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Contractor price book software: quote every job the same way

The same job, quoted by three different techs in the same week, at three different prices. The customer who got the high price feels overcharged. The customer who got the low price got a job that barely paid for itself. And the owner cannot tell which jobs make money, because there was never a planned price to compare against. A contractor price book fixes that by writing the price down once, so every tech quotes the same way.

What a price book fixes

First, it fixes consistency. Every tech, on every call, quotes the price in the book. The customer gets the same number whether the senior tech or the new hire is standing in their home. Second, it fixes speed. The tech searches the job name, sees the price, and builds a quote in seconds instead of calling the office or doing math in the truck. Third, it fixes margin. Prices are set from real costs, parts, labor, overhead, and profit, instead of from what the tech felt the customer would accept.

None of that needs a new platform or a new way of running jobs. The book sits next to whatever you already use: paper, a calendar, or a field service system. It answers one question, what does this job cost, and it answers it the same way every time.

What goes in the book

Start with the jobs you do most often. For an HVAC shop, that is diagnostics, tune-ups, common repairs, and installs. For a plumbing shop, it is drain clearing, fixture replacements, leak repairs, and water heater work. For an electrical shop, it is outlet and panel work, lighting, and installs like ceiling fans and EV chargers. List the jobs first, then price them one at a time.

Each entry needs three things: a name your techs will recognize, a flat price, and a short note on what is included. The note matters. A water heater install at one price means nothing if one tech includes the venting and another does not. Write what the price covers, in plain words, so the quote means the same thing to everyone who reads it.

Keeping prices current

A price book is only as good as its last update. Part costs move, labor rates move, and some jobs take longer than the book assumed. Review the book every quarter and update the prices that have moved. When a tech finds a job that is missing, add it that week. When a price is wrong, fix the book, not the quote on site. A book that is current gets trusted. A book that is out of date gets ignored, and the shop goes back to guessing.

PriceBook keeps the book searchable on a phone or tablet, so a tech can look up a price on site without calling the office. The free plan covers 1 price book with up to 10 items. Pro is $49 a month for unlimited items, multiple price books, quote generation, printable quotes, email quotes to customers, and CSV import.

PriceBook and PaidUp

PriceBook sets the price before the job. PaidUp, overdue invoice reminder software for trade shops, chases the invoice after the job is done. Both are built for the same shop: the owner who does the work and the billing. PriceBook is free for up to 10 items, Pro $49 a month. PaidUp is free for up to 5 invoices, Pro $29 a month.

Read how to build a flat-rate price book for the full process, and flat-rate pricing examples to see what finished entries look like. For HVAC specific advice, see HVAC flat-rate pricing.

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