16 · The Quote · Lockwood Advisory

When to use it

Discrete project pricing. Defined work, client wants a price before committing.
Workshop or event scoping. Scope is clear, engagement not yet on.
Supplementary work. Additional scope outside an existing engagement.
RFQ responses. Where procurement invites a quote.

When NOT to use it

Full engagement pitches with narrative + signature · use the Proposal (14).
Ongoing engagement terms with rates · use the Engagement Scope (17).
Issuing payment owed · use the Invoice (15).
Pure email-only price discussions where no formal artefact is required.

Quote vs Proposal vs Engagement Scope

All three involve pricing. The Proposal makes a considered pitch and ends in a signature. The Engagement Scope sets ongoing terms (rates, success fees). The Quote prices a specific defined piece of work in a transactional one-shot format.

A heuristic

If the recipient could say "yes, send me the invoice" tomorrow without additional negotiation, it's a Quote.

Canonical reference

WABi Systems · QTE-002 · April 2026 · LockwoodAdvisory/Templates/LockwoodAdvisory_QUOTE_QTE-002_WABiSystems_27Apr26.pdf

This is the most recent issued Quote and the closest to the locked format. Standardisation pending finance portal release.

Awaiting first portal-standardised Quote

Once the finance portal is live and produces a Quote against the locked spec (with LA navy + gold, logo, Nicole's full contact block, QUO-XXXX numbering, Next Steps block), that document becomes the canonical example here.

Tooling

Quotes are generated from the Lockwood Advisory finance portal (in development). The portal handles numbering, GST calculation, valid-until dates, and tracks quote status.

Output & filename

PDF · primary deliverable. Sent to the client.

Filename: LockwoodAdvisory_[Client]_QUO-XXXX_[ScopeDescriptor].pdf

Quote numbering

Sequential, format QUO-XXXX (e.g. QUO-0007)
Separate sequence from Invoices (which use INV-XXXX)
Maintained in the finance portal · do not reuse numbers

Valid until

Default: 30 calendar days from issue
Negotiable per quote but stated explicitly
After the Valid Until date, the quote lapses · a new quote must be issued (which can keep the same price or revise it)

Status tracking

Issued · sent to client, within valid window
Accepted · triggers engagement and downstream Invoice scheduling
Lapsed · valid window expired without response · pricing no longer holds
Withdrawn · LA has withdrawn the quote before acceptance

The portal advantage

Once the finance portal is live, Quote → Acceptance → Invoice flows automatically. The portal also tracks lapsed and accepted ratios, which become useful business intelligence over time.

The DNA · inherits from Invoice

The Quote inherits palette, type, voice and visual structure directly from the Invoice spec (15). The Tax Invoice header band, the navy + gold + cream palette, the gold-warm tabular money amounts, the section banners, the contact block · all identical.

What changes from Invoice 15

Header title · "Quote" in italic Cormorant instead of "Tax Invoice"
Document number prefix · "QUO-XXXX" instead of "INV-XXXX"
Date fields · "Issued" date + "Valid until" date instead of just "Date"
No GST yet labelled "Payable" · the Quote shows pricing but frames GST as anticipated, not due
No PAYMENT DETAILS block · payment instructions are not relevant until the invoice issues
"NEXT STEPS" closing block instead, short paragraph on how to accept
Footer note · "Pricing valid until [Valid Until date]. Acceptance triggers engagement under the terms above."

The Anatomy · structural blueprint

The page · A4 portrait, single page typically. Inherits the Invoice's full page structure (see 15.2).

The header band · identical to Invoice except title reads italic Cormorant "Quote" instead of "Tax Invoice". LA contact block identical.

QUOTED TO / QUOTE DETAILS block · client name, ABN, attention person, contact, address (left). Large quote number (QUO-XXXX), Issued date, Valid until date, Terms (right).

Scope of Work paragraph · plain-prose description of what's being quoted.

Line-items table · identical to Invoice: navy header, gold caps columns, gold-warm tabular amounts.

Totals · Subtotal · GST (10%) · TOTAL (incl. GST).

NEXT STEPS block · replaces the Invoice's PAYMENT DETAILS block. States how to accept: email reply or signed return.

Footer · "Lockwood Advisory Pty Ltd · ABN 76 979 340 565 · GST Registered" left; "Pricing valid until [date]" right.

Decision tree · format-by-format comparison

Format	Use when	Don't use when
Quote · 16	Specific defined work · price asked for · transactional accept-or-decline · time-limited validity	Net new engagement requiring narrative pitch · ongoing terms · payment owed
Proposal · 14	Full engagement pitch · narrative + scope + price + signature	Already-scoped pricing requests
Engagement Scope · 17	Ongoing rates · success fees · sliding scales	Single defined piece of work
Invoice · 15	Work has happened · payment now due	Work not yet done · pricing being agreed

Firm rules (inherited)

No em dashes.
Middle dot · as separator.
Italics for emphasis · only on header title and validity note.
Caps reserved for gold meta labels. QUOTED TO, QUOTE DETAILS, NEXT STEPS, footer chrome.

