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One of the most common causes of disputes between tradespeople and clients is confusion over pricing. Many customers assume a price is fixed, while the tradesperson believes it’s only an estimate.

Understanding the difference between fixed quotes, quotes, and estimates — and using each correctly — can help UK tradespeople avoid disputes, protect profit, and run more professional businesses.

This guide explains the difference, the pros and cons of each, and when they should be used.

What Is an Estimate?

An estimate is an approximate price based on limited information. It gives the client a rough idea of cost but is not a fixed price.

Estimates are commonly used at early enquiry stages or where the full scope of work is unknown.

Pros of Using an Estimate

• Quick to prepare
• Useful for early budgeting
• Flexible if details change
• Suitable when information is limited

Cons of Using an Estimate

• Clients may mistakenly treat it as a fixed price
• Final cost can be higher than expected
• Less legally robust than a quote
• Higher risk of disputes if not clearly explained

When Should Tradespeople Use Estimates?

Estimates are best used when:

• The scope of work is unclear
• Further investigation is needed
• Plans or specifications are incomplete
• Early discussions are taking place

Tip: Always clearly label estimates as “Estimate” and make it clear that it is likely to change.

Often a price per square meter or price per point will be used to get the estimate. This is a great way to quickly gauge if the client will be put off by the cost before you invest time to prepare a more detailed price. You can be exposing yourself to risk if you do not provide more detail as it will be total unclear about what is included or not in your estimate. See our article about what should be included is a quote or estimate for more information.

What Is a Quote?

A quote is a more detailed price based on a defined scope of work. In UK contract law, a quote is generally considered a fixed offer once accepted — unless stated otherwise.

Quotes should only be used when the scope of works is clearly understood.

Pros of Using a Quote

• Clear pricing for the client
• More professional than an estimate
• Builds trust and confidence
• Easier to compare with other quotes

Cons of Using a Quote

• Risky if the scope isn’t fully defined
• Variations may be needed if work changes
• Can reduce flexibility
• Requires more time to prepare

When Should Tradespeople Use Quotes?

Quotes should be used when:

• The scope of work is clearly defined
• Site conditions are known
• Materials and labour can be accurately priced
• You are ready to commit to a price

Tip: Always include clear inclusions, exclusions, and variation terms.

What Is a Fixed Quote?

A fixed quote (sometimes called a fixed-price quote) is a price that will not change, even if the work takes longer or costs more — unless the scope changes.

Fixed quotes carry the highest level of commitment and risk for tradespeople.

Pros of Using a Fixed Quote

• Maximum price certainty for the client
• Builds strong trust
• Attractive to clients comparing prices
• Reduces pricing discussions later

Cons of Using a Fixed Quote

• Higher financial risk for the tradesperson
• No protection against unexpected issues
• Requires very accurate pricing
• Profit can be lost if risks aren’t allowed for

When Should Tradespeople Use Fixed Quotes?

Fixed quotes are best used when:

• The scope of work is very clear
• When the work is done day in day out and is clearly defined, so parameters for all are well understood
• Risks are minimal
• Site conditions are known
• Adequate contingencies are included

Tip: Fixed quotes should always include clear exclusions and variation clauses.

Key Differences at a Glance

Common Mistakes Tradespeople Make

• Calling an estimate a quote
• Not clearly labelling pricing documents
• Failing to explain differences to clients
• Using fixed quotes on uncertain work
• Not pricing risk properly

These mistakes often lead to disputes and lost profit.

How to Protect Yourself

UK tradespeople should always:

• Clearly label pricing documents
• Use written scopes, inclusions, and exclusions
• Explain pricing types to clients
• Price risk appropriately
• Use professional quoting tools

How Price Doctor Helps

Price Doctor helps UK tradespeople:

• Produce professional estimates, quotes, and fixed quotes
• Clearly define scopes and allowances
• Include overheads, profit, and risk
• Reduce disputes and improve margins

Price smarter. Quote professionally. Use Price Doctor.

Final Thoughts

There’s no “right” pricing method for every job. The key is using the right pricing type at the right time and making sure clients understand what they’re being given.

What is a name? Even an estimate which clearly defines exactly what is included, what is not and what are provisional costs, will be sufficient and provide a clear understanding of what will be done for what cost.

Clear pricing leads to better clients, smoother jobs, and healthier businesses. Get the pricing right with detailed information which can be clearly understood and you will avoid a lot of the issues that can arise. This is exactly what Price Doctor is for.

