By Accessible.org · Reviewed
Product reference: Free 1.4.0 / Pro 1.3.2
A quote request begins a scoping conversation. The first form should help your team understand the work, decide whether it fits and identify the next useful question. It does not need to reproduce an entire project brief.
This is a configurable example for a service business, such as a design studio or maintenance provider. Free includes a Quote request starter with company and preferred start date fields. The plan below expands on that starting point; choose the questions that match your actual quoting process.
Make the purpose clear before the questions
State what someone is requesting. “Tell us about your project so we can discuss scope and prepare a quote” sets a different expectation from “Get an instant price”. Use the first description when a person must review the answers. Avoid presenting an acknowledgement as a price offer or an agreed start date.
List the services you currently provide on the surrounding page. This gives visitors context without forcing them to discover your service range inside a long dropdown. If a request falls outside your work, a short explanation on that page can save both the visitor and your team a conversation.
Collect scope, timing and a reply address
GOV.UK's question guidance recommends knowing why each question is being asked and allowing uncertainty when it is a valid answer. Apply that idea to a prospective customer who may still be comparing options. They should be able to describe the problem before knowing the technical solution.
Example questions to build
- What would you like help with? — Radio group
- Use a short list of your real services and “I am not sure yet”. Require a choice only if your team needs it to assess the request.
- Tell us about the project — Message, required
- Help text: “Describe what you want to change, the result you need and anything we should know before replying.”
- Preferred timing — Text, optional
- Accept an answer such as “Before our spring launch” or “No fixed date”. Use a Date field instead when the actual calendar date matters.
- Contact details — Email and optional Text fields
- Ask for the reply email address. Add a contact name and organisation only when they help the conversation; explain any required business information.
Handle budgets and supporting material deliberately
A budget question is useful when it changes which options your team can propose. Explain the currency and whether the answer is an estimate. If you use ranges, include a genuine “Not decided” option rather than pushing people into an inaccurate range. Leave the question out when you can quote from the scope alone.
A website address may be enough context for a redesign enquiry. A mandatory upload can make the same request harder to complete on a phone. If an attachment would help, explain what to send and why, and allow the enquiry to proceed without it where possible. Pro provides private file fields; the example does not require an upload to work.
GOV.UK's date guidance distinguishes exact and approximate dates. A preliminary project timeline often belongs in the latter category. If you keep the starter's preferred start date, leave it optional and let people explain flexible timing in their project description.
Describe the next decision
Use a button such as “Request a quote”. A confirmation could say: “We have received your project details. Our team will review them and contact you about the scope and next steps.” Add a realistic response window if your team has one. Tell people when a separate discussion is normally needed before pricing.
Try the form with three sample requests: a well-defined project, an early idea and a request that does not fit one of your main categories. Ask the person who prepares quotes whether each response is usable. This practical review often reveals an unnecessary field more quickly than adding more questions in advance.
Before you publish
- The page explains whether pricing needs a human review.
- Someone with an early idea can answer without inventing a budget or date.
- Every required field helps the team make its next decision.
- The confirmation promises a review or reply that the business can actually provide.
Using Accessible Forms
Start from Free's Quote request template and manually adapt the field plan to your service.
In Free: Free supports the project description, contact fields, service choices, dates, notifications and stored enquiries used in this example.
With Pro: Pro can reveal service-specific follow-up questions or accept private supporting files. It does not turn this enquiry into an automatic pricing or payment system.
Sources & further reading
The examples and field plans are suggestions to adapt to your form. These references explain the underlying design and accessibility guidance.
- GOV.UK Design System: Question pages
Supports purposeful questions and an uncertain answer when uncertainty is valid.
- GOV.UK Design System: Dates
Supports choosing a date question that matches whether the answer is exact or approximate.