A quote presents your prices to a client before the invoice. In Bill Alps, it is prepared like an invoice, without a QR-bill, with an Approved signature area on the PDF. Once accepted, it becomes an invoice without retyping.
1. Create the draft
- Open the Quotes menu.
- Click New quote.
- Bill Alps immediately creates a numbered draft and opens the form. In Client, choose the right client: the first one in the list is preselected.
2. Fill in the quote
In General information, check:
- Template: the default template is preselected. See the templates guide.
- Issue date: today by default.
- Valid until: 30 days by default. The date cannot be earlier than the issue date.
- Terms: free text printed on the quote, for example Net 30 days.
- Currency and Quote language: the language applies to the PDF and the email.
- Quote number: assigned automatically and not editable here. The Quote prefix and the Next quote number are set in My accountPreferences.
Then add the Quote items, as on an invoice: Description, Qty, Unit price and VAT %. The rate of each line starts at 0%: choose the right one. You can also use AI Assistant or, if the catalog is active, Add a product and Insert a list. The VAT rate prints on the PDF as it does on an invoice.
The Adjustments section adds Shipping or a Discount, as an amount, and Notes & remarks adds a text printed on the quote. Click Save: the quote page is displayed with its preview.
3. Send the quote
In Draft status, you have three options:
- Send by email: a window shows the sender, the recipient, the subject, the text and the attachment. Confirm with Send quote. The quote moves to Sent status.
- Mark as sent: if you have already shared the quote through another channel. No email is sent.
- Download PDF: available in every status. Downloading does not change the status: mark the quote as sent afterwards.
A sent quote can no longer be edited. To correct it, click Revert to draft, edit it, then send it again.
4. Track the client's reply
The client does not reply in Bill Alps: they sign the PDF or answer you directly. You record their reply with Mark accepted or Mark declined. Here are the quote statuses:
- Draft: being prepared, editable.
- Sent: transmitted to the client and locked.
- Accepted: the client has accepted. The quote can still be converted to an invoice.
- Declined: final status. The quote can no longer be edited or converted.
- Expired: the validity date has passed without a reply.
5. Handle an expired quote
On the Valid until date, a quote in Sent status automatically moves to Expired. A draft never expires. An expired quote cannot be converted directly to an invoice. You have three options:
- Extend validity: choose +7 days, +14 days or +30 days from today, or a date, then click Extend. The date must be in the future and later than the previous validity date. The quote returns to Sent status.
- Edit: change the lines, the dates or the client. The quote stays Expired until you move Valid until to a future date: it then returns to Sent status.
- Mark accepted or Mark declined: if the client replies after the expiry. A quote marked as accepted can then be converted.
6. Convert the quote to an invoice
- Click Convert to invoice. The button is offered in Draft, Sent and Accepted statuses.
- Confirm with Convert.
- The quote moves to Accepted status and a Draft invoice opens, with the same client, lines, adjustments, notes and terms. It is dated today and due in 30 days.
- Check it, save it and finalize it like a normal invoice.
The two documents refer to each other: the quote shows Converted to followed by the invoice number, and the invoice shows Created from quote followed by the quote number. A quote can only be converted once. If you delete the invoice, the quote can be converted again.
7. Find, duplicate and export
The Quotes menu lists the quotes of the chosen period, the current fiscal year by default. Change the period with the selector at the top right, search with Search by number, client… and sort by clicking a column header.
- Duplicate: in More actions, or with the copy icon in the list. You get a new draft, with a new number, dated today and valid for 30 days, whatever the status of the original quote.
- Delete: in More actions, or with the trash icon in the list. The action cannot be undone, in any status. An invoice already created from this quote stays in place.
- Bulk deletion: select rows in the list, then click Delete selected (3), which shows the number of selected quotes.
- Export: choose Export CSV or Export JSON. The export contains the quotes shown, and the CSV has one row per quote line.
The rest happens on the invoice side: see the guide Create an invoice.