A good quote wins the job and protects your margin. A bad one loses you money before you've lifted a screwdriver. Here's exactly how to put together a professional electrical quote in South Africa, and the mistakes that quietly eat your profit.
1. Start with a proper site assessment
Never quote blind. Whether it's a DB board upgrade, a rewire, or 15 plug points, get eyes on the job first. Note the access, the age of the existing installation, the distance for cable runs, and anything that could turn a half-day job into two. The unknowns are where electricians lose money.
2. Separate labour and materials
Always break your quote into labour and materials. It looks professional, it makes your pricing defensible, and it protects you when material prices move. A typical electrical quote includes:
- Labour, your hourly or day rate × estimated time, plus a buffer for the unexpected.
- Materials, cable, DB components, breakers, plug points, conduit, consumables. Mark these up (15–30% is normal) to cover your time sourcing and your risk on price.
- Compliance, a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) where required. Price it in; don't absorb it.
- Call-out / travel, if the site is far, charge for it.
Tip: Build a price list of your common items (plug point installed, isolator, DB board, CoC) so you're not pricing from scratch every time. In BlitzBooks this is your reusable catalogue, tap items in and the quote builds itself.
3. Add VAT correctly
If you're VAT-registered, your quote must show VAT at 15% clearly, either per line or as a subtotal plus VAT. If you're not registered, don't charge VAT, but make it clear the price is the final price. Mixing this up is one of the fastest ways to look unprofessional or land in trouble with SARS. (See our VAT guide for tradesmen.)
BlitzBooks adds VAT and your deposit automatically on every quote.
Try it free4. Set your terms: deposit, validity, payment
Spell out the boring stuff, it's what prevents disputes later:
- Deposit, 50% upfront on materials-heavy jobs is standard and reasonable. It funds your stock and signals commitment.
- Validity, quote prices move. State the quote is valid for 30 days.
- Payment terms, balance due on completion, with your banking details and a payment reference on the document.
5. Make it look professional
A quote scribbled on a notepad or sent as a plain WhatsApp message tells the customer you're a one-man bakkie operation they can haggle down. A clean, branded quote with your logo, a clear total, and proper terms tells them you're a business, and lets you hold your price. The presentation genuinely affects whether you win the job and what you can charge.
6. Send it fast
The electrician who quotes within the hour usually beats the one who quotes in three days. Speed signals reliability. The ability to build and send a quote before you leave the customer's driveway is a real competitive edge, it's exactly why so many trades have moved their quoting onto their phones.
Quote on site in under a minute
BlitzBooks builds branded electrical quotes from your phone, labour, materials, VAT and deposit handled. Convert to an invoice in one tap when the job's done.
Start free, 7 days, no card →Free electrical quoting checklist
- ✅ Site assessed and risks noted
- ✅ Labour and materials separated
- ✅ Materials marked up
- ✅ CoC priced in where needed
- ✅ VAT shown correctly (if registered)
- ✅ Deposit, validity and payment terms stated
- ✅ Branded, clean, and sent fast