Price Doctor is proud to be an Associate Member of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the UK’s largest and most respected trade association for professional builders and contractors.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting the construction industry with tools and services that promote fair pricing, transparency, professionalism, and efficiency — values that are increasingly important in today’s competitive building market.

About the Federation of Master Builders

The Federation of Master Builders has represented the interests of professional builders since 1941. Its members are independently vetted, regularly inspected, and required to adhere to a strict Code of Conduct, giving homeowners and commercial clients confidence in the quality and professionalism of FMB builders.

By working with carefully selected Associate Members, the FMB ensures its members have access to trusted products and services that genuinely support their businesses.

Why the FMB Selected Price Doctor

The FMB chose Price Doctor as an Associate Member because of its unique approach to construction pricing and business management, designed specifically for the UK building trade.

Fair and Accessible Pricing for Builders

Price Doctor provides a low and fair cost pricing solution, ensuring builders of all sizes — from sole traders to family firms — can access professional pricing tools without excessive fees or hidden costs.

Transparent Costs with No Plans Required

Unlike traditional estimating services, Price Doctor has a fixed fee structure which allows builders to know what the pricing costs will be, without having to submit drawings or plans for assessment. This saves time, removes friction, and gives builders greater control over the pricing process.

Verified and Checkable Take-Offs

All pricing within Price Doctor is fully transparent and itemised, making it easy to verify what has been included, check quantities, and review the accuracy of take-offs before issuing a quote.

More Than Just a Price

Price Doctor doesn’t stop at pricing. The platform also provides software to manage jobs, customers, and staff, helping builders run their businesses more efficiently from one central system.

This combination of transparency, affordability, and practical functionality aligns closely with the FMB’s mission to raise standards across the construction industry.

Supporting FMB Members and UK Tradespeople

Price Doctor is built specifically for UK builders and trades, including general builders, electricians, plumbers, and multi-trade contractors. The platform helps users:

• Price work accurately and confidently
• Create professional, branded quotes
• Manage customers, jobs, and teams
• Track costs and profitability
• Save time on admin and paperwork

For FMB members, this partnership provides reassurance that Price Doctor is a trusted, trade-focused solution aligned with industry best practice.

A Shared Commitment to Raising Industry Standards

This partnership is about supporting builders to work more professionally, price work fairly, and build sustainable businesses.

By aligning with the Federation of Master Builders, Price Doctor reinforces its commitment to:

• Transparency in construction pricing
• Supporting professional builders
• Improving trust between builders and clients
• Helping the trade work smarter, not harder

Try Price Doctor Today

If you’re an FMB member or a UK tradesperson looking for a better way to price and manage your work, Price Doctor is designed for you.

We have added a feature to Price Doctor which allows homeowners to connect with our trade users. This is part of our drive to make the relationship between homeowners getting work done and their contractor as smooth and productive as possible.

The better prepared a homeowner is for the work that they want to have done, the easier it will be for their chosen contractor to quote for and then complete the work. Important decisions will be made on time ensuring the project does not get delayed and extras are kept to a minimum as the client will know what they want ahead of the project starting.

Introductions from Price Doctor:

Homeowners are now able to request an “introduction” to a tradesperson from their Price Doctor account. Homeowners have been asking us to do this for some time now, and the initial reception has been very positive from our trader users.

Homeowners can now request introductions to tradespeople here, or they often contact us directly:

Homeowners who have used Price Doctor will, we hope, have more information about their project and be better prepared about what to expect, especially with regards to the costs. This should make their projects run more smoothly and efficiently.

Getting Leads from Price Doctor:

When a homeowner in your area requests to be connected with the relevant tradesperson, we will present the lead in your account for you to decide if it is something you would like to take on. You will find the new leads on your dashboard and also at the top of the enquiries tab:

We match your trade types (which you select in your My Profile section) and postcode with the homeowner project details. If they align, the lead will show in your account.

If there is something you like the look of, you can take the lead and it will open for you dropping into your list of enquiries.

Initially leads will be free of charge – all we ask if you take a lead, please contact the customer to let them know what you intend, even if this is just to tell them you are not in a position to assist them with the project. As we refine this service, we do expect there to be a cost for the leads for tradespeople who decide to take them. This is so that we can reinvest this back into getting more high-quality leads for our users and improving the service.

