Why you can't edit an accepted quote
When a client accepts a quote, it locks permanently. You can't edit the line items, adjust the total, or re-send a modified version. This is intentional — the accepted quote is the legal record of what was agreed.
Why locking matters
An accepted quote is a contract. If it could be quietly changed after acceptance, you'd lose the evidence of what the client agreed to pay. Surfacely locks accepted quotes so neither party can dispute what was in the original agreement — the document is immutable, not just read-only.
What to do instead
If the scope changes after acceptance, the right tool is a variation:
- Extra work the client asked for → Addition variation (adds to the total)
- Work that's been removed or reduced → Credit variation (subtracts from the total)
- Swap of like-for-like → a credit plus an addition
Variations go through the same portal acceptance flow as the original quote. The client sees a clear description of the change and its cost in $, and confirms with a signature. The financial picture updates automatically once accepted.
If the quote hasn't been accepted yet
If the quote is still in draft or sent, create a new version — Q2, Q3, etc. Sending Q2 automatically supersedes Q1 and is what the client now sees in the portal. You can iterate privately in draft until you're ready to send.
If you sent the wrong quote by mistake
Contact the client before they accept. Then create a corrected version and send that. If they've already accepted an incorrect quote, issue a variation to adjust the scope to what was actually intended.
Why it matters: the moment a client accepts, that's a "we agreed" moment. Keeping that record immutable means your invoice always matches the agreement, your variation trail is clean, and you have a defensible paper trail if there's ever a dispute.