How to write a quote as an electrician

Electrical work is judged on more than the price, because the customer is trusting you with something they can't inspect and the law has a view on how it's done. A quote that shows you'll test it, certify it and notify it where required reads as a professional, not just a cheaper pair of hands. Here is how to write a quote as an electrician: what to itemise, how to handle certification and testing on the document, when a day rate beats a fixed price, and the exclusions worth stating every time. This is for qualified electricians working to the current wiring regulations.

Put certification and notification on the quote

The thing that separates your quote from a chancer's is that yours accounts for doing the job legally. Testing, inspection, the certificate, and the building control notification where the work is notifiable under Part P all take time and belong on the quote as part of the price, not as a surprise. Stating them does two things: it shows the customer you're doing it properly, and it stops a rival's bare figure looking cheaper when they've quietly left the compliance out. Build in what the job genuinely needs and say what you'll provide.

What to itemise

Break the quote into clear parts so the customer sees what they're paying for and you don't leave anything out. The disruption around the cable is often where the real cost sits, so make it visible.

• Labour: your time on site, priced from the realistic days the work takes for that property.
• Materials: cable, accessories, the consumer unit or protective devices, back boxes, containment and consumables.
• First and second fix where it applies: running cable, chasing, lifting floors, then fitting and connecting.
• Testing, inspection, certification and the building control notification where the work is notifiable.
• Making good: filling chases and reinstating, with whether decoration is included stated plainly.
• Waste removal of old cabling, the old board and accessories.

Day rate or fixed price?

Both have their place, and the right one depends on how well you can see the job. A fixed price suits work with a clear, countable scope: a known number of sockets, a consumer unit change, an EV charger on a straightforward run. The customer prefers the certainty and it looks more professional. A day rate suits open-ended fault-finding or work where you genuinely can't predict the time until you're in it, for example tracing an intermittent fault. Whichever you use, make sure your figure is built from a rate that actually covers your costs; our guide on how to set your day rate as a tradesperson shows how to work it out rather than copy the next spark. For bigger jobs, our guide on quote vs estimate covers when to commit to a fixed price and when to leave room.

Price your own labour and materials

A solid-wall Victorian terrace and a modern stud-wall house with an accessible loft are completely different amounts of work for the same number of points, so price the job in front of you rather than a square-metre or per-point number borrowed from someone else. Cost materials from your suppliers and labour from the realistic days, and don't forget the time the testing and paperwork actually takes, because that's billable work even though no cable moves while you do it.

The exclusions worth stating every time

Electrical quotes go wrong over scope and making good, so be explicit. State the common exclusions so the customer isn't assuming something's covered when it isn't.

• Decoration after making good: most electricians make good to a fillable finish but don't paint, so say which you're doing.
• Pre-existing faults or non-compliant wiring found on the day, agreed separately before you proceed.
• Builders' work, plastering or carpentry that's down to another trade.
• Upgrades the customer might assume are included, like extra circuits or every accessory being replaced, unless you've priced them.
• Anything that depends on a survey you haven't done yet, noted clearly rather than guessed.

Speed and presentation win the job

Customers letting an electrician into the house are looking for reasons to feel safe, and a fast, clean, properly laid-out quote is one of them. The spark who replies quickly with a clear scope and the certification spelled out beats a vague number even at a higher price. KeenQuote turns a plain-English description of the job into a structured quote in about a minute, so you can send it while the customer is still choosing. It's free for five quotes a month, and Pro is £19.99 a month for unlimited.