Solar Price List Update: Keep Every Rep's Quotation Current

To keep every rep quoting the current rate, give the price list one owner, update it on four triggers, stamp every quote with a list version and two dates, and sweep the open quotes every Monday. The rest of this guide shows how, with clause wording and registers you can copy.

It is Monday morning. A customer in Rajkot opens a quotation your rep sent three weeks ago and asks to go ahead. The panel line carries a rate your distributor stopped offering two weeks back. You find out when the purchase order comes in above the quote, or when the customer mentions that a rival quoted less. Either way, someone absorbs the difference, and it is usually you. (Illustrative.)

Most EPCs do have a price list. It just lives in several places: the owner's Excel sheet, a copy on the sales head's phone, a screenshot in a WhatsApp group, and the number a rep remembers from last month. A solar price list update is not a file edit. It is a routine: someone owns the list, something triggers a change, every quote says which version it came from, and every Monday someone checks what is still open.

This guide gives you that routine, with the clause wording and the registers on the page. Market movements come from dated sources we opened (JMK Research, InfoLink, Mercom). Rules come from MNRE and CBIC documents. Rupee examples marked "illustrative" use stated assumptions, so you can swap in your own numbers.

Why an old price list costs you the deal or the margin

A stale rate fails in one of two directions. If it is higher than the market, you look expensive and lose the deal. If it is lower, you win the deal and lose margin. Indian module prices moved both ways in 2026, so both risks were live.

The month-by-month trail below comes from JMK Research and Analytics, a clean-energy research firm. JMK reports domestic module prices in its monthly updates. Its Q1 2026 report notes that its prices are ex-works, meaning factory-gate wholesale rates. They are not your delivered cost and not what a customer pays installed, so read them for direction and size of movement, not as your rate.

Two newer items point the other way. The InfoLink weekly review of 28 October 2026 says prices for a small number of recent Indian orders have edged higher on advance stocking, more so for non-DCR projects than for DCR ones. Mercom India, on 26 October 2026, reports that a widening gap between DCR and non-DCR module prices is raising rooftop installation costs. We cannot call the next move, and the routine is built so you do not have to.

Our guides to solar panel price trends and solar pricing trends cover the market story. This guide covers what happens inside your company after a rate moves.

The Stamp-and-Sweep Routine on one page

The Stamp-and-Sweep Routine has five parts: an owner, a trigger list, three stamps on every quote, a weekly sweep and a change log. The stamps let you answer "which rate did we quote this customer?" in ten seconds.

The first stamp is a list version. We suggest a code like PL-2026-11A: PL for price list, then the year and month, then a letter that moves from A to B when the list changes twice in one month. The second and third stamps are plain dates. The version tells you the rates, the issue date tells you the market that week and the valid-until date tells you whether you still have to honour it. A quotation stamped PL-2026-11A, issued 3 Nov 2026, valid until 18 Nov 2026 can be audited by anyone.

Who owns the master price list

One person edits the master list, one person approves the margin, and every rep reads from the list and never from a private sheet. When a price list has two editors, it effectively has none, because nobody can say which copy is right.

In a three-person firm the owner wears two or three of these hats. Keep the change log anyway. It can be one table in a shared sheet, one row per rate change:

If a rep wants a line that is not on the list, the sales head either adds it to the list or approves a one-off in writing. Margin on that one-off is a discount question, and our guide to solar discount approval rules gives the floor price, the approval bands and the log for it. The price list says what the list price is. The discount rule says how far below it a rep may go.

Four triggers that force a solar price list update

Update the list when any one of four things changes: a supplier rate, an ALMM or DCR rule, the GST rate, or a scheme benchmark. Waiting for the monthly review is too slow for the first three, because reps keep sending quotes in the gap.

Trigger 2: ALMM and DCR

The ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers) decides which modules a project may use. DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) decides which modules a subsidy-linked job may use. They are different rules, and your price list should mark every module line as DCR or non-DCR, and whether it sits on ALMM List-I.

The MNRE office memorandum of 9 December 2024 set 1 June 2026 as the date from which ALMM List-II for solar cells would apply (the 4 August 2026 memorandum below refers to a later amendment of 28 July 2025, so read both). Under the December 2024 memorandum, from 1 June 2026 only modules using List-II cells remain in ALMM List-I, and a separate List-I(a) holds modules that do not. The MNRE office memorandum of 4 August 2026 then clarified three points that matter to a rooftop installer:

• Net-metering projects commissioned by 31 December 2026 are exempt from the List-II cell requirement. Those commissioned later are not. List-I module compliance still applies.
• Residential rooftop consumers taking net metering with the "Give It Up" option under PM Surya Ghar are exempt from the List-II cell requirement until 31 March 2027, if the application is made through the national portal.
• ALMM orders do not relax the DCR conditions of any MNRE scheme. DCR is governed by the scheme guidelines.

