Proposal templates

A proposal template is the starting point for new proposals: a quote with no project, with its own draft budget, quote sections, notes, and optionally a Word document and a custom rate card. A template is usually linked to a project template, which gives its budget its deliverables.

These endpoints are in early access, and they follow the rules for every setup endpoint. They reach proposal templates only. A live proposal’s id returns 404 proposal_template_not_found. Live proposals and their budgets are in Proposal budgets.

Find template ids with GET /account_settings.

Endpoints

The proposal template document

GET /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id returns the template. A deleted template returns 404 proposal_template_not_found.

Needs api_read, read_quotes and read_budgets.

{
  "id": 7702,
  "name": "Residential fee proposal",
  "description": "Standard fee proposal for new homes",
  "project_template": {"id": 655, "name": "Residential new build"},
  "currency": "AUD",
  "default_sent_days": 0,
  "default_expiry_days": 30,
  "template_document": {"filename": "fee-proposal.docx", "byte_size": 48211},
  "deleted": false,
  "budget": {
    "id": 3301,
    "name": "Residential fee proposal",
    "description": null,
    "status": "draft",
    "rate_card": {"id": 95, "name": "2026 rates"},
    "custom_rate_card": null,
    "currency": "AUD",
    "phases": [
      {"id": 510, "record_kind": "budget_phase", "name": "Design", "description": null, "colour": "blue", "position": 1}
    ],
    "deliverables": [
      {
        "id": 8840,
        "record_kind": "budget_deliverable",
        "name": "Concept design",
        "description": null,
        "colour": "sky",
        "budget_type": "fixed_price",
        "position": 1,
        "budget_phase_id": 510,
        "items": [
          {
            "id": 61021,
            "record_kind": "budget_item",
            "kind": "dynamic",
            "name": "Site analysis",
            "item_type": "task",
            "position": 1,
            "description": null,
            "delivery_task_name": null,
            "quantity": null,
            "quantity_unit": null,
            "billable_rate": null,
            "contract_value": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"},
            "internal_budget": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"},
            "resources": [
              {
                "id": 90311,
                "record_kind": "budget_item_resource",
                "resource_type": {"id": 88, "name": "Senior Engineer"},
                "preferred_member": null,
                "quantity": 16.0,
                "quantity_unit": "hour",
                "rate": {"cents": 18000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$180.00"},
                "total": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"},
                "source_rate_card": {"id": 95, "name": "2026 rates"},
                "notes": null,
                "position": 1
              }
            ],
            "costs": []
          }
        ],
        "template_status": "in_sync"
      }
    ]
  },
  "notes": [
    {"id": 1201, "record_kind": "quote_note", "content": "Fees exclude council lodgement charges.", "financial": true}
  ],
  "quote_sections": [
    {
      "id": 4402,
      "record_kind": "quote_section",
      "name": "Concept design",
      "description": null,
      "position": 1,
      "total_excluding_tax": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"},
      "lines": [
        {
          "id": 9910,
          "record_kind": "quote_line",
          "line_type": "line",
          "line_item_code": null,
          "name": "Site analysis",
          "quantity": 1.0,
          "price": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"},
          "finance_account": {"id": 200, "name": "Sales"},
          "tax_rate": {"id": 12, "name": "GST on Income"},
          "position": 1,
          "total_excluding_tax": {"cents": 288000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$2,880.00"}
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "warnings": []
}

On a template, each budget deliverable also has:

Template sync

A proposal template built from a project template follows it. When a deliverable template, the project template’s deliverables or a rate card change, Drum updates each budget deliverable that nobody changed in the proposal template. A deliverable that was changed is left alone, and template_status and the warnings say so. Use Sync a deliverable from its template or Apply current rates to bring it up to date.

Warnings

Create a proposal template

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates creates a template with a draft budget. With project_template_id, the budget gets the project template’s deliverables and the quote gets a matching section for each, as the New Proposal Template form does.

Needs api_create and create_quotes. Sending budget also needs update_budgets.

budget takes:

The rows are added in this order: notes, budget phases, budget deliverables, quote sections. An error in a row names it in field, such as budget.deliverables[1].items[0].name.

