Writing quotes with AI: saving time without losing accuracy
How many quote requests have you left hanging because it was 9 p.m. and you had no energy left to write? An AI assistant can turn your job-site notes into a clean quote in a few minutes. The real question is what you can safely hand over to it. The answer fits in one rule: AI handles the form, you handle the numbers and the commitments.
Why a clear quote protects you as much as it sells
A quote does two jobs. First, it persuades: clients often compare two or three prices, and the one who instantly understands what they are buying is more likely to sign. Second, it protects you: what you write sets what you promised. A vague line like "paint the living room" lets the client assume that ceilings, trim and hole repairs are included. The day they realize they are not, the discussion is about your text, not your intentions.
The Civil Code of Québec draws the line. If your price is an estimate, article 2107 requires you to justify any increase, and the client owes it only if it comes from work, services or expenses you could not foresee when the contract was made. If your price is a fixed price (forfait), article 2109 is even clearer: the client pays the agreed price, and you cannot claim more, even if the working conditions change, unless you both agreed otherwise.
| Type of price | What the Civil Code says | What your quote must spell out |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate | Any increase must be justified; only genuinely unforeseeable costs can be billed (art. 2107) | Your starting assumptions: surfaces, wall condition, expected hours |
| Fixed price | The agreed price does not move up or down, unless otherwise agreed (art. 2109) | The exact scope: what is included, what is not, and what would trigger a change order |
In other words, accuracy determines what you will be able to bill if the job holds a surprise. That is where AI can help, if you know what to hand over to it.
What AI does well, and what it must never do for you
An AI assistant is a writing tool. It does a good job of turning notes jotted down in your truck into an orderly document, suggests exclusions you had not thought of and fixes spelling. It does not know the job site: it has not seen the cracked wall and has no idea of your costs. When information is missing, it often fills the gap with a plausible value. In a quote, a plausible but wrong value is a financial risk.
The split is simple: AI handles the form, you handle the numbers and the commitments.
| Hand to the AI | Keep for yourself |
|---|---|
| Organizing your notes into sections (work, included, excluded, schedule, terms) | Measurements, quantities and hours |
| Rewording a muddled description into clear sentences | The price, hourly rate and margin |
| Suggesting common exclusions to check | Taxes: registration, rates and calculation |
| Breaking the contract into delivery steps | Deadlines you can actually meet |
| Producing a French or English version for the client | Any warranty or legally binding promise |
One last point before you start: do not paste your client's name, address or phone number into a consumer AI tool. You do not need them to get a good draft, and Québec's Law 25 requires you to protect the personal information you collect. Write "the client" and add their details yourself at the end.
The four-step method, with a sample request
The text you get is only as good as what you provide. "Write me a painting quote" produces a generic text full of assumptions. A request that contains your facts, the structure you want and clear prohibitions produces a draft you can check in five minutes.
- Take raw notes on site: measurements, photos, surface condition, access, and what the client asked for, word for word.
- Write a structured request: role, expected sections, your notes, and a ban on making things up.
- Check number by number: every figure in the draft must come from your notes. Anything that was not there comes out.
- Add yourself the price, the taxes, your licence number if applicable and the contact details, then send.
Here is a sample request for a residential painting job. It works just as well for landscaping, post-renovation cleaning or a move: only the notes change.
You help me write quotes for my painting business. Using my notes below, write a clear quote in English with these sections: description of the work, what is included, what is not included, schedule in steps, terms. Do not invent any price, quantity, measurement or deadline: if information is missing, write [TO COMPLETE]. Do not calculate taxes. My notes: living room 4 m by 5 m, ceiling 2.4 m, hallway 6 m; two coats on walls, one coat on the ceiling; colour chosen by the client; repair three picture-frame holes; furniture moved by the client before we arrive; expected duration two days.
The [TO COMPLETE] markers are the most useful part: they show at a glance what you have not decided yet, instead of letting the tool "choose" a 60-day validity or a two-year warranty on your behalf.
The five checks you never delegate
Once you have the draft, your review focuses on five specific points. These are the ones where a mistake costs money or starts a dispute.
