How this template was made: the general quotation format, rebuilt around how electrical work is actually priced — per point, with the board, cables and earthing as separate lines, and the terms electricians tell us they end up arguing about at billing. Carries the same one-line credit to BahiSathi as our other templates; delete it if you like.
A worked example
A Ludhiana electrical contractor quotes for completely rewiring a two-bedroom flat: concealed wiring, contractor supplies all material, FR copper wire and modular switches. The rates are an example; yours depend on your city and the make you specify.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Point wiring | |||
| Light point | 24 | ₹550 | ₹13,200 |
| Fan point | 6 | ₹600 | ₹3,600 |
| 6A switch socket point | 14 | ₹550 | ₹7,700 |
| 16A power point (geyser, fridge, washing machine) | 5 | ₹900 | ₹4,500 |
| AC point (with dedicated circuit from the DB) | 3 | ₹1,800 | ₹5,400 |
| TV / data point | 3 | ₹450 | ₹1,350 |
| B. Distribution board, cables and earthing | |||
| Distribution board with MCBs and RCCB | 1 | ₹9,500 | ₹9,500 |
| Main cable, meter to DB (metres) | 15 | ₹220 | ₹3,300 |
| Earthing pit | 1 | ₹6,500 | ₹6,500 |
| C. Other work | |||
| Wall chasing and patching after wiring | 1 | ₹4,000 | ₹4,000 |
| Testing and commissioning | 1 | ₹1,500 | ₹1,500 |
| Subtotal | ₹60,550 | ||
| GST at 18% (indicative) | ₹10,899 | ||
| Total | ₹71,449 | ||
The payment schedule follows the job rather than the calendar: 40% on acceptance to buy material (₹28,580), 40% once the conduit is in and before the wires are pulled (₹28,580), and the last 20% after testing and handover (₹14,289). The Excel file makes the last instalment whatever is left, so the three always add up to the total exactly.
Say what a point includes
Almost every electrician prices by the point, and almost every billing dispute starts with the customer and the electrician meaning different things by it. The template defines it once in the terms: the conduit, the wire from the switchboard to the outlet, the switch or socket, and its box. Not the fan or the light that hangs from it.
Split the points by load, as the template does, rather than quoting one rate for all of them. A 16A power point runs heavier wire than a light point, and an AC point gets its own circuit from the board; a single blended rate either loses you money on the heavy points or loses you the job on the light ones.
Quote an estimate, bill what you install
The count in the quotation comes from a drawing or a walk around the site, and it is never the count at the end. Customers add a socket here and move a fan point there. So the first term says it plainly: the final bill is for points actually installed, counted together at handover, at the quoted rates. That one sentence turns "but you said ₹60,550" into a count you both did.
GST on electrical work: one service, not a list of goods
When you supply the material and do the installation, the job is a works contract — wiring becomes part of the building — and GST treats the whole of it as one service, classed as electrical installation under SAC 995461. So the quotation carries no HSN code per material line and no separate GST rate for the cable, the MCBs and the labour; the indicative GST is one line on the whole amount. It is usually 18%, but check the current rate for your kind of work before you rely on it.
Two things follow. If the customer supplies the material and you only do the labour, it is still an installation service, just on a smaller value. And the advance you take to buy material is taxable when you receive it, because it is an advance for a service — see the payment receipt format for the receipt voucher that goes with it. A quotation itself creates no tax at all; see turning a quotation into a tax invoice.
Terms worth keeping on every electrical quote
- Exclusions. Light fittings, fans and appliances; painting and civil work beyond patching the chases; electricity board fees, meter application and load enhancement; false-ceiling cutting. Each of these is a "but I thought it was included" if it is not written down.
- A copper clause. Wire prices follow copper, and a quote accepted two months late at old rates can erase the margin. The template holds wire and cable rates only until the valid-until date, and suggests 15 days.
- Extras in writing. Anything not listed is an extra item, agreed before it is done. A WhatsApp message with the count and rate is enough.
- Make and specification. Name the wire and switch make you quoted for. It is the fairest way to compare your quote with a cheaper one.
Questions
Should the quotation show my electrical contractor licence number?
It is not a GST requirement, but put it there. Electrical contractors are licensed by the state, builders and societies often ask for the number before awarding work, and a customer comparing three quotes notices which one has it.
The customer is buying the wire and fittings. How do I quote?
Quote labour-only rates per point, and set "Materials supplied by" to Customer so both sides know who buys what. It is still an electrical installation service for GST, just on a smaller value. State the wire and switch make you need, or you will be fitting whatever the customer found cheapest.
Do I need an HSN code for every material line?
Not when you supply and install. Wiring a building is a works contract, taxed as one service under SAC 995461, so the cable and the MCBs are part of that service rather than goods sold separately. You need goods HSN codes only when you sell material across the counter without installing it.
Is the 40% advance taxable when I receive it?
For a service, yes — GST is due on an advance when it is received, not when the final bill goes out. Issue a receipt voucher for it; the payment receipt format covers exactly that case.
The customer added six points during the job. Do I send a new quotation?
No. Agree the extra in writing — a WhatsApp message with the count and rate is enough — and bill it on the final invoice. That is what the extras term in the template is for.
How BahiSathi handles it
Send the quotation from your phone at the site. When the job is done, convert it into a tax invoice and change the quantities to the points you actually counted — the customer, the lines and the rates carry across, and only the invoice takes a number from your invoice series. The original quotation stays in your records exactly as the customer accepted it.
This is a format, not tax advice. Rates in the example are illustrative, and GST rates for works contracts vary with the kind of work and the customer — confirm yours with your accountant before relying on the figure shown.