Overview
Borehole quotes are part hydrogeology, part drilling, and the price depends on the rock
A borehole is one of the trades where the customer is buying a guess. Until the rig hits water (or doesn't) at the depth the geologist predicted, the contractor and the customer are both betting on the local hydrology. The drilling rate is per metre. The casing is per metre. The yield test is its own line. Pump sizing depends on the depth and the yield, which aren't known until the borehole is in. A quote that gives one number for 'install a borehole' commits the contractor to a depth they can't see, and the customer to a yield they have no way to verify.
QuoteGenio gives borehole installers a structure that surfaces the variables honestly. Site assessment and permit application as their own line, drilling by metre with a depth range based on the local geology, casing by metre, yield test as a separate line, pump and pressure tank sized after the test, and labour by day. The quote sent via WhatsApp lays it all out, the deposit covers the rig mobilisation, and progress invoices follow each stage. The customer pays for the borehole that was drilled, not the one that was guessed at.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for every type of borehole drilling and equipping business.
The problem
The quoting headaches every borehole installer knows
Borehole jobs are quoted in stages: siting, drilling, casing, equipping. Most clients have never bought one before and need every line explained.
Long quotes take all evening
Borehole quotes have 15 to 20 lines. Writing them out long-hand after a site visit eats your night.
Clients don't understand the cost
Without a clear breakdown of drilling, casing, and pump, clients think you're charging them for water they haven't seen yet.
Slow quotes lose drilling jobs
When a homeowner is sitting in a drought, the first complete quote wins. A delay of two days means the rig is booked elsewhere.
The fix
QuoteGenio makes it simple
A faster, cleaner workflow built around how borehole crews actually work. Per metre, per stage, with the rig and the equipping team both visible.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for borehole work
Line items for siting, drilling per metre, casing, gravel pack, yield test, pump, cable, and tank. Everything a borehole quote needs, nothing it doesn't.
Works from your phone
Quote from the proposed drilling site. No laptop required, no after-hours admin.
Quote in under 2 minutes
A structured workflow that gets you from siting visit to sent quote before the rig is booked.
Track payments easily
Know which deposits and final invoices are outstanding and follow up with one tap. No spreadsheet required.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how borehole installers actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Borehole Installers choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Borehole Installers build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Borehole Installers job pricing
A rough guide to what borehole installers charge for common jobs. Pricing varies heavily by drilling depth, geology, pump size, and tank capacity. Use these as a sanity check when building your own rates, not as fixed numbers.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Borehole siting (geophysical survey) | R3,636 - R10,743 |
| Drilling, percussion or rotary (per metre) | R1,074 - R2,314 / m |
| PVC casing and screen (per metre) | R463 - R909 / m |
| Yield and water quality test | R6,280 - R15,701 |
| Submersible pump (1.5kW, 60m head) | R19,832 - R39,665 |
| Pump install and equipping | R29,749 - R74,372 |
| Standard 60m residential borehole (turnkey) | R157,007 - R363,594 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A borehole site visit covers travel and a basic siting walk-around. A formal geophysical survey is a separate line (R3,636 to R10,743). Always quote both as their own items so the client sees you're paid for the technical work upfront, not just the drilling.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use per-metre fixed pricing for drilling, casing, and gravel pack. Use fixed pricing for the yield test, pump, and commissioning. Add a 'standby' hourly line (R2,975 to R5,289 per hour) for rig waiting time when the client delays site access. Be explicit on the quote about what triggers it.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean, itemised quote for a typical residential borehole looks like. Notice how siting, drilling, casing, and equipping each have their own line. Transparent quotes win drilling jobs because they show exactly where every dollar goes.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Residential borehole, drill and equip (60m estimated)
Geophysical siting survey with report
Drilling 165mm hole (60m estimated)
PVC casing and screen, Class 9 (60m)
Yield and water quality test with report
1.5kW submersible pump, install and equipping
5,000L tank, stand, and tie-in to property
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geophysical siting survey with report | 1 | R6,941 | R6,941 |
| Drilling 165mm hole (60m estimated) | 60 | R1,570 / m | R94,204 |
| PVC casing and screen, Class 9 (60m) | 60 | R628 / m | R37,682 |
| Yield and water quality test with report | 1 | R9,586 | R9,586 |
| 1.5kW submersible pump, install and equipping | 1 | R56,192 | R56,192 |
| 5,000L tank, stand, and tie-in to property | 1 | R27,270 | R27,270 |
| Subtotal | R231,874 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R23,187 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R255,061 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Geophysical siting, gravel pack, sanitary seal, the yield test report, control box, riser pipe, electrical cable, the tank stand, the connection to the property mainline, and the standby hourly rate if site access is delayed. Add them as standard lines on your template so you stop absorbing them out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Borehole Installers actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Borehole Installers on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
14
Quotes sent per month
50%
Average quote acceptance
2 min
Median time to send quote
R255,061
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Borehole Installer jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of borehole installers. The same pricing and scoping mistakes come up again and again. Fixing these will protect your margin and prevent the kind of disputes that drag on long after the rig has left.