That is a summary, not advice. Read the memorandum for your project type, and see our explainer on the List-II exemption and the ALMM list guide. For the price list, the action is simple. Ask each module supplier in writing which models use List-II cells, and record the answer against the line.

Trigger 3: GST

The GST Council cut the rate on renewable energy equipment from 12% to 5%, effective 22 September 2025, according to the PIB FAQ of 3 September 2025. Schedule I of Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate) lists solar power-based devices and photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled in modules, at 5%. It also says that when such goods are supplied with a taxable installation service, 70% of the total charge is deemed the value of the goods and 30% the value of the service. The 30% service portion is under serial number 38 of Notification 11/2017-Central Tax (Rate), which reads 9% central tax and 18% integrated tax for an inter-State supply (Notification 27/2018-Central Tax (Rate), CBIC tax portal, opened 31 October 2026); State tax follows each State's own notification. How that plays out on your invoice is covered in our GST on solar systems guide, and your CA should confirm your contract's classification.

A GST change moves every quote you have already sent, in the same direction. That is why the quote needs the rule-change clause below.

Trigger 4: scheme benchmark

The MNRE guidelines for PM Surya Ghar (July 2025 version) fix the benchmark cost at ₹50,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹45,000 for each additional kW, effective 13 February 2024. They say the benchmark will be revised at the midterm review or earlier if module prices rise substantially, and that the scheme runs to 31 March 2027. We found no revision in the sources we could open on 31 October 2026, so check MNRE before each subsidy-linked quote. The benchmark is the base for the subsidy. It is not a price list, as we explain in why solar prices vary.

How long a quotation should stay valid: the Shortest-Date Rule

Set the valid-until date at the earliest of three dates: how long your supplier holds the rate, the next rule date that could change the job, and 30 days from issue. We call this the Shortest-Date Rule. It stops your quote outliving your own cost.

Our guide to what to include in a solar quote says 30 days and solar pricing trends says 7 to 14. Both are rules of thumb. If your distributor holds a rate for seven days and your quote is open for thirty, you are giving the customer a free option on the market for three more weeks.

There is a legal reason to print the date. Under section 5 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, a proposal can be revoked before the acceptance by the customer is communicated, and section 6 lists the lapse of the time prescribed in the proposal for acceptance as one way a proposal is revoked. A quotation can amount to a proposal under the Act, and a written valid-until date turns "I thought the price was still on" into a fact both sides can read. This is general information, not legal advice, so have your lawyer check the clauses below.

Quotation clauses you can adapt: validity, price basis, lock and rule change

Five short clauses cover almost every argument about an old quote: validity, price basis, price lock, rule or tax change, and re-issue. Put them in the terms and conditions of your quotation template so no rep has to remember them. The wording below is a starting point for your lawyer to adapt.

Honour or re-issue: how to version an old quotation

Honour a quote inside its validity, re-issue it after it, and lock it once the advance is paid. The label that holds this together is three parts: the quote number, the price list version and a revision letter, for example Q-0412 / PL-2026-11A / R2.

Two habits keep versioning honest. Never edit a quotation that has been sent: issue a new revision, so the old one stays on record. And never raise a price without showing the line that moved.

A re-issue message can be short:

Namaste Mr. Shah, quotation Q-0412 was valid until 29 Oct and has lapsed. The panel line has moved since then, so I have prepared Q-0412 R2 at today's list, valid until 24 Nov. The panel line is ₹[amount] lower and everything else is unchanged. Shall we keep Friday's site visit?

A Monday sweep, worked through (illustrative)

The sweep is a 30-minute walk down the open-quote register, one decision per row. This register is illustrative: the quotes and dates are invented. We assume 15 days of validity, a list change on 2 November 2026 (current list PL-2026-11A) and a sweep on Monday, 9 November 2026.

Row one is the classic leak: a lapsed quote the customer treats as live. Row four is invisible without a commissioning-month column. Row six is the commonest leak of all. A register like this takes one afternoon to set up in a spreadsheet, or can live in a lead's notes if you use a CRM.

What to do on a price-change day

A price-change day has seven steps. Do them in order, because the sweep needs the stamp from step four.

1. 1

   Capture the evidence

   Save the distributor rate sheet, the MNRE memorandum or the CBIC notification as a dated PDF. No evidence, no change.

2. 2

   Recompute the lines

   Work out the new cost for each affected line, then the new list price using your margin rule. Start with the module line.

3. 3

   Get sign-off

   The owner or the named approver confirms margin and any floor-price change. Write the name in the change log.

4. 4

   Publish the new version

   Update the master list, set the new stamp (for example PL-2026-11B) and retire the old one. Delete every other copy.

5. 5

   Brief the team the same day

   Send one message to all reps: what changed, the new version code and the date it applies from. Reuse a saved message.

6. 6

   Sweep the open quotes

   Go down the register. Honour, re-issue or lock each quote using the table above.

7. 7

   Log it

   One line in the change log, one note on each lead where a quote was re-issued.

