What goes into a tradesperson's quote in Switzerland

Nothing in Swiss law makes a quote compulsory. But the moment it is accepted it becomes a contract, and it is the document you reach for when a job goes wrong. Worth writing properly.

The items that protect you

• Your full identity: company name, address, and your UID number if you are VAT-registered.
• The client's identity, with a full address, you will need it again on the invoice.
• The date it was issued and how long it stays valid.
• The work in detail: every line, its quantity, its unit price. A bare total with no breakdown is the surest way to have your price argued down.
• The amount before VAT, the rate and the VAT amount, then the total.
• Payment terms, and the deposit if you ask for one.

Estimate or fixed price: say which

Swiss law separates the two, and it is the leading source of disputes. If you give an approximate figure you may exceed it, but an excessive overrun gives the client a right to terminate. If you give a fixed price, you hold to it, even if the job costs you more than expected. Put in writing which of the two you are offering.

Set a validity period

With no period, your quote stays valid indefinitely in theory, material prices included, and those move. Thirty days is common practice and reasonable, and nobody takes offence.

Get it accepted in writing

A phone agreement cannot be proved. A written, dated acceptance is enough, and an online signature with a timestamp does the same job without a printer or a wait for the post.