Contractor quote template in Finland: contents and pricing

A good contractor quote template shows the client what will be done, what it costs and on what terms. The price is built line by line: quantity times unit price, then overheads, margin and VAT. This guide covers jobs in Finland, where consumers get the household deduction (kotitalousvähennys) for labour only, so show the labour share separately.

What should a contractor quote template include?

These items belong in every construction quote, whether the job is a bathroom, a roof or a small repair. Download the free contractor quote template for Excel (XLSX): it has every item below, and its formulas work out the totals, the VAT and the labour share that qualifies for the household deduction.

1. The parties. Your company name, Business ID (Y-tunnus) and contact details, and the client’s details. Tell consumers that your company is in the prepayment register, because the household deduction requires the company that did the work to be registered.
2. Site and scope of work. What will be done and where. Also write what the price does not include. The exclusions show later what counts as extra work.
3. Quantities and prices, line by line. Labour, materials and other costs on lines of their own.
4. Type of price. Fixed price, price estimate, unit rates or time and materials. More on this below.
5. VAT. Whether prices include VAT or the reverse charge applies.
6. Schedule and payment instalments. When work starts and ends, and at which stages you invoice.
7. Contract terms. Which standard terms the quote is based on.
8. Extra work. How extra and changed work is agreed: the price in writing before the work is done.
9. Validity. How long the quote stands, and what happens if material prices change before the work starts. According to Statistics Finland, building costs in Finland rose 3.4% in the year to September 2026, and plumbing and heating supplies 11.6%.

Fixed price or price estimate?

A price estimate given to a consumer may be exceeded by at most 15 percent unless something else was agreed, but a fixed price cannot be changed without an agreement. This is how the Consumer Disputes Board puts it. Consumer services are governed by chapter 8 and building contracts by chapter 9 of the Consumer Protection Act.

So say clearly in the quote which one you are giving. If part of the work is uncertain, such as the condition of the structure under the floor, price it separately with a unit rate or as time and materials, and say why. In a study of cost estimates for small residential projects (Lim et al. 2016), site conditions were the one source of uncertainty found in both projects studied, and each estimate set aside a separate sum for them.

How do you price a construction job?

Quote pricing follows the same order whatever the size of the job. In the same study, a pre-priced bill of quantities was the main estimating method for small residential projects.

1. Quantities. Measure, or take from the drawings, the areas, lengths and counts. Every task and material gets its own line and unit.
2. Materials. Multiply the quantity by the waste factor and the purchase price. Waste depends on the material and the installation method.
3. Labour. Multiply the quantity by the labour consumption, the hours one unit takes, and by the hourly cost. Rakennustieto’s Ratu data is the Finnish industry’s shared, researched source for labour consumption; after that, your own recorded hours are the best benchmark.
4. Other direct costs. Transport, equipment, scaffolding, protection and waste.
5. Overheads and margin. Office, vehicles, insurance, the time spent on estimating, and your company’s profit.
6. VAT. Added to consumer prices; often not added when selling to construction companies.

As formulas:

What you calculate	Formula
Materials	quantity × (1 + waste) × purchase price
Labour	quantity × labour consumption (h/unit) × hourly cost
Selling price	(materials + labour + other costs) ÷ (1 − target margin)

For a 4.2 m² bathroom floor with 10 percent waste, the tile quantity is 4.2 × 1.10 = 4.62 m², rounded up to whole boxes. Labour hours are calculated from the original area, because waste does not add to the surface being laid.

What is the difference between markup and margin?

Markup and margin are easy to mix up, though they are calculated from different numbers: markup from costs, margin from the selling price.

• Costs €1,000 and a 20% markup: price €1,200, margin 200 / 1,200 = 16.7%.
• Target margin 20%: price 1,000 / (1 − 0.20) = €1,250.

The difference is €50 for every €1,000 of costs.

Work out your own price with the margin calculator.

Should VAT be added to the quote?

Consumers always get a price that includes VAT. A construction company that itself sells construction services gets a price without VAT. According to the Finnish Tax Administration, construction services carry the general VAT rate of 25.5 percent.

If the client is a company that sells construction services other than occasionally, the reverse charge applies. The price is then given without VAT and the buyer pays the tax. The invoice shows the buyer’s Business ID and a note on the reverse charge, for example a reference to section 8 c of the VAT Act. The seller is responsible for checking that the buyer meets the conditions, so ask while you are writing the quote.

Why show the labour share separately?

Consumers get the household deduction only for labour, not for supplies, materials, travel or transport. According to the Tax Administration’s guidance, the invoice states the hours and price of the deductible work, or a lump sum for that work, and lists the other items separately. The labour share must match the real labour costs and must not be inflated artificially.

When the quote has the same split as the later invoice, the client sees at once what the deduction covers and can compare quotes properly.

Which contract terms is the quote based on?

The Finnish construction industry uses standard terms that the quote refers to. According to Rakennustieto’s list:

• YSE 1998 is meant for building contracts between businesses.
• RYS-9 1998 are consumer contract terms when the price including VAT is €10,000 or more.
• REYS-8 1995 are consumer contract terms for specialist construction work when the price including VAT is at most €10,000.

Lines that get left out of quotes

These lines are easy to leave out, and every missing line is paid for out of your own margin:

• demolition and removal of demolition waste
• protection and dust control
• drying and waiting times that lengthen the job
• freight and collection of materials
• equipment and scaffolding
• material waste
• site cleaning
• travel time, if it is not priced into the hourly rate

A quote in minutes with The Platform

The Platform does this calculation for you. Describe the job, add photos or upload a drawing, and it builds a bill of quantities for labour, materials and hours, prices each line and exports the quote to Excel in minutes. You can change every line before the quote goes out. The service is launching soon.