Quote-specific voice rules

State the scope precisely. The scope paragraph names exactly what's being quoted. No ambiguity.
State the price clearly. Both Excl. and Incl. GST. No "starting from" or "estimate".
State the validity window. Valid until date present. The window's existence is its own meaning.
State how to accept. Next Steps makes acceptance frictionless · email or sign-and-return.
No negotiation language. The Quote is the offer. Email is for discussion.

What the voice does NOT do

The Quote does not pitch the work · the work is already defined. The Quote does not narrate the practice · the recipient has already engaged. The Quote does not thank for the opportunity · the precision of the document is the thanks. It states what, how much, by when, and how to accept. Nothing else.

Run this before the PDF leaves the studio

Em dash sweep. Zero em dashes.
Quote number sequential. Next in the portal.
Client name and ABN correct.
Issued date and Valid Until date. Both present. Valid Until ≥ 30 days unless explicitly negotiated.
Scope paragraph specific. What's quoted is unambiguous.
Line items specific. Hours, rates, deliverables itemised where relevant.
GST calculated correctly. Subtotal × 1.10 = Total.
Next Steps block present. Email + signature acceptance both offered.
Footer accurate. Validity note matches the Valid Until date.
Read aloud. Final pass. Direct, precise, no fluff.

When all ten are green

Export to PDF with embedded fonts. Save as LockwoodAdvisory_[Client]_QUO-XXXX_[ScopeDescriptor].pdf. Send via email with a brief covering note. Log in finance portal as Issued. Set a reminder for two days before Valid Until.

Prompt-ready brief · copy into any AI

You are writing a Quote for Lockwood Advisory.

CONTEXT
A Quote is a defined price for a defined piece of work, valid for a defined window. Issued before an engagement begins. Recipient accepts or lets the window lapse.

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
- Header band: navy (#0E2138) + gold (#C8A458) + cream palette. LA globe-wordmark in header. "Quote" in italic Cormorant.
- QUOTED TO block (left): client name, ABN, attention person, contact.
- QUOTE DETAILS block (right): QUO-XXXX number, Issued date, Valid Until date, Terms.
- Scope of Work paragraph: plain prose, specific scope.
- Line items table: navy header band, gold caps columns (Organisation, Description, Excl. GST, Incl. GST), gold-warm tabular amounts.
- Totals: Subtotal, GST (10%), TOTAL (incl. GST).
- NEXT STEPS block (replaces PAYMENT DETAILS): how to accept (email reply OR sign and return).
- Footer: "Lockwood Advisory Pty Ltd . ABN 76 979 340 565 . GST Registered" left; "Pricing valid until [date]" right.

VOICE RULES
1. No em dashes. Use middle dot . as separator.
2. Italics only on header title and validity note.
3. Caps reserved for gold meta labels (QUOTED TO, QUOTE DETAILS, NEXT STEPS).
4. State the scope precisely. No ambiguity.
5. State the price clearly. Both Excl. and Incl. GST. No "starting from" or "estimate".
6. State the validity window explicitly. Default 30 days from issue.
7. State how to accept. Make acceptance frictionless.
8. No negotiation language. The Quote is the offer.

WHAT NOT TO DO
- Don't pitch the work. It's already defined.
- Don't narrate the practice. The recipient has already engaged.
- Don't thank for the opportunity. The precision IS the thanks.
- Don't include payment instructions yet. That belongs on the Invoice.

FORBIDDEN SYMBOLS (NEVER USE)
- No em dashes (—)
- No en dashes (–)
- No section symbol (§) — use plain numbers (01, 02) instead
- No curly quotes (“ ” ‘ ’) — use straight quotes (")
- No ellipsis character (…) — use three dots (...)
- Use middle dot . only as separator (the . shown here is U+00B7)

OUTPUT
Write a complete Quote in the Lockwood Advisory format, structured as above, in this voice. Use the placeholders [Client], [ABN], [Scope description], [Line items], [Subtotal], [GST], [TOTAL], [Issued date], [Valid Until date] where the human user must fill in.

What this block does

Drop this into Claude, GPT, Gemini, or any LLM with a request like "write me a Quote for [client] for [piece of work]". The AI will produce a document that respects the LA voice, format, and brand structure without you having to re-explain every time.

The block updates as the spec evolves · the version you copy today is anchored to the current canonical reference.