Construction proposal software
The proposal is the estimate, not a second document
Most contractors price a job once and then write it out again as a proposal — a second pass where numbers get transposed and exclusions get forgotten. Here the estimate produces the proposal, the client accepts it by name and date on a link, and the accepted price becomes the schedule of values you bill against.
One chain, no retyping
- 1
Price it
Trade assemblies carry material and labor per unit; enter quantities and your rate, burden and markup do the rest.
- 2
Send it
A branded PDF for the file, and a link that shows scope, price, notes and exclusions in a browser.
- 3
Get it accepted
They type their name; the date is recorded. You see it in your account, and the proposal page becomes the record.
- 4
Bill it
The accepted price becomes the schedule of values, and monthly pay applications bill against those same lines.
Try the first step free — the estimate builder produces a proposal PDF without an account, and the trade packs decide how much typing you avoid.
Frequently asked questions
What should a construction proposal include?
Scope stated as line items the client can read, the price, what is expressly excluded, payment terms, and a date the price expires. Exclusions do more work than anything else on the page: most disputes start with something the contractor assumed was obviously not included. A proposal that lists them is also the document that makes a change order easy to justify later.
Is a signed proposal a contract?
Often, yes — an accepted offer with defined scope, price and terms can form a binding agreement, and BuiltSum records acceptance with the accepting party's name and the date. That is not legal advice, and larger commercial work should still run on a proper contract. Where your job requires a specific form, use it; the proposal remains the scope and price it was built from.
How fast can I get a proposal out?
The whole design is aimed at the same afternoon. Trade assemblies price the work as you enter quantities, your labor rate, burden and markup apply automatically, and the proposal PDF and share link come out of the finished estimate — no separate document to rebuild and no numbers retyped from the takeoff.
What happens after they accept?
The accepted estimate becomes the schedule of values for billing, and — on commercial work — the basis of every AIA-style pay application after that. It also feeds your price book: accepted work is what your own historical rates are built from, so the next proposal starts from what actually sold.
From walkthrough to signed, without a second document
Unlimited projects and proposals on every plan — from $49/mo.
Start free