From measurement to sign-off: the forms every trades business needs.

In short: A job in the trades usually needs five to seven forms: measurement, quote, order, construction work report or timesheet, material record, acceptance report and finally the invoice. The invoice is only as good as the forms before it. Anything not recorded and signed on site is hard to bill later.

Why the forms belong together

Each form is the basis for the next. The measurement becomes the quote, the signed order defines the scope, and the work report and material record become the invoice. If something is missing along the way, it usually only shows up in the office – when the invoice is written. Then it’s phone calls, estimates, or hours and material that never get billed.

1. Measurement: the basis for quote and invoice

The measurement records the quantities you will bill: areas, lengths, numbers of items. What belongs in it:

• Project, address, client
• Date and who measured
• For each item: description (ideally as in the bill of quantities or quote), location (room, component), dimensions, calculation and quantity with unit
• Sketch or photo, especially for irregular areas
• For a joint measurement: signatures of both sides

Often missing: the calculation, so no one can check the quantity, and photos of work that will be covered later (pipes in walls, insulation, excavation). Measure such work before it disappears – ideally together with the customer and with a photo.

2. Quote or cost estimate

The quote defines what the customer gets and what it costs. It should include: customer, date, items with quantity and price, net, VAT, gross, validity of the quote and what is not included.

Often missing: a clear statement of exclusions (“not included: disposal, scaffolding”). That is exactly what disputes are about later.

3. Order or repair order

Before work starts, the customer should place the order in writing. For small repairs, a repair order on site is enough. What belongs in it:

• Customer with address, phone, email
• What needs to be repaired or done
• Description of the damage and photos of the condition before
• Order text: which services are ordered
• Date and customer signature

Often missing: the “before” photo. Without it, it’s hard to prove later which damage was already there.

4. Doing the work: work report and timesheet

Work not in the quote but done additionally at the customer’s request belongs in the construction work report (also called daywork sheet). Your employees’ own working time goes on the timesheet. What belongs in the work report:

• Client and site
• Work carried out, even in key words
• Workers with date, start, end and hours
• Material used, with quantity
• Whether the work is completed
• Date and signatures of site manager and client

Often missing: the customer’s signature, because the sheet is only written up in the office on Friday – and the agreement that the extra work will be paid by the hour at all. What to watch out for:

• Get it ordered first. Under German VOB/B contracts, daywork is only paid if it was expressly agreed before it started. According to a ruling by the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court (January 2026), a signed work report alone does not prove this agreement. So have additional work ordered briefly in writing on site, for example with a repair order.
• Submit promptly. Under the VOB/B, daywork sheets go to the client daily or weekly, as is customary. If the client doesn’t return them within six working days, they are deemed accepted (Section 15 (3) VOB/B).
• Separate hours per task. A single total for different tasks is of little use in a dispute.

Note: This guide is not legal advice. The VOB/B only applies if it is agreed in the contract.

What belongs on the timesheet: employee, start, end and break per day, total hours, comments, date and signature.

5. Material

Material used on site belongs with its quantity in the work report or in a separate material record. Material that has to be ordered is captured with a material request: what, how much, where to deliver and by when.

Often missing: the quantity (“small parts”) – and with it, money on the invoice.

6. Acceptance

With acceptance, the customer confirms that the work has essentially been carried out as agreed. The report needs the parties, date, scope, defects with photo and deadline, reservations and both signatures. The detailed checklist is in the guide Documenting building acceptance.

7. Invoice

When measurement, work report and acceptance are complete and signed, the invoice is quick to write and easy for the customer to follow. When they’re not, the search begins.

Typical problems with paper forms

• Sheets reach the office days later, and the invoice is delayed.
• Handwriting is illegible, and quantities are retyped wrongly.
• Photos sit on private phones and can’t be matched to a job.
• The customer’s signature is missing.
• Every technician uses a different form, and something is always missing.

How it works with Formtastic

• Set up your forms: Use a template and adapt it, recreate your existing form, or create it via chat with ChatGPT or Claude.
• Fill them in at the customer’s site: on a smartphone or tablet, even without a connection. Photos, sketches and signature directly on the device; the app adds up the hours itself.
• Done in the office: The PDF in your own layout is emailed automatically to the customer and the office. The data can also flow to Excel, Google Drive/Sheets, SFTP or a webhook.

These templates are available in Formtastic:

• Measurement: your own form, e.g. built from table, photo and drawing – or we recreate your measurement sheet
• Quote: Cost estimate / offer (calculates net, VAT and gross)
• Order: Repair order
• Doing the work: Construction work report, Timesheet
• Material: Material request (with barcode scan of the item number)
• Acceptance: Building inspection, construction protocol, your own checks with the Checklist
• Invoice: Invoice

Already have your own forms? Send them to us as paper, PDF or Word forms. We’ll set up your first template for free.

Conclusion

Good forms in the trades are complete, signed by the customer and in the office right away. If you capture every step from measurement to sign-off with a fixed template, you write the invoice without follow-up questions – and never forget an hour or a piece of material again.

Read how a construction company records working hours, vehicles and repairs by app in six languages in the Gala-Tiefbau Umicevic success story.