AI by NicheJob 3 of 10ChatGPTGemini
Draft a survey quote and scope letter that says what is included, what is not, which further surveys might follow and what your payment terms are
A quote that is vague about scope is where disputes and unpaid extra visits start. Ecologists who work alone describe quotations and enquiries as a steady part of the week, and one warns that a simple appraisal can lead to further species surveys, so the quote should say so up-front. AI can turn your scope notes into a clear letter and place your own terms in it. You decide the fee, the season limits and the terms, and a professional-body template is a starting point to adapt, not a contract to paste.
Time: One short sitting per quote once your terms are writtenTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool
Steps
- Write the scope in your own words: what you will do (for example one appraisal visit and a report), what is excluded (further species surveys, a BNG assessment, a licence application, a planning-officer meeting), what the client must supply (access, existing surveys, the red line plan) and your turnaround target if you give one.
- List the survey-season or timing limits that apply, typed from your own knowledge for this job. The AI cannot know which seasons apply to a site, so leave this to yourself and write it as a plain sentence, such as "further surveys can only be done in set months and that may affect the planning timetable".
- Choose your payment terms. If you use CIEEM’s Model Service Agreements as a starting point, copy only the clauses you really adopt, for example that costs are valid for 30 days from the date of the quotation, and that reports will not be provided and licence applications will not be submitted until full and final payment has been received. Have a solicitor or your insurer check terms you have not used before.
- Paste scope, exclusions, season sentence, your fee figure as typed, validity period and terms into the prompt. The AI returns a one-page letter with [FEE], [VALIDITY DATE] and [CLIENT] blanks, a short list of exclusions and a line asking for written acceptance.
- Read it as the client would. Cut any promise you cannot keep, check the fee and dates against your own sheet, and send it only once the ecologist who will do the work has approved it. Do not start work until the terms are accepted in writing.
The exact prompt
I run a small ecological consultancy in the UK. Below are the scope, exclusions, client responsibilities, timing sentence, fee, validity period and payment terms for a quote, all typed by me. Task: write a one-page quote and scope letter in plain English, in this order: Scope of work; What is not included; What the client needs to supply; Timing and survey-season limits; Fee and validity; Payment terms; Acceptance. Use only my text. Put the fee exactly as I typed it, or [FEE] if I did not give one. State clearly that if the appraisal recommends further species surveys, they are not included and would be quoted separately. Do not add any survey, method, standard, law or guidance that I have not written. Keep the payment terms in my exact words. End with a line asking the client to confirm acceptance of the quote and terms in writing before work is booked. RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my own text, headings, dates and figures that I have typed in. I have not included, and will not include, any client or landowner name, address, email or phone number, any site address, grid reference or map, any species location (the position of a roost, sett, nest, pond, record or survey point), or any other confidential detail about a site, client or landowner. Use the blanks [CLIENT], [LANDOWNER], [SITE] and [SPECIES LOCATION]. Do not ask for them and do not invent any. You must not give or suggest any ecological judgement: no view on whether a species or habitat is present, its value or condition, any impact or mitigation, whether a survey or licence is needed or adequate, whether survey data is in date, whether a site is exempt from biodiversity net gain, or whether anything is compliant, lawful or ready to sign off. Do not do arithmetic, count dates or work out areas: copy every figure and date exactly as I typed it. Where a judgement is needed, write [FOR THE ECOLOGIST TO DECIDE]. Everything you write is a draft that a named ecologist will check. SCOPE: [PASTE] EXCLUSIONS: [PASTE] WHAT THE CLIENT MUST SUPPLY: [PASTE] TIMING AND SEASON SENTENCE: [PASTE] FEE: [FEE AS TYPED] VALIDITY: [PASTE] PAYMENT TERMS: [PASTE]
✓ Check before you send
- The fee, VAT treatment and validity date are exactly what you typed; the AI did not calculate or round anything.
- The season and timing sentence was written by you and is right for this site and this species group; the AI did not choose it.
- The letter says that further species surveys, a BNG assessment or a licence application are excluded unless you have listed them in scope.
- Any model-agreement wording you kept is a clause you really want, and any term new to you has been checked by a solicitor or your insurer.
- The ecologist doing the work approved the letter, and no client or site detail went into the AI tool.
UK notes extra
- CIEEM’s Model Service Agreements (2020) are guidance aimed at sole traders and small firms. They say costs are valid for 30 days from the date of the quotation, and that reports will not be provided and licence applications will not be submitted until full and final payment has been received. They are a template, not advice: adapt and check them. CIEEM: Model Service Agreements, Professional Guidance Series PGS6 (PDF, 2020; a professional-body template for sole traders and small firms, UK-wide).
- The same template says no work will be booked or started until the quoted costs and terms have been accepted in writing, and that rates are normally reviewed each January; use those lines only if you adopt them.
- Contract and limitation rules differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check any term that refers to time limits or liability with a solicitor in the right nation.
- Marketing rules: a quote sent to someone who asked for one is not marketing, but follow-up emails selling more services need PECR-compliant consent. ICO: electronic mail marketing (PECR, UK).
Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