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Plumbing proposal template, and how to bid bigger plumbing jobs
A repipe or a remodel needs more than a quick estimate: a scope by area, options, allowances, exclusions, a schedule and a payment plan the customer signs. Print the proposal template below, then follow the steps to bid the job.
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A leaking angle stop gets a three-line estimate. A whole-house repipe, a bathroom remodel or a tank-to-tankless conversion doesn't. Those jobs run for days, touch other trades, and have choices the customer has to make. If all of that is squeezed onto an estimate form, the questions show up halfway through the job, when they're most expensive to answer.
A proposal, or bid, puts it all on paper before you start: what you'll do in each area, the options, the allowances, what's excluded, the schedule, how payments work and a place to accept. Below is a free plumbing proposal template you can print or save as a PDF, followed by how to bid the job that goes on it.
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License #:
PROPOSAL
| 2. Scope: area or phase | Work included (materials, sizes, models) | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 3. Options | Description | Price | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ☐ | ||
| B | ☐ | ||
| C | ☐ |
| 4. Allowances | Allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
If the customer's selection costs more or less than an allowance, the difference is added or credited on a signed change order.
Base price (scope above)
Options chosen
Tax
Total proposal price
| 7. Payment schedule | When due | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | On acceptance | |
| Progress payment | Rough-in complete / inspection passed | |
| Final payment | On completion |
8. Terms. Price valid until the date above. Permits obtained by: ☐ Contractor ☐ Customer; permit fees ☐ included ☐ extra, at cost. Conditions that couldn't be seen at the walkthrough (behind walls, under floors, below ground) are quoted before any extra work, and changes are made only by signed change order. Workmanship warranty: . Equipment carries the manufacturer's warranty.
9. Acceptance. By signing, the customer accepts this proposal, the options checked above and these terms. A service agreement and any notices required by law are attached: ☐ Yes ☐ Not applicable.
This template is general information, not legal advice. Check your state's rules on deposits, contract wording and cancellation notices before use.
Proposal, bid or estimate?
Plumbers use the words loosely, and that's fine, as long as you use the right document for the job. A bid is usually a price you submit to win a job, often against other contractors; a proposal is the document that carries it. What matters is the difference from a quick service estimate:
| Service estimate | Proposal or bid | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job | A repair or a single swap | Repipe, remodel rough-in, sewer line, water heater relocation |
| Written | On site, in minutes | After a walkthrough and a takeoff |
| Scope | A few line items | By area or phase, with exclusions |
| Choices | Maybe one option | Options and allowances |
| Money | Paid on completion | Deposit and progress payments |
| Schedule | Today or tomorrow | Start date, duration, shutoff days, inspections |
For a one-visit job, our plumbing estimate template is quicker for you and easier for the customer. Switch to a proposal when the job runs more than a day, involves another trade, or the customer has choices to make.
What goes in a plumbing proposal
- Project summary. Two sentences the customer could repeat to a spouse: "Replace all galvanized water piping with PEX from the meter to every fixture. Patch access holes, ready for paint."
- Scope by area or phase. Kitchen, hall bath, primary bath, laundry; or demo, rough-in, trim, testing. Each line says what's included and, where it matters, the material, size and model. A priced line per area also helps when the customer wants to cut something.
- Options. Things the customer can add or choose between, each with its own price and a box to tick. The ticked option becomes part of the contract price.
- Allowances. When the customer hasn't picked a fixture yet, include an allowance for it, a set dollar amount, and say that the difference is added or credited if they choose something more or less expensive.
- Exclusions. Drywall finishing and paint, tile, electrical, work past the property line, upgrades required by the inspector beyond the scope. Most end-of-job disputes are about something the customer assumed was included.
- Schedule. An estimated start, how many days, which days the water or gas will be off, and when inspections happen.
- Payment schedule. A deposit, progress payments tied to stages the customer can see, and the final payment. Some states cap deposits on home improvement work; check yours before filling in the first line.
- Terms. How long the price holds, who pulls the permit, how hidden conditions and changes are handled, and your warranty.
- Acceptance. Signatures and dates. An unsigned proposal is just a price.
On a larger job, attach a service agreement that sets out the full terms, such as our plumbing contract template, and write the proposal number in its scope.
How to bid plumbing jobs
1. Walk the job
Go through every room the work touches. Measure the runs, photograph the existing piping and the access, and note the pipe material, the water pressure, the condition of the main shutoff and where the gas and electrical are. Ask what the customer wants to choose themselves, what their timeline is, and whether other trades are already booked. What you miss on the walkthrough you'll pay for on the job.
2. Do a takeoff
List every material by system: pipe by size and length, fittings, valves, hangers and supports, fixtures and trim, water heater and venting, consumables. Count fittings on the long runs instead of guessing a lump sum, and get a supplier quote on anything big. Your past jobs are the best guide to what usually gets forgotten.
3. Estimate labor by phase
Break the job into phases (access and demo, rough-in, top-out, inspection, trim, testing, cleanup) and put hours on each, for each person. Add the hours that don't happen at the house: supply runs, permit time and the extra trips for inspections. Where you already have a flat rate in your price book, use it.
4. Price it
Multiply labor hours by your hourly price, mark up materials with your usual rule, add subcontractors with your markup on their price, and pass the permit fee through. If your hourly price doesn't come from your real costs yet, start with how to price plumbing jobs.
5. Decide how to handle the unknowns
On older houses, something behind the wall will be worse than expected. You have two honest ways to handle it: a stated contingency line, or a hidden-conditions clause that says extra work is quoted and approved before you do it. Pick one and say which on the proposal. Padding every line quietly loses bids and still doesn't cover the real surprise.
6. Offer options
Give the customer two or three ways to say yes: good, better, best. A base repipe; the same with a new main shutoff and a pressure-reducing valve; the same with upgraded fixtures. Customers who choose between your options are less likely to shop your price elsewhere.
An example bid
Every number below is an example, using the $100 hourly price and 30% materials markup from our pricing guide. Use your own.
| Example: PEX repipe, two-bath house | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labor: 2 plumbers × 20 hours each = 40 hours × $100 | $4,000 |
| Materials: $1,500 cost × 1.30 | $1,950 |
| Drywall patching subcontractor: $1,200 × 1.15 | $1,380 |
| Permit | at cost |
| Base price before permit and tax | $7,330 |
| Option A: new main shutoff and pressure-reducing valve | your price |
Plumbo, now on the App Store and Google Play, builds a quote from a voice note and your own price book, checks it for forgotten items like shutoffs, a permit or an expansion tank, and gets it signed on your phone. One tap turns the signed quote into an invoice. Try the 60-second demo →
Tips for proposals that get signed
- Send it while the customer still remembers you. A clear proposal that arrives soon after the walkthrough beats a perfect one that arrives after a competitor's.
- Write the scope in plain words. If the customer needs you on the phone to understand it, it's not finished.
- Walk them through the options. In person or on a call, so they choose instead of comparing totals.
- Put a date on the price. Material prices move; an old proposal shouldn't hold you to an old cost.
- Follow up once or twice. Ask whether they have questions, not whether they've decided.
- Keep the signed copy with the job. The proposal, change orders and invoice in one place settle most arguments before they start.