Creating a New Quote

This guide explains how to create a new quote using the traditional Ayora Quote Builder setup wizard. It does not cover creating a quote through the agent.

The setup wizard collects the minimum information Ayora Quote Builder needs before it can create a useful draft: the responsible practice area, the client, the type of work, the rates to use, whether to start from a template or fee menu, and any structured characteristics that will help categorise the matter.

Before You Start

To create a quote, you should usually know:

The client or prospective client.
The type of matter or work being quoted.
The practice area responsible for the work, if you work across multiple areas.
Whether there is an existing template or fee menu for this type of work.
Any key matter details, such as value, sector, side, jurisdiction, complexity, or other characteristics your organisation tracks.

You do not need every detail before creating the quote. The wizard is designed to get a sensible draft started; you can refine the quote after it opens.

Starting the Wizard

Open the sidebar and select NEW, then choose New Quote.

Ayora Quote Builder opens the Create New Quote setup wizard. The exact steps may vary slightly depending on your role and organisation configuration:

Managers or admins may see a Practice Area step first.
Some users begin directly at Client.
The Characteristics step appears only when characteristics are configured for the selected work type or discipline.
If a fee menu is available for the selected client and work type, the wizard directs you to the fee menu instead of a template-based quote.

Wizard Step 1: Practice Area

Some users, especially managers and admins, first select a Practice Area.

What You Do

Choose the practice area responsible for the quote.

Why This Step Matters

The practice area is not just a label. It helps Ayora Quote Builder determine:

Which work types are available.
Which rates and fee earners should be considered.
Which templates and workstreams are relevant.
Which practice area should own the quote context.
Which configuration rules apply later in the quote.

Selecting the wrong practice area can lead to the wrong work type list, unsuitable rates, missing templates, or incorrect resourcing defaults.

What Happens Next

After a practice area is selected, the wizard can move to client selection. If your account is already tied to a single practice area, this step may not appear.

Wizard Step 2: Client

The Client step identifies who the quote is for.

What You Do

Search for an existing client by typing at least one character. If the client does not exist, you may be able to create a new client directly from the search field.

Why This Step Matters

The client affects several downstream decisions:

Quote ownership and client context.
Client-specific rates or rate cards.
Fee menu availability.
Template suitability.
Future search and reporting.
Client correspondence output.

Selecting the client early allows Ayora Quote Builder to check whether the client has special pricing arrangements or fee menus.

What Happens Next

Once a client is selected or created, the wizard moves to work type selection.

Wizard Step 3: Work Type

The Work Type step defines what kind of matter is being quoted.

What You Do

Select the primary work type. In some configurations, you may first select one or more disciplines, then choose a primary work type from those disciplines. You may also be able to add secondary or additional work types.

Why This Step Matters

The work type controls much of the quote setup:

Which templates are available.
Which fee menus may apply.
Which characteristics are requested.
Which default workstreams or scope items can be added.
Which precedent data is most relevant.
Which configured pricing rules may apply later.

The primary work type should represent the main piece of work being priced. Additional work types should be used when the quote genuinely spans multiple types of work.

What Happens Next

After a work type is selected, the wizard moves to rates.

Wizard Step 4: Rates

The Rates step chooses the fee earner rates that will be used when the quote is created.

What You Do

Review the available rate options. Depending on your organisation's configuration, you may see:

Rate option	Meaning
Standard	Organisation rates for the selected practice area and currency.
Client	Client-specific rate cards, if available for the selected client.
Named fee earners	Specific named fee earners for more precise resourcing.

You may also be able to apply a discount to standard rates, inspect rate breakdowns, select a client rate card, or create/select named fee earners if permitted.

Why This Step Matters

Rates influence:

The cost and profitability of the quote.
Fee earner allocation.
Billing realisation.
The accuracy of resource-based calculations.
Whether client-specific pricing commitments are respected.

The wizard includes this step before template selection so the quote can be created with the right rate context from the start.

What Happens Next

The selected rates are carried into the new quote. If rate exceptions are created, they are saved when the quote is created.

Wizard Step 5: Template or Fee Menu

The next step determines how the quote should be built.

What You Do

Depending on configuration, you may see one of three outcomes:

Outcome	What you do
Fee menu available	Open the fee menu form for the selected client and work type.
Templates available	Select a template, or choose Create Blank Quote.
No fee menu or templates	Continue with a blank quote.

If templates are available, the wizard shows details such as template name, work type, characteristics, workstreams, creator, and last updated date.

