Exporting & Sharing Estimates

Once your estimate is ready, ContractorScope AI gives you multiple ways to deliver it to your client. Whether you prefer a polished PDF, a customer portal link, a direct email, or a printed hard copy, this guide covers every option.

Exporting as PDF

The most common way contractors deliver estimates is as a PDF document. ContractorScope AI generates a clean, branded PDF that looks professional and is easy for clients to read.

Generating a PDF

1. Open the estimate you want to export.
2. Click the Export button in the top-right corner of the estimate.
3. Select Download PDF from the dropdown menu.
4. The PDF is generated and downloaded to your device within a few seconds.

The PDF includes:

• Your company logo and contact information
• Client name and job site address
• All line items with descriptions, quantities, and pricing
• Subtotal, tax, discounts, and final total
• Payment terms and conditions
• Your notes and scope details
• Estimate number, date, and validity period

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The PDF uses the branding you configured in Settings > Company profile. Make sure your logo is uploaded and your company details are filled in before sending your first estimate. A branded estimate builds trust with clients.

PDF Layout Options

Before downloading, you can customize how the PDF looks:

1. Click Export > PDF Settings (or the gear icon next to the Download PDF button).
2. Choose your layout preferences:
   • Detailed View — Shows every line item with full descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and line totals. Best when clients want to see exactly what they are paying for.
   • Summary View — Groups line items by category and shows category totals instead of individual items. Best for clients who want the big picture without granular detail.
   • Show Line Item Notes — Toggle whether notes attached to individual line items appear in the PDF.
   • Show Terms and Conditions — Toggle whether your standard terms appear at the bottom.
3. Click Download to generate the PDF with your selected options.

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Your layout preferences are saved so you do not have to set them every time. You can override them on any individual export without changing your defaults.

Batch PDF Export

If you need to export multiple estimates at once (for example, for your records or for an accountant):

1. Go to Estimates in the left sidebar.
2. Check the boxes next to the estimates you want to export.
3. Click the Export button above the list.
4. Select Download PDFs.
5. The system generates a ZIP file containing all selected estimates as individual PDFs.

Sharing via Customer Portal

The customer portal is a secure, online space where your clients can view, accept, or request changes to estimates without needing a ContractorScope AI account.

How the Customer Portal Works

When you share an estimate through the portal:

1. ContractorScope AI generates a unique, secure link for the estimate.
2. The client clicks the link to view the estimate in their browser.
3. The portal is branded with your company logo and colors.
4. The client can review all line items, pricing, and terms.
5. At the bottom of the estimate, the client sees two buttons: Accept Estimate and Request Changes.

The client does not need to create an account or download anything. They simply click the link and view the estimate on any device.

Generating a Portal Link

1. Open the estimate.
2. Click the Share button (or click Send to Client and choose Customer Portal Only).
3. A unique link is generated and displayed.
4. Copy the link by clicking the Copy Link button.
5. Paste it wherever you want to share it — a text message, an email you compose yourself, a chat app, or anywhere else.

The link remains active until the estimate expires (based on your validity period) or until you manually deactivate it.

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The portal link gives anyone who has it access to the estimate. Do not post it publicly. Share it only with the intended client. If you need to revoke access to a shared estimate, open the estimate, click Share, and click Deactivate Link.

What Clients Can Do in the Portal

When a client views an estimate in the customer portal, they can:

• Review all details — Line items, pricing, terms, and notes.
• Accept the estimate — Clicking "Accept Estimate" updates the status to Accepted and notifies you immediately.
• Request changes — Clicking "Request Changes" opens a text box where the client can describe what they want adjusted. You receive a notification with their feedback.
• Download a PDF — The client can download their own PDF copy from the portal.
• View past versions — If you have revised the estimate, all versions are available in the portal.

You are notified whenever a client views, accepts, declines, or requests changes to an estimate. View alerts come in-app; when a client makes a decision (accept, decline, or request changes), the alert fans out to every channel you have enabled in Settings > Notifications (in-app, email, SMS, Telegram, and more). The client also receives an automatic email and/or text confirming their decision.

Emailing Estimates to Clients

Sending an estimate by email is the fastest way to get it in front of a client.

Sending from ContractorScope AI

1. Open the estimate.
2. Click the Send to Client button.
3. Select Email.
4. Review the email details:
   • To — Pre-filled with the client's email address. You can add additional recipients by typing more email addresses.
   • Subject — Pre-filled with your estimate name (for example, "Estimate: Johnson Kitchen Remodel — EST-2026-0042"). You can edit this.
   • Message — A text box where you can write a personal note to the client.
5. Choose what to include:
   • Attach PDF — A PDF copy is attached to the email. (On by default.)
   • Include Portal Link — The email includes a button the client can click to view the estimate online. (On by default.)
6. Click Send.

The email is sent from your company email address (as configured in Settings > Company profile). The client receives a professional email with your branding, your personal message, the PDF attachment, and a link to the customer portal.

