Stop an old quote entering the job system without review
Design the internal handover check for late quotation acceptances before scheduling and purchasing.
Corporate Recovery Partners
01 / 06
The acceptance may bypass the estimator
A customer emails an old quote to administration and asks for the first available start date. A job number is opened, materials are ordered and the estimator only hears about it later. Establish a clear internal route for late acceptances. The person receiving the message should know which documents need review before operations are told that the commercial position is settled.
Imagine a fencing business receiving acceptance of a quote prepared before a supplier changed its product range. Flag the quotation date and any stated validity wording. Ask the designated reviewer to examine the complete exchange. An internal age flag is a management prompt, not a legal conclusion that the quote has expired or the customer has no agreement.
business.gov.au recommends clear contracts covering the work and payment arrangements. Assemble the quotation, acceptance, relevant terms and later messages so the reviewer can identify what was offered and what the customer expects. Include any changed specifications or timing requests. Do not send only the quotation total and ask whether it still looks profitable without the supporting scope.
Set out who can authorise scheduling or purchasing after review and how staff should handle urgent customer requests meanwhile. Obtain legal advice where contractual obligations may already require action. In the fencing example, the team needs a clear instruction about the customer's requested date rather than an informal hold that nobody owns and nobody explains.
Once the position is resolved, give the delivery team the correct scope, agreed price basis and timing. If the business honours the old price, record that decision. If revised terms are agreed, retain the evidence and update the job instructions. Do not leave the estimator's explanation in a private inbox while purchasing works from the original attachment.
Review how often late acceptances arrive and where they enter the business. Make quotation identifiers and review contacts easy to find. Ask advisers about suitable wording for future offers. The useful control is a reliable handover between sales and delivery, so a familiar customer email does not silently become an unreviewed commitment across several departments.