Copy a template. copy_from_id copies a kept proposal template with its quote sections, lines, notes, Word document, budget and custom rate card. The copy is named after the source with “ (copy)” added unless you send name. Other fields and rows you send then apply to the copy.

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates
{
  "name": "Residential fee proposal",
  "project_template_id": 655,
  "default_expiry_days": 30,
  "notes": [{"content": "Fees exclude council lodgement charges.", "financial": true}],
  "budget": {"rate_card_id": 95}
}

Returns 201 with the template document.

Change a proposal template

PATCH /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id changes name, description, project_template_id, currency, default_sent_days, default_expiry_days and template_document, and the budget settings budget.name, budget.description, budget.rate_card_id and budget.reprice_resources. Fields you leave out stay the same.

Needs api_update and update_quotes. Sending budget also needs update_budgets.

• project_template_id changes the link only. The budget keeps its rows. Use Change the budget structure to rebuild it.
• {"budget": {"custom_rate_card_id": null}} stops using the template’s custom rate card without deleting it. custom_rate_card_id accepts only null, and only on a PATCH.
• budget.reprice_resources on its own does nothing. Send it with budget.rate_card_id.
• copy_from_id, notes, quote_sections, budget.phases, budget.deliverables and sync_quote are refused with 422 invalid_input. Use the row and workflow endpoints.
• A finalised budget (approved or rejected) refuses budget changes with 409 budget_finalised.

Returns 200 with the template document.

Template document

template_document is the Word document new proposals start from: a .docx file of 10 MB or less. Send it one of three ways:

• In JSON: {"filename": "fee-proposal.docx", "content_base64": "..."}.
• As a multipart file field named template_document.
• {"from_proposal_template_id": 7650} copies the document of another kept proposal template. The copy is a separate file.

A file that is not .docx returns 422 invalid_file_type. A file over 10 MB returns 422 file_too_large. A source template that has no document returns 422 template_document_missing. The document cannot be removed through the API.

Delete and restore a proposal template

DELETE /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id soft deletes the template. It needs api_delete and delete_quotes. PATCH /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/restore restores it. It needs api_update and update_quotes. Both return a summary:

{"id": 7702, "name": "Residential fee proposal", "description": null, "project_template": {"id": 655, "name": "Residential new build"}, "currency": "AUD", "deleted": true, "warnings": []}

Deleting a deleted template, or restoring a kept one, returns 404 proposal_template_not_found.

Quote sections, lines and notes

• POST adds a row and returns 201. PATCH .../:row_id changes the fields you send. DELETE .../:row_id deletes the row.
• A PATCH of a section refuses lines. quote_section_id on a line PATCH moves the line to another section of the same template.
• Deleting a section deletes its lines. Deleted sections and lines are gone for good. A deleted note cannot be restored through the API.
• A new line takes the account’s default income account and tax rate. A line_item_code_id brings the code’s price, finance account and tax rate, and a finance_account_id brings that account’s tax rate. A price or tax rate you send in the same request wins.
• price_cents is integer cents, tax exclusive. quantity is a number.

Fees that follow the budget. When a template’s fees follow its budget (for example, a proposal builder template after Sync the budget to the quote), its sections and lines are built from the budget. Adding, deleting or moving a section or line returns 422 live_pricing. You can still change a section’s name and description, and a line’s name, finance_account_id and tax_rate_id. Change the budget to change the fees.

Section and line writes need update_quotes. Note writes need read_quotes. Each also needs the API permission for its method.

A row write returns {proposal_template_id, row_type, record_kind, row, warnings}, where row has the shape of that row in the document. A DELETE returns {proposal_template_id, row_type, id, deleted, permanently_deleted, warnings}.

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/7702/quote_sections
{
  "name": "Documentation",
  "lines": [{"name": "Construction documentation", "quantity": 1, "price_cents": 1450000}]
}

The template rate card

/api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/rate_card is the template’s own (custom) rate card, as on the template’s proposal settings screen. Its rates lay over the budget’s account rate card for new resource lines.