Initially the volumes will be very small, as we want to fine tune the process, making sure that it works well, before go too large!

When will the introductions start?

At this stage, we are experimenting with the best way to make these introductions. There will be a steady start as we get things working efficiently and respond to feedback from all our users, both homeowners and trade. It is important that privacy is protected and we comply with all legislation.

If you make sure that your trade services are up to date in your account, this will ensure that the right leads are presented to you. You can update the trade services which you offer on the Templates section of your My Profile and in the White Label Forms section.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or need help:

We’re off to Installer 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham. All we have heard is good things about this show so we are very excited to be taking part for the first time.

We will be there demo-ing Price Doctor on Stand I62 from Tuesday until Thursday 27-29 June. Have a look at the Installer2023 website for more details and to book free tickets: visit the Installer Show website here.

As with any show we will be unveiling lots of new and exciting things:

• Partnership with Etc Business Solutions to save even more time with awesome admin and business support
• New improved layout for the Price Builder and Quote Builder to make getting projects priced and quoted even easier
• Enhanced plumbing and electrical calculators to make it even easier to use on mobile and get quick quotes done

New subscribers will also be able to claim their ½ price discount on all new Price Doctor subscriptions for the first 3 months. We will also be doing some special offers on the pricing service too, so come and visit us and have find out what is going on!

If you want to register for free in advance of the show you can do so here, and still claim your discount if you subscribe at the show.

It has been a record breaking quarter for pricing work on the Price Doctor system. Nearly £7.5 million worth of work has been priced up using our pricing service between April and June. Jobs vary in size significantly with the biggest being close to £0.5 million, although typically the jobs that we price are much smaller, in the region of £20,000-50,000.

Price Doctor Pricing Service

Launched at the beginning of the year, our Pricing Service has seen a huge increase in the demand for work to be priced on behalf of Price Doctor users through the last few months. You can send us the plans for any project and we will price up the work for you and add all the information to your account ready to start work.

The big difference between our pricing service and other online estimating services is that you have complete control of the output and access to the calculators should you want to recalculate anything. This mean that when things change you can update them easily yourself in Price Doctor. Or you can ask us to help you with this if you prefer.

The other big benefit is that all the pricing information is in Price Doctor account so you can then manage the project and even invoice your customer from Price Doctor. This means that you can stay on top of things, making sure that you don’t miss billing any extras and still keep your customer happy and informed. All this without loads of extra admin time.

From this, to that – without all the agro!

The Pricing Service is available for all Price Doctor subscribers. You can purchase it the system using a card or pay via bank transfer if you prefer. Currently there is a flat rate of £69.99 + VAT for all designs making it one of the most cost effective pricing solutions available anywhere.

Price Doctor subscriptions start at £19.99 + VAT per month – saving ½ an hour of your time per month will pay for it. Most users say that they save 4 times that per week at the very least!

Find the right package for you and start saving time and money now!

As Price Doctor is being used by more and more trades people to help them manage and grow their businesses, we have created the News section of the website. The aim is to have somewhere where we can update our growing user base with our news and information that might be relevant.

What News?

We will publish information about new releases and product updates here so you can see what features we have added. We like to think of ourselves as very much “user driven” in terms of our development, so if you have any features or ideas that will make Price Doctor work better for you please let us know. If we can do it, we will add it to our plans for the future!

We will also let you know about shows that we are attending of any other marketing and training activities we have planned. Hopefully if you can spare a little time, you can come and join us to learn more about how Price Doctor could help you and your business even more.

When we have any competitions, discounts or freebies we will publish all the details here too. So keep an eye out!

Questions?

If you have specific questions about anything that you think we might be able to help with, please get in touch:

https://pricedoctor.co.uk/contact/

We would be happy to hear from you. We are available during normal office hours, but if that doesn’t suit you we can schedule a time that does.

Pricing Made Easy!

If you are not yet using Price Doctor and do a lot of your work in domestic properties you can register for free (no credit card required) and you will be able to price 3 projects before you need to purchase a subscription – no time constraints.

Like many of our customers, you might be too busy to price the work yourself, so we will price it for you and add all the information to your account. Just send us the plans and we’ll do the rest. (This service is only available to subscribers.)

What Next?

That’s simple:

1. Register
2. Sign up for an onboarding session
3. Get pricing – save time
4. Send quote – win more work