1. The price and how it adds up
Redo every multiplication yourself. Fictional example: 14 hours of labour at $55 comes to $770, plus $230 for paint and supplies, for a subtotal of $1,000. If the draft shows a different total, the draft is wrong. To set your starting hourly rate, see Setting your hourly rate as a self-employed worker: the simple method.
2. Taxes
According to Revenu Québec, the 5% GST and the 9.975% QST are both calculated on the selling price, not one on top of the other. On a $1,000 subtotal, that is $50.00 of GST and $99.75 of QST, for a total of $1,149.75. But you charge these taxes only if you are registered. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, you stop being a small supplier when your taxable supplies exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, or as of the sale that takes you over that threshold within a single quarter. The details are in GST and QST: when must a self-employed worker register?.
3. The scope
Read the "not included" section as if you were the client. Moving furniture, hauling away debris, final cleaning, unexpected repairs: anything not written down will be argued about later.
4. Your RBQ licence, if your work requires one
The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) requires licence holders to show their number on their estimates, quotes, contracts, statements of account and invoices, in the form "Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX". AI does not always know this, and it does not know your number.
5. Commitments
Validity, deadlines, warranties, deposit: every commitment must come from you. If you are unsure about a clause or what the law requires for your type of contract, the Office de la protection du consommateur or a legal professional can advise you.
On GPP Emploi: from quote request to signed contract
On GPP Emploi, businesses and clients who need a result delivered post quote requests. Once you turn on "Des contrats à mon compte" (contracts on my own account) in your profile, you answer them with a price. If your offer is chosen, the contract is signed on the platform (signature by typed name) and you deliver in steps. After each delivered step, the client has 72 hours to accept or dispute it; with no answer, it is accepted automatically. The self-employed workers page explains the whole process.
The step breakdown that AI does well therefore becomes your delivery schedule: each step must be precise enough for the client to tell within 72 hours whether it meets the contract. "Surface preparation and repair of the three holes" is easy to approve; "work in progress" is not. Protected payment is not offered yet: the client pays you directly according to the schedule signed on the platform.
Three practical details. The matching fee (5% of the amount) is paid in credits by the client at signing (minimum 1, maximum 40 credits): it is not taken out of your price. Do not write your phone number or email in the text: before a contact is accepted, they are masked in messages. Finally, some construction work requires a verified RBQ licence to submit a quote; add it to your passport before you answer. Requests are sorted by trade, as in the painting category.
In short
AI does not replace your judgment on a job site; it gives you back time on paperwork, as Will AI replace the service trades? What is really changing explains.
- Hand the form to AI (structure, rewording, exclusions to check, steps); keep the numbers and the commitments.
- Give it your notes and forbid it to invent: the [TO COMPLETE] markers show what you still have to decide.
- Estimate or fixed price: the Civil Code (arts. 2107 and 2109) does not give you the same leeway, so spell out the scope.
- Taxes: 5% GST and 9.975% QST on the same price, only if you are registered ($30,000 threshold).
- RBQ licence: its number must appear on your estimates, quotes and contracts when your work requires one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use AI to write a quote?
Yes, for the writing: organizing your notes, rewording and checking that no section is missing. Measurements, price, taxes and commitments must come from you. Check every number before sending, because you are the one bound by the text.
What is the difference between an estimate and a fixed price in Quebec?
With an estimate, you must justify any increase, and the client owes only increases caused by genuinely unforeseeable costs (Civil Code, art. 2107). With a fixed price, the agreed price does not change unless otherwise agreed (art. 2109). State clearly in your quote which one you are offering.
Do I have to add GST and QST to my quote?
Only if you are registered for GST and QST. You must register when your taxable supplies exceed $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters or within a single quarter. If you are registered, GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) are both calculated on the pre-tax price.
Does my RBQ licence number have to be on a quote?
Yes, if you hold a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. The RBQ requires the number on estimates, quotes, contracts, statements of account and invoices, in the form "Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX".
Sources
- Code civil du Québec (CCQ-1991), article 2107 — LégisQuébec (French)
- Code civil du Québec (CCQ-1991), article 2109 — LégisQuébec (French)
- Calculating the Taxes — Revenu Québec
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Afficher votre licence — Régie du bâtiment du Québec (French)
