Quotation Template for Marquees and Caterers in Pakistan

Start with the per-head rate, then list what is outside it

Families compare halls by one number: rupees per head. Put that number on the first line and say exactly what it covers, usually the hall or marquee, the menu, crockery, waiters and basic lighting. Everything else goes below it as a separate line: stage decor, the sound system, extra generator hours, valet parking, a live barbecue counter if it is not a wedding function.

Keep the guaranteed guest count separate from the expected count. If the family says 400 to 450, quote 400 as the minimum you will charge for and state the rate for each extra head. That one sentence settles most arguments at the settlement table after the walima.

Walima quotation, Lahore marquee

Sunday walima lunch for 400 guaranteed guests in a marquee on Raiwind Road, Lahore, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, menu within the Punjab one-dish rule.

• 16% is the standard Punjab rate reported for services; replace it with the rate on your PRA registration if you are on a reduced regime.
• Advance income tax under section 236CB is collected on the final bill at the rate in force, based on the payer's ATL status.
• Extra guests above 400 are charged at Rs 2,200 per head.
• Prices are illustrative for 2026.

Write the menu the Punjab Marriage Functions Act allows

In Punjab the menu at a wedding function in a hall, marquee, hotel or hired private property is limited to one salan, one rice dish, one salad, hot and cold drinks, roti, naan and one sweet dish. The Act binds the venue owner or manager and the caterer, not only the family, and fines run from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 million.

So write the menu as the law defines it: chicken qorma, mutton biryani, fresh salad, naan and roti, kheer, soft drinks and green tea. If a family asks for a second salan, the quotation is the wrong place to agree to it. Other provinces have their own rules and local orders, so check with your district administration before copying a Punjab menu to Karachi or Peshawar.

Show provincial sales tax the way your authority applies it

Sales tax on the service goes to the province where the function happens. Reports on the Punjab Sales Tax on Services Act put the standard rate at 16 percent, with reduced rates notified for some sectors over the years, including a 5 percent option for marriage halls reported in 2019. SRB lists 15 percent as the general rate in Sindh. KPRA gave halls a choice from July 2024 between a fixed amount by seating category and 11 percent of charges.

Because these rates move with each provincial Finance Act, show tax as its own line with the rate in brackets rather than folding it into the per-head price. If you have opted into a fixed or reduced regime, say so in the notes, so a corporate client's accountant does not query the figure.

What your quotation must show in Pakistan

Warn the family about the 236CB advance tax before they book

Section 236CB of the Income Tax Ordinance makes the hall collect advance income tax from whoever arranges the function. For tax year 2025-26 the reported rate was 10 percent of the bill for people on the Active Taxpayers List and 20 percent for those not on it, and it reaches food or services brought in by another vendor too. That is a large number on a Rs 1.2 million walima, and families who first hear of it at settlement feel cheated.

Put one line in the notes: advance tax under section 236CB will be collected at the rate in force on the date of the function, based on the payer's ATL status. Ask for the CNIC early so you can check the ATL before the final bill.

Bayana, validity and date changes

The token is what turns a quotation into a booking. Say how much it is, whether it is refundable, and for how long the quote holds before a token is paid. Seven days is common in peak season, when the same Saturday in December can be asked for by five families in a week.

Spell out what happens if the family moves the date. Most halls let the token carry over once within the same season, and keep it if the family cancels inside a set number of days. Whatever your rule is, write it in the quotation and repeat it on the bayana receipt, word for word.

• Token amount and whether it is adjustable against the final bill
• Quote valid until a named date, not "for a few days"
• One free date change within the season, or a stated charge
• Price increase clause for bookings more than six months ahead

Timings and generators belong on the quotation too

In Punjab the venue must make sure ceremonies end by 10:00 pm. Put the slot on the quotation, for example 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and state that the lights and sound are switched off at closing time. Families then plan the barat arrival backwards from ten, not forwards from whenever the groom's car shows up.

Power cuts are the other surprise. If the per-head rate includes a set number of generator hours, say how many, and put the rate for extra hours on its own line. A caterer quoting for a home event should say who provides the generator and the fuel.

Three quotation mistakes that cost Pakistani halls money

The first is quoting a per-head rate without a guaranteed minimum. A family that books for 400 and brings 280 will pay for 280 unless the quotation says otherwise, and your kitchen has already bought meat for 400. The second is leaving decor as "as discussed". Put the package name, the flower type and the stage size on the page, or the family will remember a different stage in the photos they showed you.

The third is quoting a booking eight months ahead at today's rate with no clause for price changes. Meat, cooking oil and diesel prices move in that time. A simple line saying the per-head rate may be revised by a stated percentage if the function is more than six months away is fair to both sides and easy to explain.

Quotation questions from Pakistan