additional services
Principal$260/h
Project architect$190/h
Graduate & drafting$130/h

Stages 2 to 4 are a percentage of the estimated construction cost, adjusted to the accepted tender price. Work outside this scope is charged at the hourly rates, agreed in writing first.

Start the trial, send us your report template

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. We convert one of your existing templates during the trial on Essentials, Business and Enterprise.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

Approval rules in place before the first big tender

Most practices set two kinds of rule. Reports are approved by template: anything from the condition audit or plant report template waits for an associate and a director. Fees and tenders are approved by value: over $150,000, the practice manager and a director approve the response first.

Approvers see the whole document and approve or decline it. Until every required approver has approved it, it can't be sent.

  • Triggers on template, total value, discount percentage, team, role or customer
  • Every named approver can be required
  • The document waits In Review, then goes out

Approval workflow: Business plan

Approvals, review & client sign-off
Fenwick ArdenTender response · Design services FA-T-0611 Sample · fictional business

Document workflow

In Review

Triggered when Total value greater than $150,000

  • Tom AchterbergPractice managerApproved
  • Clara WhitlowDirectorWaiting

Must be approved by all approvers before it can be sent.

  1. Approval request sent by Oscar Bayne
  2. Approved by Tom Achterberg

Approval workflow · Business plan

What each plan includes for a practice

Essentials and Business start with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. What you can set up depends on the plan (USD per user per month, from the pricing page).

  • Essentials ($39): price tables, templates and the content library, custom roles and unlimited teams, retainers through Stripe or PayPal, Zapier, Make and the API, one free template conversion during the trial and a 45-minute training session.
  • Business ($59): everything in Essentials, plus approval workflows, content locking, Gantt charts for stage programmes, advanced pricing and custom formulas, version history, custom branding and native CRM and accounting integrations.
  • Enterprise (custom pricing): implementation support, a dedicated account manager, premium 24×7 support, single sign-on, IP range filtering and a custom URL.
  • Add-ons on paid plans: extra template conversions, extra 60-minute training sessions and premium support. Ask us for prices.

Implementation questions from practices

How long does it take to roll QuoteCloud out across a practice?

It depends on how many templates you convert, how much standard wording goes into the library and which systems you connect. A sample plan for a multidisciplinary practice runs over about five weeks, from converting the first templates to training each studio, but that is planning, not a promise; a single studio can be sending during the trial.

Will QuoteCloud convert our existing fee proposal or report?

Yes. During the trial, QuoteCloud converts one of your existing templates for free on the Essentials, Business and Enterprise plans, such as your fee proposal or your condition report. More conversions are a paid add-on, billed per template. Ask us for the price, or build further templates yourself from content blocks.

What training is included?

Paid plans include a complimentary 45-minute virtual training and Q&A session. Extra 60-minute sessions, for example one per studio or one for admins setting up roles and approvals, are available as a paid add-on. The user guide has hundreds of step-by-step articles for authors and admins.

Who should own QuoteCloud in a practice?

Usually the practice manager or a director, not one enthusiastic architect. They own the templates, the company library, roles and approval rules, while each studio's lead looks after its own templates. Custom roles decide who can edit templates, use the library or send documents, from the Essentials plan.

Can different disciplines have different templates and permissions?

Yes. Create a team for each studio or discipline and use Template Restrictions to assign the templates it should see. Custom user roles set who can access the content library and who can add or edit content in it. Custom roles and unlimited teams are on the Essentials plan and above.

Does QuoteCloud offer implementation services?

Yes. Onboarding services cover the free template conversion and training session; professional services add more conversions, extra training and consultancy and set-up for Zapier, APIs and other platforms; premium 24×7 support is a paid add-on. Enterprise plans include implementation support and a dedicated account manager. Ask us for prices.

What support do we get after go-live?

Essentials and Business include email support during business hours, Monday to Friday, with a standard response within 48 hours. Enterprise includes premium 24×7 support and a dedicated account manager, and premium support with guaranteed SLAs is available as a paid add-on on other plans.

More questions from practices

Everything your practice will use

The documents and the set-up behind them, each with a sample from a fictional practice.

Set up once. Every studio sends the same way.

Free for 14 days. No credit card required.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

See pricingArchitecture & engineering templatesAll industries