Learn how to quickly create professional-looking proposals and contracts, and how to send them to customers to sign electronically.
Ressio lets you create and send professional proposals directly from your estimate worksheet—helping clients make informed decisions and helping you win more jobs.
Key Features
📝 No double entry: Estimates automatically populate your proposals—no need to retype or copy from spreadsheets.
✍️ Fast digital signatures: Send, sign, and approve proposals quickly and securely.
🔒 Client-facing controls: Choose exactly what information clients see.
Table of Contents:
Create a Proposal
Proposals are created from the Estimate.
Select Create and choose New Proposal.
Approvals
All proposals are accessible in the Approvals page.
📝 Edit Proposal: Draft proposals can also be edited from the estimate next to the Create button.
Customize a Proposal
The proposal will populate with information from your Estimate and Project Details.
Use the editable fields and side toggles to customize client-facing content.
Editable Fields
The following fields can be typed into:
Title | Valid Until Date | Description | Terms and Conditions
💾 Terms & Conditions are saved and will populate in future proposals/contracts.
Display Settings
Choose which Estimate data to include by toggling on or off display settings on the right.
Show data rows: Choose how detailed your line items appear:
❌ None: Hides all categories, items, sub-items, and descriptions.
📂 Categories: Shows only the top-level categories.
📁 Cost Items: Displays both categories and their associated cost items.
📑 Cost Details: Displays categories, cost items, and sub-items for full detail.
Show data columns: Select which estimate column to show next to cost lines:
📝 Item Description: Displays scope of work pulled from the estimate.
🔢 Quantity and Units: Shows measurement details (e.g., 10 SF x $80).
💰 Builder Cost: Displays either the builder cost or customer price (Cost-plus or Fixed price).
Show builder cost on: Control pricing visibility:
📂 Categories: Only shows cost/price at the category level
📁 Cost Items: Shows pricing at both the category and cost item level
📑 Cost Details: Shows pricing at the category, cost item, and sub-item levels
Show selection details: Choose to display optional choices and allowance amounts:
🔽 Display all choices: Reveals all optional selections. (Note: Requires "Cost details" data rows to be toggled on.)
💸 Display selection allowances: Displays allowance amounts. (Note: "Builder cost" must be toggled off.)
Signature settings: Choose who and how many customers must sign to approve.
📝 Include signature: Allows a client to digitally sign to approve.
💰 All customers must sign: Requires all clients to sign to approve (setting becomes available if more than one client is given access to the project.
Other settings
🆔 Show generated name: Displays the proposal ID, e.g., Proposal 3.
🧾 Include cost summary: Adds cost totals at the bottom.
| Fixed Price | Open book / Cost plus |
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Prepared by
Prepared By: Choose a team member’s name to appear on the proposal for a personal touch.
Add and Invite Customers
Customers must be given access / invited to a project to receive a proposal.
Select the link above to assign a customer.
Adding Customers: Learn how to add and manage customers.
Assign Customers
Client can be assigned to a project in Project Details - Access.
Add or Invite Customers
➕ Plus button: Click to add or invite customers to the project.
Saving, Releasing, and Approving
Proposals move through four statuses:
Draft │ Released │ Completed │ Cancelled
📄 Multiple Proposals: Once a proposal is RELEASED, a new one can be created.
Save as Draft
When you're finished editing, click Save to keep your changes.
💡Tip: Skip steps by clicking Save & Release or Save & Approve.
Release a Proposal
Select Release to send the proposal to a potential client.
🖨️ Print: Click Print in the upper-left to print or create a PDF copy of the proposal.
Approve a Proposal
Once released, clients will receive an email that will provide access to the proposal.
In the client portal, clients can:
✅ Approve the proposal with one click.
❌ Decline if the proposal doesn’t meet their needs.
🖨️ Print a copy for their records.
💬 Send a Message to ask questions or request changes.
📎 View Files attached to the proposal.
🔄 Bypass Client Approval: If the proposal has already been approved outside of Ressio, you can select Approve on the client’s behalf.
Unrelease or Discard a proposal
Unrelease if you need to revise the proposal or estimate.
🗑️ Discard: Select Discard to remove the proposal from client view. Discarded proposals remain accessible on the Approvals page.
⚠️ Important: Once a proposal is Approved, it cannot be unreleased or discarded. However, a new proposal can be released. ⚠️
If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact our support team at support@ressiosoftware.com. We're here to help!