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Include a short, friendly note in the message field. Something like "Hi Sarah, here is the estimate for the bathroom renovation we discussed on Tuesday. I have included all the details we talked about. Let me know if you have any questions — happy to walk through it." Personal touches make a difference.

Resending an Estimate

If a client says they did not receive the email or cannot find it:

1. Open the estimate.
2. Click Send to Client again.
3. The email form appears with the same settings as before.
4. Click Send to deliver it again.

You can also copy the portal link and text it to the client as a backup.

Sending to Multiple Recipients

Sometimes you need to send an estimate to more than one person — the homeowner and their spouse, a property manager and the owner, or a general contractor and the project manager.

1. In the email form, click the To field.
2. Type additional email addresses separated by commas.
3. Each recipient receives their own copy of the email.

Printing Estimates

For in-person meetings or clients who prefer paper, you can print your estimates directly.

Print from the Browser

1. Open the estimate.
2. Click Export > Print.
3. Your browser's print dialog opens with a print-optimized version of the estimate.
4. Select your printer and settings (paper size, orientation, color).
5. Click Print.

The print layout removes navigation elements and formats the estimate for clean printing on standard letter-size paper.

Print from PDF

Alternatively, download the PDF first (see the PDF section above) and print it from your computer's PDF viewer. This gives you the same layout clients see when they open the PDF attachment.

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Printing works best on letter-size (8.5 x 11 inch) paper in portrait orientation. The estimate automatically scales to fit. If you have a very long estimate with many line items, it flows naturally across multiple pages with headers repeated on each page.

Proposal Generation

For larger projects or when you want to go beyond a simple estimate, ContractorScope AI can generate a full project proposal.

What Is a Proposal?

A proposal is an expanded version of your estimate that includes additional sections to present a more complete picture to your client:

• Cover Page — Your company logo, the project name, client name, and date.
• Introduction — A paragraph describing the project scope in plain language.
• Scope of Work — A detailed narrative description of what is included (generated from your line items and notes).
• Detailed Pricing — The full estimate breakdown.
• Project Timeline — A high-level schedule showing phases and estimated durations.
• Terms and Conditions — Your standard terms formatted in a professional layout.
• About Your Company — A brief section about your experience and qualifications.
• Signature Block — Space for both you and the client to sign.

Generating a Proposal

1. Open a completed estimate (all line items, pricing, and notes filled in).
2. Click Export > Generate Proposal.
3. The AI creates a draft proposal based on your estimate data.
4. Review each section and make edits as needed:
   • Click any section to edit the text directly.
   • Add or remove sections using the section toolbar.
   • Rearrange sections by dragging them.
5. Click Save Proposal.
6. From here you can:
   • Download as PDF — Get a polished, multi-page proposal document.
   • Share via Portal — The proposal replaces the standard estimate view in the customer portal.
   • Email to Client — Send the proposal as a PDF attachment with a portal link.

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Proposals are especially effective for projects over $10,000 or when competing against other contractors. The extra effort of a professional proposal shows the client you take the project seriously and sets you apart from contractors who send a one-page number on a napkin.

Customizing the Proposal Template

You can set up a default proposal template so you do not have to start from scratch each time:

1. Go to Settings > Markups & pricing > Proposal Template.
2. Edit the default text for each section:
   • Introduction boilerplate
   • About Your Company content
   • Standard terms and conditions
3. Upload any images you want included by default (your team photo, certifications, past project photos).
4. Click Save Template.

New proposals use this template as a starting point. You can still edit each proposal individually.

Tracking Shared Estimates

After sharing an estimate, ContractorScope AI tracks what happens next.

Delivery and View Tracking

On any estimate you have sent, you can see:

• Sent Date — When the email was delivered.
• Viewed Date — When the client first opened the portal link. (This only tracks portal views, not PDF opens.)
• Number of Views — How many times the client has opened the portal link.
• Accept/Change Request Date — When the client took action.

This information appears on the estimate detail page under the Activity tab.

Follow-Up Reminders

If a client has not responded to an estimate after a certain period:

1. ContractorScope AI sends you a reminder notification (configurable in Settings > Notifications).
2. The default reminder is 3 days after sending, then again at 7 days.
3. You can adjust these intervals or turn them off.

When you receive a reminder, click the notification to open the estimate and decide whether to follow up with a call, text, or email.

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Following up is one of the most effective ways to win jobs. Many clients intend to accept but get busy and forget. A friendly follow-up text or call after a few days often makes the difference.

Quick Reference: Export and Sharing Options

Method	Best For	What the Client Gets
PDF Download	In-person delivery, your own email, archiving	A PDF file on your device
Customer Portal	Online review and acceptance	A link to view and accept online
Email from App	Fastest delivery with tracking	Email with PDF + portal link
Print	In-person meetings, clients who prefer paper	A paper copy
Proposal	Large projects, competitive bids	A multi-page professional proposal

Next Steps

• Set up your account and manage your team: Account and Billing.
• Track calls and texts related to estimates: RingCentral Integration.
• Need help? Visit Getting Help.