The Quote Tracking Dashboard: Every Open Quote, Follow-Up and Win Rate in One View
Open quotes in one spreadsheet, follow-ups in your head, win rate nowhere. What a subcontractor's quote tracking dashboard should show, and how to work it out.
Ask a subcontractor how many quotes they have out and you get a pause, then a guess. Quotes in a folder. Values in a spreadsheet, if someone kept it up. Follow-ups in the owner’s head. Win rate? Not worked out since the accountant asked last June.
That matters. Every tender takes days of your most expensive person’s time, won or not. If you can’t see what’s live, what needs a call today and what work you actually win, you can’t pick which tenders are worth it.
What is a quote tracking dashboard?
One screen that answers your weekly quote questions, with nobody rebuilding a spreadsheet:
- What have we got out, and what’s it worth?
- Which quotes need chasing today?
- Which drafts are waiting to be checked?
- Of the decided quotes, how many did we win?
It doesn’t replace where you keep quotes. It reads from it. Each quote is entered once in the register; the dashboard works out the rest.
Sample data. A fictional subcontractor’s jobs and quotes dashboard: open quotes by stage, the value still in play, and two sent quotes flagged late for follow-up.
What should it show, and where does each number come from?
Start from the checks you make. Every one comes from a few register columns: quote number, project, builder, stage, value, closing date, follow-up date.
| What you see | What it answers | How it’s worked out | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quotes awaiting review | What’s drafted but not yet checked? | Quotes at the stage “Awaiting review” | Check them before the tender closes |
| Open quote value | What’s still in play? | Total value ex GST of quotes at Drafting, Awaiting review or Sent | Decide whether you can take on the next tender |
| Late follow-ups | Which sent quotes have gone quiet? | Stage is Sent and the follow-up date is before today | Call the builder |
| Next closing date | What’s due first? | Earliest closing date among quotes not yet sent | Plan the week’s estimating |
| Win rate by count | How often do we win? | Quotes won ÷ quotes decided, over a set period | Spot a change in how often you win |
| Win rate by value | Do we win the work that matters? | Value won ÷ value decided, over the same period | See if you’re winning small jobs and losing big ones |
| Stale source | Can I trust these numbers? | The register hasn’t refreshed in the last 24 hours | Check the export ran before you act on it |
Seven numbers you trust beat thirty you don’t. If a figure can’t be traced to the register, people check the spreadsheet and you do the work twice.
How do you track quote follow-ups without forgetting one?
Give every quote a follow-up date the day it goes out. That’s the system. The dashboard flags any sent quote past its date, and today’s call list builds itself.
The usual failure is quotes with no date. They go out Thursday night, the builder goes quiet, and three weeks later the job’s gone to someone else. A date turns “I meant to ring them” into a line on a list.
Keep it honest. If the builder says next week, move the date. Don’t mark won or lost until it is.
How do you work out your quote win rate?
Quotes won divided by quotes decided, over the same period. Three rules:
- Only count decided quotes. A quote still waiting isn’t a loss. Count it once won, lost or agreed dead.
- Decide when silence is a loss. Builders often don’t tell you. Pick a rule, say 60 days after close with no answer, and stick to it.
- Count and value. Winning eight small jobs and losing two big fit-outs looks healthy by count, poor by value. You need both.
Then split by builder, job type and size. If you rarely win from one builder or above a certain size, you’ll see which tenders deserve your evenings.
Why does a spreadsheet stop working for quote tracking?
It doesn’t, at first. Excel is the right place to keep quotes. The trouble is the layer on top: hand-coloured late follow-ups, a win-rate tab stale the next day, a total missing rows added at the bottom.
A dashboard keeps the register and drops that layer. The stage and dates you already enter are enough. The wider version, Xero, Procore and a crew app included, is in how to stop double handling with one dashboard.
Where does the quote itself come from?
A dashboard tracks quotes after they go out. It can’t help if quoting is so slow few get out. Supplier prices are usually the hold-up: see sending supplier RFQs the same day the tender lands. And the “awaiting review” count stays short only if drafts are quick to check.
That’s our estimating plugin. It fills your BOQ with drawing, page and revision on every line, prices it from your rates and drafts the quote. Nothing goes out until you approve. Dashboards are separate work that tracks the quote after you send it.
How do we set up a quote tracking dashboard for you?
We set up dashboards around your weekly checks: quotes awaiting review, missing supplier replies, jobs needing an update. What it reads from depends on what you run; we’ll go through yours on the call.
If nobody can say how many quotes are out or which need a call today, book a call. Bring your quotes register, whatever shape it’s in.
Frequently asked questions
What should a quote tracking dashboard show?
Open quotes with stage, value and closing date; sent quotes past follow-up; drafts awaiting review; win rate over a set period. Each number shows its source and last refresh.
How do you work out a subcontractor's quote win rate?
Quotes won divided by quotes decided, over one period, by count and by value. Decide up front when an unanswered quote counts as lost.
When should I follow up a quote I've sent to a builder?
Set a follow-up date on every quote the day it goes out. The dashboard flags it when the date passes. Having a date matters more than the rule.
Do I need new software to track quotes?
No. A dashboard reads the quotes register you already keep. Each quote is entered once; open value, late follow-ups and win rate are worked out.
Is the dashboard part of the estimating plugin?
No. Dashboards are separate work. The plugin prepares the quote; the dashboard tracks what happens after it's sent.
Want to see what needs your attention first?
The App reads from your job system, inbox and Xero and shows what needs a decision each week. It is in build, and the waitlist is open. Estimating is live today as the plugin.