Getting started with QuoteCloud

Specifications and finishes schedules clients sign off

Codes, descriptions, finishes and locations in one schedule, with sample photos, comments and the client's approval recorded in the document.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

In QuoteCloud a specification or finishes schedule is a document built from table, image and text blocks. Each row carries a code, a description, the finish and where it goes; sample photos and comments sit beside it, and the client approves the samples with a legally binding eSignature and audit trail.

A sample internal finishes schedule from a fictional practice, Fenwick Arden, for St Aldric's College's new science building, Issue C, for sample approval. Six rows, each with a code, a generic description, a colour swatch and finish, the location and a status: FL-01 rubber sheet flooring in graphite for labs, approved; FL-02 carpet tiles in slate blue for staff rooms, approved; WL-01 impact-resistant plasterboard in warm white for corridors, for review; BT-01 solid phenolic laboratory benchtops in black, sample requested; JN-02 compact laminate joinery panels in pale oak, approved; CL-01 acoustic ceiling tiles in white for teaching spaces, approved.

A schedule issued, reviewed and approved

Fenwick Arden's finishes schedule for a school science building, page by page. One document carries the issue, the samples, the college's questions and its approval.

  1. Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business
    A school building with a timber-framed glass entrance, lit at dusk

    Finishes & product schedule

    St Aldric's College · new science building

    Prepared for St Aldric's College · 21 July · Issue C

    The internal finishes schedule for the new three-level science building: floors, walls, ceilings, benchtops and joinery by room type, for the college's review and sample approval before tender.

    Cover

    Issued for sample approval

    The schedule goes out as Issue C from your template, with the project, the issue and who it's for on the cover. Export it as a PDF when it joins the tender set.

  2. Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business

    Internal finishes schedule Issue C · for sample approval

    CodeItemFinishLocationStatus
    FL-01 Rubber sheet flooring3 mm, slip-resistant, coved skirting Graphite Labs and prep rooms Approved
    FL-02 Carpet tilesSolution-dyed nylon, 500 × 500 mm Slate blue Staff rooms Approved
    WL-01 Impact-resistant plasterboard13 mm, low-sheen paint Warm white Corridors For review
    BT-01 Laboratory benchtopsSolid phenolic, 16 mm, chemical-resistant Black Labs Sample requested
    JN-02 Joinery panelsCompact laminate, matt Pale oak Storage walls Approved
    CL-01 Acoustic ceiling tiles600 × 600 mm, NRC 0.85 White Teaching spaces Approved

    Generic descriptions shown. Named products and alternatives are listed in the specification issued for tender.

    Schedule

    Every finish in one table

    Code, a generic description, the finish with a swatch, where it goes and the status of each sample. Save the columns as a content library block and every schedule starts the same way.

  3. Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business

    Sample board

    • Material samples of dark panels, terrazzo and marble on a white surface
      Benchtop, panel and terrazzo samples
    • A school building with a timber-framed glass entrance, lit at dusk
      Entry, as built in stage 1

    Review notes

    • Issue C replaces Issue B; changes are shown in the revision history.
    • BT-01 sample to be delivered to the college by 1 August.
    • Colours to be confirmed against the approved sample board.

    Grace NdlovuCan FL-01 come in a lighter grey for the junior lab?

    Maeve, Fenwick ArdenYes, there's a mid-grey in the same range. We'll bring a sample on Thursday.

    Sample board

    The samples beside the schedule

    Photos of the sample board in a gallery block, marked up in the image editor if you need to point at something, and the review notes the college reads before it approves.

  4. Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business

    Sample approval

    Issue C · issued 21 July
    1. PreparedMaeve DoranSpecifier19 Jul
    2. ReviewedOscar BayneProject architect20 Jul
    3. AcceptedGrace NdlovuBusiness manager, St Aldric's College24 Jul
    • Finishes approved as noted
    • BT-01 and WL-01 to follow as samples

    Grace Ndlovu · Signed online · 24 Jul, 3:40 pm

    Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached

    Approval of samples is the college's record of its choices. It does not replace the specification issued for tender.

    Approval

    Approved as noted, and signed

    The specifier prepared it, the project architect reviewed it, and the college's business manager approved the finishes with a legally binding eSignature. Two samples are still to follow, and the approval says so.

Every schedule a specifier issues

The same blocks, saved as templates for each kind of schedule your practice sends.

  • Specifier proposals

    Your fee to write the specification, in a price table with extra issues or site visits as optional rows the client ticks before signing.

    Staged fee proposals

  • Finishes schedules

    Floors, walls, ceilings, benchtops and joinery by room type, with a swatch and the status of each sample.

  • Door & hardware schedules

    Door numbers, leaf and frame types, hardware sets and fire ratings as written by your team, one row per door.

