Quotation Validity Period: How Long a Quote Should Last

Most businesses make a quote valid for 30 days. That is long enough for a customer to compare options and get approval, and short enough that your costs are unlikely to move much. The right quotation validity period depends on how fast your costs change and how long your customers take to decide, so a freight forwarder might quote for 7 days while a builder tendering for a school extension might hold prices for 90.

This guide covers typical validity periods by industry, how to word the clause, what the expiry date means legally, and what to do when a customer comes back after the quote has lapsed.

What is a quotation validity period?

A quotation validity period is the length of time during which the customer can accept your quote at the prices and terms shown. After the expiry date, you are free to revise the price, decline the work or reissue the same quote. It is usually one line near the bottom of a quotation, alongside payment and delivery terms. If you are building a quote from scratch, our quotation format guide shows where it fits.

The validity period protects you from two risks: costs rising before the customer accepts, and your capacity being committed elsewhere when a customer says yes three months later.

Typical quotation validity periods by industry

There is no universal rule. These ranges reflect common practice and are a starting point, not a legal standard.

Business type	Typical validity	Why
Freight and shipping	Up to 7 days (sometimes 24–72 hours for spot rates)	Carrier rates, fuel surcharges and currency move quickly
Metals, fuel, electronics components	7–14 days	Commodity and supplier prices change weekly
Trades (plumbing, electrical, roofing, painting)	14–30 days	Material prices and diary availability
General product supply and wholesale	30 days	Matches typical supplier price-list cycles
Professional and creative services	30–60 days	Costs are mostly your own time; clients need approval
Software development and IT projects	30–60 days	Team availability and scope assumptions
Construction projects and formal tenders	60–90 days or as the tender specifies	Buyer approval cycles; the tender often sets the period
Events and catering	14–30 days, often tied to a booking deposit	Date availability and food prices

For time-sensitive industries, see our freight quote template, which handles short validity and surcharges together.

How to choose the right validity period

Ask three questions:

1. How fast do my costs change? If your main material rose 8% in the last quarter, a 90-day quote is a gamble.
2. How long does this customer need? A homeowner might decide in a week; a corporate buyer may need two approval meetings and a purchase order.
3. How long can I hold capacity? If accepting means you block out two weeks of a crew's time, you cannot leave that open indefinitely.

Worked example: the cost of an over-long validity period

A fabricator quotes £12,000 for steel railings, of which £5,000 is steel. The quote is valid for 90 days. Two months later the customer accepts, but steel has risen 12%. The extra cost is 5,000 × 12% = £600, which comes straight out of the margin. On a quote with a 20% margin (£2,400), that one clause cost a quarter of the profit. A 30-day validity, or a separate shorter validity on the steel price, would have avoided it.

How to word a quotation validity clause

A good clause states the number of days, when the count starts and the actual expiry date. Examples you can adapt:

• Standard: "This quotation is valid for 30 days from the date of issue, until 12 December 2026."
• With price change notice: "Prices are valid for 30 days from the quotation date. After this date, we may revise prices to reflect changes in material and labour costs."
• Split validity: "Labour rates are valid for 60 days. Material prices are valid for 14 days due to supplier price changes and will be confirmed at order."
• Subject to availability: "This quotation is valid for 14 days and is subject to scheduling availability at the time of acceptance."
• Currency: "Prices in USD are valid for 7 days. Quotations in other currencies are recalculated at acceptance using the exchange rate on that date."

Put the expiry date near the total, not only in the small print. Our guide to quotation terms and conditions has the full set of clauses to sit alongside it.

What the validity period means legally

In most common-law systems, a quotation with a clear price and scope is treated as an offer. If the customer accepts within the validity period, a contract can be formed on those terms. After it expires, the offer lapses. Where no period is stated, an offer generally lapses after a "reasonable time", which is vague enough to cause disputes, so a fixed date is better.

Stating a validity period does not always prevent you from withdrawing a quote early; in many systems you can withdraw an offer before it is accepted. In the US, however, a merchant's signed written offer to buy or sell goods that states it will be held open cannot be revoked during that time, up to a maximum of three months, under UCC section 2-205 (firm offers). Rules vary by country and contract type, so treat this as general information rather than legal advice. Note also the distinction between a quote and an estimate, explained in quote vs estimate: an estimate is an approximate figure and usually is not treated as a firm offer.

What to do before and after a quote expires

Before expiry

Follow up 5–7 days before the expiry date. A reminder that the price is about to lapse is a polite, genuine reason to get in touch. Our quote follow-up email templates include an "expiring soon" version.

After expiry

You have three options:

1. Extend it. Email: "We are happy to extend quotation QT-2026-0089 at the same prices until 15 January 2027." Keep this in writing.
2. Revise it. Issue a new quote with revised prices. Use a revision suffix or a new number so there is no confusion; our guide to the quotation number format shows how.
3. Decline. If you are fully booked, say so and suggest a new start date.

Sample quotation footer with a validity clause

Here is how the validity period sits alongside the other key terms at the bottom of a quotation:

Quotation number	QT-2026-0089
Quotation date	12 November 2026
Valid until	12 December 2026 (30 days)
Total (excl. VAT)	£4,250.00
Deposit on acceptance	30% (£1,275.00)
Material prices	Fixed for 14 days; confirmed at order after 26 November 2026
How to accept	Sign and return, or reply by email quoting QT-2026-0089

The "Valid until" row is the one customers actually read, so give it a full calendar date rather than relying on a sentence in the small print.

Validity periods for tenders and large projects

Public sector and corporate tenders often set the validity period for you, for example "Tenders must remain open for acceptance for 90 days from the closing date." In that case, use the period the tender documents require; a shorter one may make your bid non-compliant. To manage the risk of holding prices that long:

• Ask your key suppliers for matching validity on their quotes to you.
• Include a price adjustment clause for specified materials if the tender allows it.
• Build a contingency into rates that are likely to move.
• Track every open tender with its expiry date so you know what capacity you have committed.

Validity for recurring and retainer quotes

When you quote an ongoing service, such as monthly cleaning or a marketing retainer, the validity period covers the time to accept, not how long the price lasts once the service starts. Make that clear with two separate statements: "This quotation is valid for acceptance until 12 December 2026" and "Rates are fixed for 12 months from the start date and reviewed annually." Customers then know both when to decide and when to expect a price review.

Common mistakes with quotation validity

• No validity at all. Customers may try to accept a year-old price.
• "Valid for 30 days" with no start date. Thirty days from what? Give the end date.
• A validity period longer than your supplier's. If your supplier holds prices for 14 days, quoting for 60 means you carry the risk.
• Ignoring exchange rates when quoting in a foreign currency.
• Silently honouring expired quotes for some customers and not others, which makes pricing inconsistent.

When the customer accepts, you can turn the quote into a matching invoice in our free invoice generator, carrying across the line items and quotation number. It needs no sign-up and downloads as a PDF.