Mistake: Quoting drilling as a flat lump
Better: Always quote per metre with an estimated depth and a clear 'final price subject to actual depth drilled' clause. Geology is unpredictable and lump-sum drilling kills your margin on bad sites.
Mistake: Forgetting the yield and water quality test
Better: List the yield test and water analysis as their own line. Without the test, the client doesn't know what they've bought, and you carry the warranty risk on the pump.
Mistake: Bundling pump and equipping together
Better: Separate the pump unit, the cable, the riser pipe, the control box, and the labour. Clients want to see what they're paying for, especially when comparing to other quotes.
Mistake: No allowance for difficult ground
Better: Hard rock, granite, or chert can double drilling time. Have a 'hard ground premium' rate per metre and reference it on the quote so there's no fight when the rig hits it.
Mistake: Skipping the standby clause
Better: If the client delays site access, the rig sits idle on your dollar. Quote a standby hourly rate (R2,975 to R5,289) and reference it in the terms.
Mistake: No tank or tie-in line
Better: Most clients assume the borehole 'comes with' a tank and connection. Quote the tank, the stand, and the property tie-in as separate lines so it's all visible.
Mistake: No expiry on the quote
Better: Set a 14 to 30 day validity. Drilling fuel, PVC, and pump prices move, and you don't want to honour a three-month-old quote at a loss.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote borehole jobs
Before the rig is booked, do a proper geophysical siting walk and commission the survey report. Note the property access (can a 20-ton rig reach the proposed drill point, or will you pay standby while trees are cut back), check for overhead power lines and underground services, and estimate the likely drilling depth based on the regional aquifer profile (60m is a common residential estimate in South Africa, but can be 90m or more on the highveld). Confirm the water need: domestic 4-person household versus an agricultural or irrigation-fed estate needs very different pump and tank sizing downstream.
Quote per metre drilled, never as a flat drilling lump. List the geophysical siting survey at $ 220 to $ 650 with report, drilling at $ 65 to $ 140 per metre with an estimated depth and a 'final price subject to actual depth' clause, PVC casing and screen per metre (Class 9 or 12), gravel pack, and sanitary seal as separate lines. Price the yield and water quality test at $ 380 to $ 950 including lab analysis, then break out the submersible pump, cable, riser pipe, control box, and wellhead seal individually. Finish with the 5,000L or 10,000L tank, stand, and mainline tie-in, plus a standby rate of $ 180 to $ 320 per hour for rig waiting time.
Set 14 to 30 day validity on every borehole quote. Diesel, PVC casing, and submersible pump prices move with the exchange rate, and rig schedules shift by weeks in drilling season. Always take a 40 to 50 percent deposit at acceptance to cover rig mobilisation, fuel, and casing order, with a non-refundable mobilisation portion if the site is more than an hour from base. State your dry-hole policy in writing: drilling is paid per metre regardless of yield because the work is done, with a discounted second attempt within a defined radius if required. Include the hard-ground premium rate per metre in the terms so there is no argument when the rig hits granite or chert.
Send the quote before the rig leaves the yard. When a homeowner is sitting in a drought, the first complete quote with siting, drilling, and equipping sized wins the job, and a two-day delay means the rig is booked elsewhere. Build the quote on your phone from the siting walk, WhatsApp the PDF link the same afternoon, and follow up after three days. If drilling comes in deeper than estimated, send a variation quote immediately so the revised metres are agreed before casing goes in, and bill the standby hourly rate from the moment the rig is held up by client-side delays.
FAQ
Common questions from borehole installers
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. QuoteGenio lets you add any line item: per metre drilled, casing, pump, equipping, or VAT. Structure your quote exactly the way you invoice.
Yes. Once your quote is ready, share it as a link directly via WhatsApp. Your client gets a professional branded document instantly.
Each line item has its own description, quantity, and price. Add as many lines as the job needs and group them however makes sense for the client.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Your client can open it on their phone and accept it online. No signup required.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote into an invoice with one click. All the line items carry over, so there's no double entry.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
Per metre with an estimated depth is the only honest way to quote drilling. Geology is unpredictable: a borehole sited at 60m can come in dry at 80m or hit yield at 45m. A fixed-price drill exposes you to bad sites and tempts you to stop short on good ones. Use a final price clause based on metres actually drilled.
Quote it as a fixed line that includes the test pumping, the lab water analysis, and a written report. The test is what proves the borehole is fit for purpose, and without it the client has no way to size the pump correctly. Most installers also use the test to confirm the warranty starts on a sound borehole.
Yes. Borehole jobs almost always take a 40 to 50 percent deposit at acceptance to cover rig mobilisation, fuel, and casing material order. State the deposit and any non-refundable mobilisation portion clearly on the quote so the client agrees in writing when they accept it online.
Be explicit on the quote: drilling is paid per metre regardless of yield, because you've still done the work. A geophysical siting survey reduces the risk but doesn't eliminate it. Some installers offer a discounted second drilling attempt within a defined radius if the first hole comes in dry. Put the policy in writing on the quote.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Guides
Guides for Borehole Installers
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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