OpsForge
FeaturesHow it WorksBlogFree ToolsPricing
Sign inGet Started
FeaturesHow it WorksBlogFree ToolsPricingSign inGet Started
Home/Free Tools/Proposal & Estimate Calculator
Utility

Proposal & Estimate Calculator

Price a new project in minutes with a defensible estimate.

Pricing a project on instinct is how agencies end up working for free on the back half of an engagement. This free proposal and estimate calculator breaks the work into tasks and hours, applies your cost rate and target margin, and produces a defensible price you can drop straight into a proposal, with your profit built in rather than hoped for.

How to estimate the price of an agency project

Build the price from the work up, not from a number you hope the client will accept. List the tasks and the hours each will take, total them, and multiply by your loaded hourly cost rate to get the true delivery cost. Then apply your target margin to reach the quoted price. This calculator computes the price so the margin sits on top of cost, which means the figure you quote already protects your profit instead of leaving it to chance.

The two inputs that matter most are honest hours and a true cost rate. Pad neither and skimp on neither. Estimate the hours the work will really take, including the revisions and coordination that always happen, and use a fully loaded cost rate that includes overhead. Get those right and the quoted price is one you can deliver against profitably.

Why margin-based pricing beats guessing

Marking up cost by a target margin is what separates a sustainable agency from one that is busy but broke. When you quote a round number that feels right, you have no idea whether it covers the work, and a few extra hours can quietly erase the profit. When you price from tasks, hours, and a defined margin, you know exactly how much room you have and where the break-even sits.

A bottom-up estimate is also far easier to defend. If a client pushes back, you can point to the tasks and the hours rather than negotiating a number you cannot explain. And if they want to cut the price, you have a clear conversation about cutting scope to match, instead of silently absorbing the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I price an agency project?▼
Estimate the tasks and hours, multiply total hours by your loaded cost rate to get delivery cost, then apply your target margin on top to reach the quoted price. Building from the work up gives you a defensible number with profit included, rather than a guess.
What hourly rate should I use in the estimate?▼
Use your loaded internal cost per hour, which includes salary, taxes, benefits, software, and overhead, not your bill rate. The calculator adds your target margin on top of that cost, so entering the bill rate would double-count the markup and overprice the project.
How does target margin affect the quoted price?▼
The quoted price is calculated so your margin sits on top of delivery cost. A higher target margin raises the price relative to cost and increases built-in profit. Pricing this way guarantees the margin is in the number you send rather than something you hope is left over at the end.
Free forever

Turn weak prompts into expert-quality ones

Get 3 free AI enhancements per day, no credit card required. Works inside ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Sign up free - 3/day freeView Pro plans
OpsForge

The operations platform for digital marketing and advertising agencies.

Product
FeaturesHow it WorksFree ToolsPricing
Resources
BlogRoadmapHelp
Company
SecuritySupportPrivacyCookie PolicyTerms
© 2026 OpsForge. All rights reserved.
run your agency, not the chaos.
Built by Apptimistic
Your internal cost per hour, not your bill rate.