  • FF&E schedules

    Furniture, fittings and equipment with an image, the quantity, the location and, if you price it, a price table.

  • Sample boards

    Photos of the samples in a gallery or image block, marked up in the built-in image editor.

  • Sample approval forms

    What was approved, what is still to come, and who signed it, with a certificate of authenticity.

    Approvals & client sign-off

Questions answered on the schedule, not in an email chain

When the college asked for a lighter grey on FL-01, the question went on the document as a comment and Maeve, the specifier, answered it there. Mention a colleague with @ to bring them in.

The activity shows when the schedule was opened, each comment and the approval, so you know where every issue stands.

  • Comments, replies and @mentions on the document
  • Tracking of opens and reading time, with notifications
  • Internal notes hidden from the client and from the PDF

Tracking and notifications: Essentials and up

Document tracking
Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business

Review notes

  • Issue C replaces Issue B; changes are shown in the revision history.
  • BT-01 sample to be delivered to the college by 1 August.
  • Colours to be confirmed against the approved sample board.

Grace NdlovuCan FL-01 come in a lighter grey for the junior lab?

Maeve, Fenwick ArdenYes, there's a mid-grey in the same range. We'll bring a sample on Thursday.

Activity

  1. Schedule openedGrace Ndlovu
  2. Comment on FL-01Answered by Maeve Doran
  3. Approved as notedSigned by Grace Ndlovu

Move your schedules out of spreadsheets

Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us an existing schedule or specification template and we'll convert one for you free during the trial.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

Sample approval · FA-S-0417

Every sample decision, on the record

Four finishes approved, two to follow, signed by the college on 24 July. When someone asks on site who chose the benchtop, the answer is in the document.

Fenwick ArdenFinishes & product schedule FA-S-0417 Sample · fictional business

Accept and sign

Grace Ndlovu · Business manager

Signed online · 24 Jul, 3:40 pm

Sample approval

Approved
4 of 6 finishes
To follow
BT-01, WL-01

Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached

How to issue a finishes schedule for approval

Five steps from a blank schedule to the client's signed approval.

  1. Start from your schedule template

    Your cover, schedule columns, review notes and approval block are already in place.

  2. Fill in the schedule

    Add each code, description, finish and location, and photos of the sample board.

  3. Issue it

    Send one link to the client and see when it's opened. Export a PDF for the tender set.

  4. Answer in comments

    Reply to questions on the document, then issue the next revision with Revise Last Version (Business).

  5. Approved and signed

    The client approves the samples with a legally binding eSignature (sign-off).

Where the schedule's content comes from

QuoteCloud is the document your client reads and signs, not a product database. Your specifier writes the schedule, or pastes it from the specification you already keep, and the parts every project shares come from your content library.

  • Standard specification clauses and sample procedures as Company library blocks, from Essentials
  • Clauses locked so they're used word for word but never edited (content locking, Business)
  • Library access and editing permissions set by role
  • Drawings or schedules exported from your design software added as images or PDF pages; there is no BIM, CAD or specification-system integration

Specification and schedule questions, answered

Can I write a finishes or product schedule in QuoteCloud?

Yes. A schedule is a QuoteCloud document built from content blocks: a table for codes, descriptions, finishes, locations and status, image or gallery blocks for the samples, and text for notes. Save the table to the content library or the whole document as a template so every schedule starts with the same columns.

Can the client approve samples online?

Yes. Add an approval section that states what is approved and what is still to follow, and the client signs it with a legally binding eSignature on any plan. The signed document carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail. The approval records the client's choices; it is not a compliance sign-off.

Does QuoteCloud connect to Revit, NBS or a product database?

No. QuoteCloud has no BIM, CAD or specification-system integration and no product database for specifiers. Write the schedule in the editor or paste it from the specification you already keep, and add drawings or exported schedules as images or PDF pages.

How do we issue a new revision, such as Issue C?

Use Revise Last Version to make the next revision from the document you sent, update the rows that changed and send it again. Revisions and version history are on the Business plan, and Document History shows when it was viewed and its status. Name the issue on the cover and in the schedule's heading.

Can we reuse standard specification clauses?

Yes. Save clauses, sample procedures and schedule tables as Company content in the content library, organised in folders, from the Essentials plan. On the Business plan, lock them so they are used in every document word for word but cannot be edited, and limit library access by role.

Can a product rep send a specification proposal from QuoteCloud?

Yes. A manufacturer's specifier can keep products, images and prices in the product catalogue and build a specification proposal or product schedule with a price table, from the Essentials plan. The design team reviews it, asks questions in comments and signs it online.

More questions from practices

Around the specification

The fee proposal before it, the tender it joins and the library that keeps it consistent.

Schedules approved, not lost in email

Free for 14 days. No credit card required.

Start free 14-day trial Book a demo

See pricingArchitecture & engineering templatesAll industries