How to Create a Professional Quotation for Free: A Practical Guide for HK SMEs

A Good Quotation Is Your First Step Toward Trust

At APAA, we often remind Hong Kong SMEs that a professional quotation is far more than a list of prices. It represents your company's professionalism, and it is the first step in building trust with a client. Whether you are a brand-new startup or an SME that has been trading for years, knowing how to produce a standardised quotation makes your whole quoting process faster and more credible.

The good news is that you do not need to spend money on expensive software. This guide shows you how to build a professional business quotation from scratch using free tools.

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The Must-Have Elements of a Quotation

A complete Hong Kong business quotation should include the following.

Basic Information

• Company name and logo — present your brand clearly.
• Company address and contact details — phone, email, and website.
• Business Registration number — Hong Kong regulations require this on business documents.
• Quotation number — a unique running number for later tracking and reference.
• Quotation date — the date the quote is issued.
• Validity period — how long the quote remains valid, typically 7 to 30 days.

Customer Information

• Customer company name
• Contact person's name and title
• Customer address
• Customer reference number (if applicable)

Product / Service Details

• Item description — a clear description of each product or service.
• Quantity — the quantity or number of work hours for each item.
• Unit price — the unit price of each item.
• Subtotal — quantity × unit price.
• Discount (if applicable) — any discount that applies.
• Tax (if applicable) — VAT or other taxes.
• Total amount — the grand total of all items.

Terms and Conditions

• Payment terms — payment method and deadline (for example, payment within 30 days).
• Delivery / completion time — the expected delivery or service-completion date.
• Currency — clearly state the currency used (HKD, USD, and so on).
• Other terms — refund policy, warranty terms, and the like.

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Formatting Standards

Layout and Design

• Clean and professional — use tidy formatting and avoid excessive decoration.
• Brand-consistent — use your company's brand colours and fonts.
• Easy to read — use a table to lay out line items, with amounts right-aligned.
• Adequate white space — don't cram everything together.

Numbering System

We recommend a meaningful numbering system, for example:

• QT-2026-001 — quotation - year - running number.
• QT-ABC-2026-03-001 — quotation - customer code - year-month - running number.

A systematic numbering scheme makes documents easy to find and manage later, and signals your professionalism to the client.

Amount Formatting

• Use thousands separators: HK$12,500, not HK$12500.
• Keep decimals consistent: if you show decimals, keep all amounts to two places.
• State the currency clearly to avoid any misunderstanding.

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Common Mistakes

In reviewing clients' quoting processes, we see the same handful of problems again and again.

Mistake 1: No Validity Period

A quote with no validity period can be cited by a customer months later, by which point your costs may have risen. Set a validity window of 7 to 30 days.

Mistake 2: Vague Item Descriptions

"Website design service — HK$30,000" is too vague. The customer may assume it includes every feature, which leads to disputes down the line. Spell out the specific scope and content of each item.

Mistake 3: No Unique Number

A quotation without a number is hard to trace. When a customer refers to "that quote from last time," you may have to dig through a pile of files to find it.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Payment Terms

Without stated payment terms, customers may delay paying. Spelling out the method and deadline protects you and sets clear expectations for the client.

Mistake 5: Calculating by Hand in Excel

Manual calculation is error-prone, especially once discounts and taxes are involved. A formula-driven spreadsheet or a proper quoting system avoids those mistakes.

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Free Ways to Build a Quotation

You don't need to pay for software. Any of the following can produce a professional quotation for free.

Option 1: Google Docs / Google Sheets

Google offers free document and spreadsheet tools, well suited to businesses just starting out:

• Google Docs — good for fixed-format quotes, with plenty of layout freedom.
• Google Sheets — good for quotes that need automatic calculation; set up formulas to compute subtotals and totals.
• Strengths: free, cloud-stored, multi-user collaboration, accessible anywhere.
• How to do it: open a new spreadsheet, fill in the must-have elements above, set up your formulas, save it as a template, then copy and edit a fresh version each time.

