How to Build a 1-Click PDF Quote Generator & Gmail Draft Logger in Google Apps Script

The Hidden Cost of Manual Proposal Formatting

In commercial roofing, HVAC, fire protection, and electrical contracting, your takeoff math happens in Google Sheets. Yet when it is time to send the formal proposal to a General Contractor, estimators spend 30 to 45 minutes copying line items into a Word template, fixing broken tables, exporting a PDF, and typing out an email from scratch.

Worse, rushing at 1:55 PM before a 2:00 PM bid deadline leads to copy-paste mismatches where the scope table says one price and the summary block says another.

• Zero transcription risk: The PDF is rendered directly from your live Proposal_View sheet tab.
• Internal cost privacy: Your Estimator_Calc and Master_Cost_Book tabs remain 100% hidden from the General Contractor.
• Automatic audit trail: Every dispatched quote is logged with a timestamp, quote ID, and Gmail thread ID.

Core Architecture of exportBidPdfAndDraftEmail.gs

Our production script uses Google Workspace's native UrlFetchApp PDF export endpoint combined with GmailApp.createDraft() so there are zero third-party SaaS fees or Zapier webhooks required.

• Pre-flight validation stops sub-threshold bids before a PDF can ever be created.
• Custom URL parameters strip gridlines and fit the proposal cleanly onto Letter-size portrait pages.
• Creates an immediate, reviewable draft in your Gmail account with the PDF attached.

function exportBidPdfAndDraftEmail() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  const quoteSheet = ss.getSheetByName('Proposal_View');
  const gcEmail = quoteSheet.getRange('B6').getDisplayValue().trim();
  const projectName = quoteSheet.getRange('B4').getDisplayValue().trim();
  const grossMargin = quoteSheet.getRange('F2').getValue();

  if (grossMargin < 0.30) {
    throw new Error('Blocked: Gross margin is below your 30% minimum floor.');
  }

  const exportUrl = 'https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/' + ss.getId() +
    '/export?format=pdf&gid=' + quoteSheet.getSheetId() +
    '&size=letter&portrait=true&fitw=true&gridlines=false';

  const pdfBlob = UrlFetchApp.fetch(exportUrl, {
    headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer ' + ScriptApp.getOAuthToken() }
  }).getBlob().setName('Proposal_' + projectName.replace(/\s+/g, '_') + '.pdf');

  GmailApp.createDraft(
    gcEmail,
    'Commercial Bid Submittal: ' + projectName,
    'Attached is our formal scope and proposal for ' + projectName + '.',
    { attachments: [pdfBlob] }
  );
}