Quoting software for builders.
Long jobs rarely lose money all at once. It goes in small amounts across weeks, and the small amounts are the ones nobody stops to price. TradeDraft is aimed at those, because over a six-week job they add up to more than the mistakes anyone worries about.
Variations, priced before the work happens
This is where the money goes. An extra socket here, a doorway moved there, a spec change agreed on site and never written down. None of them felt worth stopping for at the time. Added up, they are a week you worked for nothing. Every change is priced and recorded as its own item with the revised total, so the customer agrees the cost while the work is still in front of them rather than at the final account. There is a full guide to handling variations if you want the approach rather than the tool.
Staged payments and retention on the face of the document
Invoicing a six-week job only at the end means funding it yourself for six weeks. Payment stages are set against the work and printed on the quote, so the customer accepts the schedule at the same moment they accept the price. Retention, where it applies, is shown with it: how much is held and when it comes back. None of it sits buried in the terms.
CIS on the work you invoice
When a contractor withholds CIS from what they pay you, the deduction belongs on the labour, with materials excluded at direct cost. TradeDraft works that out and prints the split so it can be checked. It stops there, and it is worth being plain about where. It does not calculate what you deduct from your own subcontractors, verify them with HMRC or file your monthly return. That side stays with your accountant.
You find out about a bad job early
On a long job the overhead you carry is substantial, and it comes out of the price whether you allowed for it or not. TradeDraft recovers it across the days the job runs and shows what the work leaves you while the quote is still open. The customer's copy shows clean prices per item, with no overhead line to argue about. Our guide to pricing a job covers the reasoning.
Where it stops
There is no diary, no scheduling, no timesheets and no team management. If your problem is running six people across four sites next week, a full job-management system will serve you better and we would rather say so now than take your money for a month. TradeDraft covers the quote, the changes, the acceptance and the invoice, for outfits where that is the paperwork that actually hurts.
Common questions
Does it handle the CIS deductions I make when paying my own subcontractors?
No. TradeDraft works out CIS on the quotes and invoices you issue, where a contractor withholds it from what they pay you. It does not calculate what you deduct from your own subcontractors, verify them with HMRC, or produce payment and deduction statements.
Can I show retention on a quote?
Yes. Retention and staged payment terms are set on the job and printed on the document, so the customer sees when money is due and what is held back before they accept.
Does it do scheduling and timesheets?
No. There is no diary, no timesheets and no team management. TradeDraft covers quoting, variations, acceptance and invoicing for a small outfit. If you need to run a team's week, a full job-management system is the better fit.
Building a quote is free. The 14-day trial (no card) unlocks sending, downloading and online acceptance.