POST and PATCH take name, description and entries. Entries work as on an account rate card: they merge, a write never deletes an entry, and a rate of 0 needs allow_zero_value: true. status, effective_date and is_default are refused: a template card is always active. Delete one entry with DELETE /rate_card_entries/:id.

Every response is the rate card document:

{
  "proposal_template_id": 7702,
  "proposal_budget_id": 3301,
  "account_rate_card": {"id": 95, "name": "2026 rates"},
  "rate_card": {
    "id": 140,
    "name": "Residential rates",
    "description": null,
    "status": "active",
    "effective_date": "2026-10-13",
    "is_default": false,
    "default_on_activation": false,
    "project": null,
    "proposal_budget": {"id": 3301, "name": "Residential fee proposal"},
    "entries": [
      {"id": 5201, "record_kind": "rate_card_entry", "rateable_type": "resource_type", "rateable": {"id": 88, "name": "Senior Engineer"}, "billable_rate": {"cents": 17000, "currency": "AUD", "formatted": "$170.00"}, "allow_zero_value": false}
    ],
    "deleted": false
  },
  "rate_cards": [],
  "warnings": []
}

rate_card is the custom card in use, or null. rate_cards lists every custom card the template has had, deleted ones included. apply_rates returns the warning rates_applied_to_existing with count, the number of lines changed.

PATCH, DELETE and apply_rates on a template with no custom card in use return 404 proposal_template_rate_card_not_found. To stop using the card without deleting it, send {"budget": {"custom_rate_card_id": null}} to PATCH /proposal_templates/:id.

Budget rows

The template’s budget is edited one row at a time, with the same operation and the same row fields as a live proposal’s budget. Proposal budgets documents each row’s fields and rules. On a template, the paths start with /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/ instead of /api/v1/proposals/:id/budget/:

Every budget row write needs update_budgets, and the API permission for its method. A finalised budget refuses every write with 409 budget_finalised. A row write returns {proposal_template_id, row_type, record_kind, row, warnings}, and a DELETE returns {proposal_template_id, row_type, id, deleted, permanently_deleted, warnings}.

Differences on a template:

• A new deliverable from from_project_template_deliverable_ids also takes include_quote_sections: true, which adds a matched quote section for each new deliverable with billable items, after the existing sections. It needs update_quotes as well.
• Deliverables read back with template_status and out_of_date_rates (see The proposal template document).

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/7702/budget/deliverables
{"from_project_template_deliverable_ids": [4410, 4411], "budget_phase_name": "Design", "include_quote_sections": true}

Change the budget structure

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/change_structure rebuilds the budget from a template, as Change Structure does in the budget editor. Every budget deliverable is removed first.

With project_template, the source’s phases merge into the budget’s phases by name. With proposal_template, the source’s phases replace them.

Needs api_update and api_delete (not api_create), and update_budgets. Returns 200 with the proposal template document.

Sync the budget to the quote

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/sync_to_quote rebuilds the quote sections from the budget, as Sync Budget does.

Every section is replaced, so text written in the sections is lost. Needs api_update and api_delete (not api_create), and update_quotes. Returns 200 with the proposal template document.

Sync a deliverable from its template

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/deliverables/:deliverable_id/sync_from_template rebuilds one budget deliverable from its project template deliverable, as Sync from template does. Changes made to it in the proposal template are lost.

Needs api_update and api_delete (not api_create), and update_budgets. Returns the deliverable as a row result.

Apply current rates

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/apply_current_rates replaces every out-of-date rate card rate in the budget (the out_of_date_rates) with the rate card’s current rate, as Apply current rates does. Typed rates and every other change stay. It returns the proposal template document.

POST /api/v1/proposal_templates/:id/budget/deliverables/:deliverable_id/apply_current_rates does the same for one deliverable and returns it as a row result.

Both need api_update (not api_create) and update_budgets. The warning rates_unchanged means no rate was out of date.

Permissions

Errors

Error bodies are {"error", "code"}, with field on input and lookup errors (see Errors).