Turn a quote request into a draft agreement
Each quote request copies your master agreement in Drive and fills in the client, the service and the scope.
New order or quote request submitted in formformform
Copy a Google Docs template in Drive and populate it with the submission's fields
One-directional. A submission triggers the action — nothing is written back into your form.
Most quote requests are answered with the same document, retyped. This flow copies your master agreement in Drive the moment a request arrives and drops the client's own words into it, so what waits for you is a draft to correct rather than a blank page to start.
Studios, trades and small consultancies use it when the volume of quotes is high but the wording rarely changes. The draft is not sent anywhere on its own — you read it, adjust the scope, and share it when you are happy with it.
Setting it up
- 1
Publish the Quote Request Form template and make Service Type and Project Description required, since those two answers decide the scope wording in the draft.
- 2
In Drive, write your master agreement as a Google Doc and mark every gap with a placeholder in double curly braces, such as one for the client name and one for the fee.
- 3
Keep that master in a folder only you can edit, and make a separate Drafts folder that the copies will land in.
- 4
In Zapier, set formformform as the trigger app with New Submission, select the quote request form, and pull a real request through.
- 5
Add the Create Document from Template action, choose the master agreement as the template file, and set the destination folder to Drafts.
- 6
Name each copy from Company or Organization plus the submission date, so the Drafts folder reads as a pipeline rather than a pile of identical agreements.
- 7
Fill each placeholder: Full Name and Company or Organization in the parties block, Service Type and Project Description in the scope, Project Timeline in the schedule, Estimated Budget in the fee section.
- 8
Run a test request, open the draft and read it end to end for stray braces, then turn the Zap on.
What maps where
Using the Quote Request Form as the starting point. These are its real fields — swap in your own and the mapping works the same way.
| Form field | Google Drive |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Client name placeholder in the copied doc |
| Company or Organization | Parties block, and the copied file's name |
| Service Type | Scope heading in the copied doc |
| Project Description | Scope paragraph in the copied doc |
| Project Timeline | Schedule clause in the copied doc |
| Estimated Budget | Fee section of the copied doc |
Variations worth knowing
Add Zapier paths on Service Type, each pointing the action at its own master document. A maintenance retainer and a one-off installation then get their own clauses instead of one agreement carrying every variant with the irrelevant paragraphs deleted by hand afterwards.
Add a Create File from Text action writing the raw answers into the same Drafts folder next to the document. When a client later disputes the scope, the untouched submission sits beside the draft that was written from it, and neither has to be reconstructed from memory.
If something isn't arriving
The action matches placeholders character for character. Google Docs sometimes reformats braces or splits them across styled runs, so retype the placeholder as plain text, check for a stray space inside the braces, and confirm the spelling matches what Zapier lists.
When the destination folder is left empty the copy inherits the template's own parent, which puts drafts where the master lives. Set the folder field explicitly, and if the master sits on a shared drive, select that drive first so Drafts appears in the picker.
Frequently asked questions
Can the client pay a deposit when they submit the request?
Yes. Add products and priced options to the form, then collect payment through secure hosted checkout with Stripe, PayPal, or Square. Payment status is tracked alongside the response.
Does the client see the draft as soon as it is generated?
No. The copy is created inside your Drive and shared with nobody until you share it. Nothing is written back to the form either, so the person who filled it in sees only whatever confirmation message the form itself shows.
What happens if the budget question is left blank?
The placeholder resolves to nothing and the fee line renders empty, which is easy to miss when skimming. Make Estimated Budget required, or add a Formatter default such as a line reading that the figure is to be confirmed.
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Build the form first
The automation needs somewhere to fire from. Publish a form, connect it once, and every submission from then on runs this flow.
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