Why This Step Matters

This step controls the starting structure of the quote.

A template is useful when the matter follows a familiar pattern. It can pre-populate workstreams, scope items, assumptions, characteristics, and fee structure.

A blank quote is useful when the matter is unusual or when no suitable template exists. It gives you a clean draft with the selected client, work type, rates, and any default workstreams that apply.

A fee menu is used when your organisation has configured structured pricing for the selected client and work type. Instead of creating a free-form quote immediately, you complete the fee menu form to calculate the relevant fee result.

What Happens Next

If you select a template, Ayora Quote Builder creates the new quote immediately from that template.

If you choose a blank quote and characteristics are configured, the wizard moves to the Characteristics step before creating the quote.

If you open a fee menu, the wizard closes and takes you to the fee menu form.

Wizard Step 6: Characteristics

The Characteristics step appears when the selected work type or discipline has structured data fields configured.

What You Do

Fill in any characteristics you know. These fields may include numbers, monetary amounts, text fields, single-select fields, or multi-select fields.

Examples might include:

Deal size.
Sector.
Side.
Complexity.
Number of documents.
Jurisdiction.
Matter value.

Characteristics are optional in the wizard. You can leave unknown fields blank and update them later on the quote.

Why This Step Matters

Characteristics help Ayora Quote Builder understand the matter in a structured way. They can support:

Better quote categorisation.
More accurate precedent search.
More useful filtering in the precedent bank.
More consistent reporting.
Work type or discipline-specific setup rules.

Even partial information is useful. If you know the key commercial details at the start, entering them here can make the quote easier to benchmark later.

What Happens Next

When you create the quote, the selected characteristics are attached to the draft. Ayora Quote Builder then opens the new quote page.

What Ayora Quote Builder Creates

After the setup wizard completes, Ayora Quote Builder creates a draft quote with the information collected during setup.

Depending on your choices, the draft may include:

Client.
Practice area.
Work type and additional work types.
Selected rates or rate exceptions.
Template workstreams and pricing items.
Default blank-quote workstreams.
Characteristics.
Fee earners for initial resourcing.

The new draft opens in Ayora Quote Builder, where you can review and refine the full quote.

After the Quote Opens

Once the quote opens, complete the quote setup in the main editor.

Recommended next steps:

Confirm the quote name and status.
Review the client, work type, currency, and practice area.
Open View Characteristics and confirm the structured data.
Add or review assumptions.
Open Manage Rates if rates need review.
Configure Professional Fees: workstreams, scope items, fees, optionality, and resource allocation.
Add disbursements if needed.
Review total fees, profit score, billing realisation, and precedent research.
Use pricing approach, scenarios, or analysis tools if needed.
Prepare client correspondence, share, or export when the quote is ready.

Choosing Between a Template, Blank Quote, and Fee Menu

Starting point	Best when	Trade-off
Template	The work follows a repeatable pattern.	Fastest start, but you must remove irrelevant inherited scope.
Blank quote	The matter is unusual or no template fits.	Cleaner start, but more manual setup.
Fee menu	Structured pricing has been configured for the client and work type.	Strong consistency, but the quote follows the fee menu form rather than free-form setup.

When in doubt, choose the option that gives you the least cleanup. A template is helpful only if its inherited scope is more useful than starting blank.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Why it matters
Choosing the wrong practice area	May show the wrong work types, rates, templates, and configuration.
Creating a new client when one already exists	Can split quote history and make future searching harder.
Selecting an overly broad work type	May produce irrelevant templates or characteristics.
Skipping rates review	Can produce inaccurate fee earner costing and profitability.
Choosing a template without reviewing inherited scope	Can leave irrelevant workstreams or assumptions in the quote.
Leaving known characteristics blank	Makes precedent matching and later filtering less useful.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to check
I cannot move to the next step	The current step may require a selection, such as practice area, client, or work type.
I cannot find a client	Type at least one character, check spelling, or create a new client if permitted.
I cannot find the work type I expected	Check the selected practice area or discipline filters.
Client rates are missing	The client may not have a matching rate card for the selected practice area or quote currency.
No templates appear	There may be no templates configured for the selected work type. Create a blank quote instead.
A fee menu appears instead of templates	A visible, published fee menu exists for the selected client and work type. Open the fee menu to continue that structured pricing flow.
Characteristics step does not appear	No characteristics are configured for the selected work type or discipline, or the quote can be created without them.