Free Quotation Generator (New Zealand)

New Zealand has no separate quotation statute. The Fair Trading Act 1986 applies, and the Commerce Commission explains that a quote is an offer to do a job for a certain price: once the customer accepts, there is a contract at that price unless both sides agree a change to cover extra work. An estimate is only the nearest price or range of prices, and the business must make it honestly on reasonable grounds and say clearly where a significant variation is possible.

The Commission says it is good practice to put quotes and estimates in writing, but the Act treats oral and written ones the same. Any charge for preparing a quote or estimate must be disclosed before agreeing to prepare it, and quotes and estimates to consumers should include GST.

For residential building work worth $30,000 or more including GST, a written building contract is mandatory, with a disclosure statement and a consumer protection checklist. A plain quotation is not enough for work of that size. Business.govt.nz lists time, labour, materials, subcontractors, extras, GST and payment terms as the contents of a sound quote.

Government buyers use a separate threshold. Under Rule 10 of the Government Procurement Rules (5th edition), an agency must openly advertise on the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) when the maximum estimated value of a procurement is $100,000 or more for goods, services or refurbishment works, or $9 million or more for new construction works, unless an exemption in Rule 12 applies. Below those values, a supplier may still be asked for a written quote, and the agency must use a process proportionate to the value, risk and complexity.