Construction estimate template for Québec (2026): what to include, a complete example and a template

RBQ licence, GST/QST, sections, deposit, validity: the structure of a compliant Québec estimate, a complete worked example and a template to reuse.

The estimate is the first document in the file — and often the only thing the client compares. A vague estimate costs twice: it loses the contract when it is too imprecise, and it loses money when it is signed as is (disputed extras, "forgotten" taxes, material prices that have moved). Here is what it must contain in Québec, a complete worked example and a template to reuse.

What the law and the regulators require — and what the client expects

There is no "official estimate form" in Québec. But several rules apply to it, and the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) tells clients what to demand. You might as well give it to them up front.

• Your RBQ licence number, in the format "Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX". The Régie du bâtiment requires it on your quotes, estimates, contracts, statements of account and invoices — and in any advertising (business cards, website, vehicles, job-site signs). Only members of the CMEQ and the CMMTQ are exempt, identified by their corporation's logo.
• Your GST and QST numbers as soon as you are registered — and registration becomes mandatory when your taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters (Revenu Québec). Show the taxes separately: subtotal, GST (5%), QST (9.975%), total. It is what the client understands, and what the invoice will have to show anyway.
• The complete identification of your business (legal name, NEQ, address, phone) and of the client, plus the address of the work when it differs from the client's.
• The detailed description of the work and materials (kind and quantity). The OPC puts it at the top of its list, with the start and end dates, the total cost and payment terms, the civil liability insurance policy number and the commitment to comply with municipal regulations and the Code.
• The warranty plan (GCR) if you build a new residential building covered by the regulation: accreditation and registration of the building are mandatory (subclasses 1.1.1 or 1.1.2), and an informed buyer will check your name in the GCR directory before signing.

The structure of a good estimate, section by section

1. The header

Your identity (legal name, NEQ, RBQ licence, tax numbers, contact details), the client's, the address of the work, an estimate number (S-2026-041), the date and the validity date. A unique number avoids confusion when there is a version 2 — and there will be one.

2. The project summary

A title, then three to six lines describing the work, the site conditions (access, work in an occupied building, parking) and above all the explicit exclusions: "Excludes: municipal permits, relocation of services, replacement of rotten decking (by change order, per unit)." What is not written is deemed included — by the client.

3. The work sections and their lines

One section per lot (Roofing, Drains and flashings, Site), and in each one lines with description, quantity, unit, unit price and amount, then a subtotal per section. The client sees where the money goes; you see your margin per lot. Options go in a separate block, outside the total, accepted one by one.

4. The summary

Subtotal, discount (before taxes), GST, QST, total; then the deposit requested and the payment schedule (milestones or progress payments, holdback where applicable).

5. The conditions

Validity, changes only by written change order accepted before execution, timelines and what suspends them (weather, access), workmanship warranty, permits, the client's responsibilities (electricity, access), and — in commercial work — a materials price adjustment clause (see the article on customs tariffs).

6. The signature

Name, date, and the statement "I accept this estimate and its conditions." An electronic signature is valid in Québec if the tool guarantees the integrity of the document, the identification of the signer and their consent (LCCJTI) — ask how your software does it.

Complete example: re-roofing a condominium

A fictional example, illustrative prices — yours depend on your region, your suppliers and your margins. A 24-unit building, membrane to redo over 620 m², three drains, parapet flashings. Work in an occupied building, access through the lane.

Conditions of the example. Valid 60 days (the condominium votes at a meeting). 30% deposit at signature, 40% when the membrane is laid, balance at the end of the work. Exclusions: replacement of rotten decking (billed per unit by change order), lane occupation permit, electrical supply provided by the client. Any additional work is the subject of a written change order accepted before execution.

The 7 mistakes that cost the most

• The RBQ number missing (or in a fanciful format). It is an obligation, and the client checks it in thirty seconds in the Régie's register.
• "Taxes extra" without the amounts. The client compares your $80,332 to the $92,361 of a competitor who showed everything — and believes you are $12,000 cheaper. The surprise arrives with the invoice.
• No validity date. With materials that move from one quarter to the next, a six-month estimate is a loss foretold.
• The vague description ("roof repair"). Every extra becomes a dispute. Write the quantities, the materials and the exclusions.
• Options merged into the total. The client believes they are included. A separate block, outside the total, accepted one by one.
• The disproportionate deposit. The OPC advises consumers to pay no deposit or a very small amount, to pay according to progress and to hold back 10 to 15% until the end of the work. A deposit that covers the materials ordered, then progress payments, inspires confidence — and is far easier to negotiate than 50% up front.
• No change-order clause. Changes requested verbally are never paid. "Any additional work is the subject of a written change order accepted before execution" — the OPC actually suggests clients demand that clause.

Residential or commercial: what changes

With a consumer, the Consumer Protection Act applies. If the contract is concluded somewhere other than your establishment — typically at the client's home — it is an itinerant merchant contract: an OPC permit, a 10-day cancellation right, and no deposit collected during that period (unless the materials have already been delivered). The price cannot be changed unilaterally: describe precisely, and for the uncertain portion, offer a transparent "time and materials" mode rather than an adjustment clause.

Between businesses, a materials price adjustment clause is possible if negotiated before signing, the holdback (often 10%) is common with written release conditions, and — in a call for tenders — you add no condition the documents do not allow: the bid would be declared non-compliant.

The template to reuse

We have no "Word file" to download: the structure below is the template. Copy it into your tool, or let BatiCore produce it as a PDF with your data.

ESTIMATE No. S-2026-041                        Date: 2026-08-31
[Legal name of the business] · NEQ [10 digits]
Licence RBQ : XXXX-XXXX-XX · GST [no.] · QST [no.]
[Address, phone, email]

CLIENT: [Name, address, email, phone]
ADDRESS OF THE WORK: [if different]
VALID UNTIL: [date]

PROJECT: [Title]
[Description in 3 to 6 lines: work, site conditions]
EXCLUSIONS: [explicit list]

SECTION 1 — [Name]
  [Description]            [Qty] [Unit] [Unit price] [Amount]
  …                                          Subtotal: [   ]
SECTION 2 — [Name] …

OPTIONS (outside the total, to accept separately)
  [Description]            [Qty] [Unit] [Unit price] [Amount]

SUMMARY
  Subtotal                                            [   ]
  Discount (before taxes)                             [   ]
  GST (5%)                                            [   ]
  QST (9.975%)                                        [   ]
  TOTAL                                               [   ]
  Deposit at signature ([ ]% of the total)            [   ]

CONDITIONS
  Payment: [milestones] · Timeline: [start / end, causes of suspension]
  Changes: written change order accepted before execution
  Workmanship warranty: [duration] · Civil liability insurance: policy [no.]
  [Commercial: materials price adjustment clause]

ACCEPTANCE — "I accept this estimate and its conditions."
  Name: ________  Signature: ________  Date: ________

How BatiCore does it: the licence number and the tax numbers are entered once in the profile and printed on every estimate, contract and invoice; sections compute their subtotals; a line can be optional (outside the total, accepted on the portal); GST and QST are computed and shown; every estimate carries a "Valid until" date; the client signs on the portal (document fingerprint, identity, timestamped consent) and receives the signed PDF with the deposit invoice; a revision creates a version 2 without erasing the first.

The BatiCore team

We build BatiCore, management software for Québec construction contractors — estimates, job sites, CCQ payroll, compliance. Our articles cite dated public sources; when a fact comes from a regulator or a competitor, we say which one and when. Spotted an error? Write to us, we fix it.