The weekly and monthly check

The weekly check takes about 20 minutes on Monday and the monthly check about an hour. A trigger tells you something changed. The check tells you whether the list and the quotes still match reality.

Give the weekly check a fixed day and a fixed owner, or it stops in the first busy week. The JMK update appears after the month ends and InfoLink publishes weekly, so neither gives you today's price.

How QuickEstimate fits

Quickest Solar CRM has an admin-set price list with margin, described on the Solar Pricing Calculator page. We stay inside what that page says, because the routine above needs a few things it does not describe.

• One editor. The admin sets the panel, inverter and BOS rates, plus the margin and admin cost, centrally. Sales picks the components and the price loads from those rates. That is the "one list, one editor" rule in practice.
• Update once. When a rate changes, the admin changes it in settings, and every new estimate from that moment uses it. That covers step four of the price-change day. It does not replace steps one to three or the sweep.
• GST. Tax is configurable in settings so estimates reflect your applicable rate. Check it whenever the GST trigger fires.
• Clauses. Proposal templates carry terms and conditions, so the five clauses above can sit in your template. The proposal PDF can be shared on WhatsApp.
• Notes. You can log activities on a lead. Use them to record "R2 sent, PL-2026-11A, valid until 24 Nov".

The page does not describe dated list versions, a history of old rates, what happens to an estimate that is already saved when a rate changes, an expiry date on quotes, or any feed of market prices. We do not claim any of these. Plan on a person updating the list, and keep the stamps and the register yourself.

Three questions are worth asking in a demo with your own rates loaded. What happens to a saved estimate when I change a rate? Can I see which rate an older estimate used? Who can change the rates, and who can only quote? The answers decide how much of the register you keep outside the tool.

What to do this week

You can set up the routine in a few working days, starting with the part that costs nothing.

1. Name the owner and the approver. Write both names at the top of the master list. Tell every rep to delete other copies.
2. Add the three stamps. Put a list version, an issue date and a valid-until date on your next quotation. Use the Shortest-Date Rule to choose the date, after asking your distributor how long a rate holds.
3. Paste the five clauses into your template and ask your lawyer to adapt them. Add an expected-commissioning-month field to every quote.
4. Build the register and run the first Monday sweep. Use the table above. Expect to find at least one quote nobody has re-issued.
5. Book the weekly and monthly check in the owner's and sales head's calendars.

If your price list is already in Quickest Solar CRM, the price list feature gives you the single editor. If you are comparing tools, a demo with your own panel, inverter and BOS rates shows how the admin list behaves.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I update my solar price list?

Update it when a trigger fires, and check it every Monday. The triggers are a supplier rate change, an ALMM or DCR rule change, a GST change and a scheme benchmark change. JMK Research reported domestic TOPCon module prices falling 9.3% in March 2026 and staying stable in several other months, so a fixed monthly update would have been wrong both ways.

How long should a solar quotation be valid?

Use the Shortest-Date Rule: the earliest of your supplier's rate-lock, the next rule date that could change the job, and 30 days. As a starting point, 15 days for a standard residential quote and 7 days for commercial work, adjusted to your supplier's terms. Print the date on the quote.

Can I raise the price after the customer has accepted the quote?

Only if the accepted quote already allowed it or the customer agrees. That is why clause 3 locks the price once the advance is received, and clause 4 allows a change only for a GST or government rule change, up or down and in writing. Ask your lawyer to review the clauses. This is not legal advice.

Does the GST cut to 5% apply to quotations issued before 22 September 2025?

Not by the quotation date alone. GST is charged on the supply, and the 5% rate on renewable energy devices took effect on 22 September 2025, according to the PIB FAQ, with the rate in Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate). A quote issued earlier but invoiced after that date therefore raises a time-of-supply question that your CA should settle for each invoice. A rule-change clause in the quote tells the customer in advance that a tax change will be passed on, up or down.

Do ALMM changes change my module price?

ALMM decides which modules a project may use, so it can change what you can buy, but it does not set a price. The MNRE office memorandum of 4 August 2026 says net-metering projects commissioned by 31 December 2026 are exempt from the List-II cell requirement and later ones are not, and that ALMM orders do not relax scheme DCR conditions. Ask suppliers in writing which models use List-II cells.

Should I re-issue a quote when prices fall?

By default, honour the quote until its valid-until date and re-issue at the new list after that. The owner may re-issue lower sooner for a customer who is comparing quotes. Do it openly, with the old and new lines shown and the reason logged.

Who should be allowed to change the price list?

One named list keeper edits it and one named approver signs off margin. Reps read the list and quote from it. In Quickest Solar CRM the admin sets the rates and margin and the team quotes from those numbers, per the Solar Pricing Calculator page.

Can a CRM update my rates automatically from the market?

We do not make that claim for Quickest Solar CRM. The Solar Pricing Calculator page describes an admin-set price list and does not describe a feed of market prices. Market reports show direction and your distributor's written rate decides your list, so a person has to decide each new rate.