Option 2: Canva (Free Plan)

Canva offers a large library of free quotation design templates:

• Search "quotation" or "invoice" to find dozens of designs.
• Customise brand colours, logo, and fonts.
• Export as a PDF.
• Strengths: attractive design, easy to use, no design experience needed.
• Limitation: automatic calculation is limited, so it suits quotes with fewer line items.

Option 3: The Odoo Sales Module

Odoo offers a free single-app plan, and its Sales module can build and send professional quotations:

• The system automatically generates a professionally laid-out quotation PDF.
• It supports product catalogue, pricing, and tax settings.
• Customers can view and confirm the quote online.
• If you also use the CRM module, the quote links to the opportunity pipeline for easy follow-up.
• Strengths: ideal for businesses sending a high volume of quotes that want them tied to the sales process.
• Note: the features actually available vary by Odoo version, deployment method, and the modules in use.

Option 4: Your Own Excel / Numbers Template

If you are comfortable with Excel or Mac's Numbers:

• Build a template file containing all the required fields.
• Set up formulas to calculate subtotals, discounts, and totals automatically.
• Add your company logo and brand colours.
• For each quote, copy the template, fill in the data, and export a PDF to send.
• Strengths: works offline and is fully customisable.

Choosing the Right Option

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Tips to Make Quoting More Efficient

Build a Quote Database

Organise your frequently used products and services, descriptions, and prices into a single database. When building a new quote, pick from the database instead of re-typing everything each time.

Use a Template, Don't Start From Scratch

Building a quote from a blank document every time is slow and easy to get wrong. Once you have a template via any of the methods above, just copy and edit.

Set Up a Quoting Process

Define a standard flow: receive enquiry → understand needs → prepare quote → internal review → send quote → follow up. A standardised process improves both your response speed and accuracy.

Consider a Quote Management System

When you need to send a high volume of quotes each month, a proper quote management system lifts efficiency considerably. It can generate quotes automatically, track their status, prompt follow-ups, and analyse win rates.

Odoo's Sales module, for example, can produce a professional quote in minutes, with customers viewing and confirming online. Paired with CRM, the quote links to the opportunity so you can track the whole sales process.

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How a Quotation Differs From Other Business Documents

Understanding how these documents differ helps you use the right one at the right moment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a quotation and an invoice?

A quotation is issued before the transaction and gives a price reference; an invoice is issued after, requesting payment. A quotation is generally not legally binding (unless its terms state otherwise), whereas an invoice is a formal payment document.

Does a quotation need a company chop?

Hong Kong law does not require a quotation to be stamped. In practice, though, a company chop adds a sense of formality and credibility, especially when dealing with government bodies or larger enterprises.

How long should a quotation be valid?

It depends on your industry and product. For sectors with volatile pricing (raw materials, exchange-rate-sensitive products), 7 to 14 days is sensible. For service industries with relatively stable pricing, 30 days works.

What if the customer asks to change the quotation?

Issue a new version of the quote (update the version number, for example QT-2026-001-v2) and keep the original on record. Don't edit the original quote directly, to avoid confusion.

Is a quotation made with free tools professional enough?

Absolutely. A quotation's professionalism comes from whether its content is complete and its format is clear — not from how expensive the software was. A quote built in Google Sheets or Canva makes just as professional an impression, as long as it contains all the must-have elements.

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In Summary

Producing a professional quotation doesn't have to cost much. Once you have the must-have elements and formatting standards down, any SME can create a quote that wins client confidence using tools like Google Sheets, Canva, or the free tier of Odoo.

It comes down to three things: complete content, clear formatting, and explicit terms. Get those right and your quotation is already more professional than most of your competitors'.

As your business grows and your quote volume rises, it is worth bringing in a quote management system like Odoo to push efficiency further. If you would like help getting that process onto a solid footing, talk to the APAA team — we are glad to lend a hand.