Autotask Quotes

Autotask Quote Management

Overview

Quotes are formal pricing proposals sent to customers for products, services, and service bundles. Each quote contains line items that reference catalog entries (products, services, or service bundles) with quantities, pricing, and optional discounts. Quotes are typically linked to opportunities in the sales pipeline and can be converted to contracts or projects upon acceptance.

Key Concepts

Quote Structure

Quote (Header)
├── Quote Item: Product A (qty: 5, $100/ea)
├── Quote Item: Service B (qty: 1, $500/mo)
├── Quote Item: Service Bundle C (qty: 10, $50/ea)
└── Quote Item: Optional - Extended Warranty (optional)

Quote Item Types

Type ID	Name	Description
1	Product	Physical or virtual products from catalog
2	Cost	Generic cost items
3	Labor	Labor/professional services hours
4	Expense	Expense items
6	Shipping	Shipping and handling
11	Service	Recurring services from catalog
12	ServiceBundle	Service bundles from catalog

Item Reference Rules

Each quote item must reference exactly one catalog item type:

Reference Field	Links To	Use When
productID	Product catalog	Hardware, software, one-time purchases
serviceID	Service catalog	Recurring managed services
serviceBundleID	Service bundle catalog	Grouped service packages

These are mutually exclusive - set only one per line item. The quoteItemType is auto-determined when you link a catalog item.

Field Reference

Quote Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	int	System	Auto-generated unique identifier
name	string	No	Quote name/title
description	string	No	Quote description
companyId	int	Yes	Customer company ID
contactId	int	No	Customer contact ID
opportunityId	int	No	Linked opportunity ID
effectiveDate	date	No	Quote effective date (YYYY-MM-DD)
expirationDate	date	No	Quote expiration date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Quote Item Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	int	System	Auto-generated unique identifier
quoteId	int	Yes	Parent quote ID
name	string	No	Item name (auto-populated from catalog)
description	string	No	Item description
quantity	decimal	Yes	Quantity
unitPrice	decimal	No	Unit price
unitCost	decimal	No	Unit cost
unitDiscount	decimal	No	Per-unit discount amount (default: 0)
lineDiscount	decimal	No	Total line discount amount (default: 0)
percentageDiscount	decimal	No	Percentage discount (default: 0)
isOptional	boolean	No	Whether item is optional (default: false)
serviceID	int	No	Linked service (mutually exclusive)
productID	int	No	Linked product (mutually exclusive)
serviceBundleID	int	No	Linked service bundle (mutually exclusive)
sortOrderID	int	No	Display sort order
quoteItemType	int	No	Item type (auto-determined from linked item)

Discount Types

Three discount mechanisms can be applied to quote items:

Discount Type	Field	Description	Example
Unit Discount	unitDiscount	Fixed amount off per unit	$10 off each unit
Line Discount	lineDiscount	Fixed amount off the entire line	$50 off the line total
Percentage Discount	percentageDiscount	Percentage off the line total	15% off

Calculation order: Unit discount is applied first (reduces unitPrice), then line or percentage discount is applied to the subtotal.

MCP Tool Reference

Create a Quote

Tool: autotask_create_quote
Args: {
  "companyId": 67890,
  "name": "Network Refresh - Contoso Ltd",
  "description": "Hardware and managed services quote for office network upgrade",
  "contactId": 11111,
  "opportunityId": 22222,
  "effectiveDate": "2026-03-01",
  "expirationDate": "2026-03-31"
}

Required: companyId only. All other fields are optional but recommended.

Add a Product Line Item

Tool: autotask_create_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "productID": 100,
  "quantity": 5,
  "unitPrice": 1299.00,
  "unitCost": 850.00,
  "description": "FortiGate 60F firewall"
}

Add a Service Line Item

Tool: autotask_create_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "serviceID": 200,
  "quantity": 25,
  "unitPrice": 45.00,
  "description": "Managed Endpoint Protection - per device/month"
}

Add a Service Bundle Line Item

Tool: autotask_create_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "serviceBundleID": 300,
  "quantity": 1,
  "unitPrice": 2500.00,
  "description": "Complete Managed IT Package"
}

Add an Optional Line Item

Tool: autotask_create_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "productID": 150,
  "quantity": 1,
  "unitPrice": 499.00,
  "isOptional": true,
  "description": "Extended 3-year warranty"
}

Apply Discounts

Tool: autotask_create_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "productID": 100,
  "quantity": 10,
  "unitPrice": 1299.00,
  "percentageDiscount": 10,
  "description": "FortiGate 60F - volume discount"
}

Update a Quote Item

Tool: autotask_update_quote_item
Args: {
  "quoteItemId": 77777,
  "quantity": 8,
  "unitPrice": 1199.00,
  "percentageDiscount": 15
}

Delete a Quote Item

Tool: autotask_delete_quote_item
Args: { "quoteItemId": 77777 }

Search Quotes

Tool: autotask_search_quotes
Args: {
  "companyId": 67890,
  "searchTerm": "network",
  "pageSize": 25
}

Filters:

• companyId - Filter by customer
• contactId - Filter by contact
• opportunityId - Filter by linked opportunity
• searchTerm - Search quote name/description
• pageSize - Results per page (default 25, max 100)

Get a Quote

Tool: autotask_get_quote
Args: { "quoteId": 55555 }

Search Quote Items

Tool: autotask_search_quote_items
Args: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "pageSize": 50
}

Get a Quote Item

Tool: autotask_get_quote_item
Args: { "quoteItemId": 77777 }

Common Workflows

Build a Complete Quote

1. Find the company:

autotask_search_companies: { "searchTerm": "Contoso" }

2. Find the contact:

autotask_search_contacts: { "companyId": <company_id>, "searchTerm": "John" }

3. Look up products/services:

autotask_search_products: { "searchTerm": "FortiGate" }
autotask_search_services: { "searchTerm": "Managed" }

4. Create the quote:

autotask_create_quote: {
  "companyId": <company_id>,
  "contactId": <contact_id>,
  "name": "Network Refresh Proposal",
  "effectiveDate": "2026-03-01",
  "expirationDate": "2026-04-01"
}

5. Add line items:

autotask_create_quote_item: { "quoteId": <quote_id>, "productID": <id>, "quantity": 5 }
autotask_create_quote_item: { "quoteId": <quote_id>, "serviceID": <id>, "quantity": 25 }

6. Review the quote:

autotask_search_quote_items: { "quoteId": <quote_id> }

Link Quote to Opportunity

autotask_create_quote: {
  "companyId": 67890,
  "opportunityId": 22222,
  "name": "Q1 Hardware Refresh"
}

Adjust Pricing on Existing Quote

autotask_update_quote_item: {
  "quoteItemId": 77777,
  "unitPrice": 1099.00,
  "percentageDiscount": 5
}

Remove a Line Item

autotask_delete_quote_item: { "quoteItemId": 77777 }

Pricing Strategies

Volume Discounts

For bulk purchases, use percentageDiscount:

Quantity	Discount
1-9	0%
10-24	5%
25-49	10%
50+	15%

Bundle Pricing

Use lineDiscount to apply a flat discount when selling a bundle of products together:

autotask_create_quote_item: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "productID": 100,
  "quantity": 5,
  "unitPrice": 1299.00,
  "lineDiscount": 500.00,
  "description": "FortiGate 60F - bundle price"
}

Optional Upsells

Mark add-ons as optional so the customer can see the value without commitment:

autotask_create_quote_item: {
  "quoteId": 55555,
  "serviceID": 250,
  "quantity": 1,
  "isOptional": true,
  "description": "24/7 Premium Support (optional upgrade)"
}

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Resolution
companyId required	Missing customer	Provide companyId when creating quote
quoteId required	Missing parent quote	Create a quote first, then add items
quantity required	Missing quantity	Always provide quantity for line items
Multiple item references	Set more than one of serviceID/productID/serviceBundleID	Set exactly ONE item reference per line item
Invalid productID	Product not found	Verify with autotask_search_products
Invalid serviceID	Service not found	Verify with autotask_search_services
Invalid serviceBundleID	Bundle not found	Verify with autotask_search_service_bundles

Best Practices

1. Always link to an opportunity - Quotes tied to opportunities flow through the sales pipeline
2. Set effective and expiration dates - Creates urgency and prevents stale pricing
3. Use catalog items - Link to products/services/bundles rather than generic cost items for accurate reporting
4. Include optional items - Show value-add options without inflating the base price
5. Use sort order - Set sortOrderID to control presentation order
6. Look up pricing first - Use autotask_get_product or autotask_get_service to check current catalog pricing before quoting
7. Review before sending - Use autotask_search_quote_items to verify all items and totals

Related Skills

• Autotask Product Catalog - Products, services, and bundles
• Autotask CRM - Companies and contacts for quote recipients
• Autotask Contracts - Converting quotes to contracts
• Autotask API Patterns - Query builder and authentication