Definition
A custom quote is a formal pricing proposal submitted by a collection partner when a case needs non-standard pricing. Unlike standard pre-legal cases, which use fixed SDCA pricing tiers, custom quotes allow partners to propose their own pricing structure and approach for handling the case.
Custom quotes are created when:
A case requires legal intervention
The case does not fit standard pre-legal requirements (disputed claim, unusual claim type)
An exclusive partner declines a case that then goes to the network
No exclusive partner exists for the jurisdiction
Important: Custom quotes are distinct from custom terms. Custom terms are informational notes about any special conditions agreed with a client, stored on the client record and shown to partners. They apply automatically to all the client's cases, but the custom-terms text does not itself change pricing. Actual custom pricing is set in the signed contract appendix. Custom quotes are case-specific proposals that require client approval before work begins.
Before a Case Is Submitted
A custom quote only exists once a case has been submitted on the platform and routed to a partner or to the network. Quote requests are created by the system from routing and partner decisions - when no exclusive partner matches during routing, when an assigned exclusive partner declines and the case is reshared to the network, or when the assigned exclusive partner offers custom terms instead of accepting the case under the SDCA. Before submission, no partner has seen, priced, declined or refused the case, and there is nothing for the client to accept, decline or renegotiate.
Whether the client must sign anything before a partner can review the case depends on partner coverage in the debtor's jurisdiction:
An exclusive partner covers the jurisdiction (the common case): the Standard Debt Collection Agreement (SDCA) and that partner's Power of Attorney (PoA) must be signed before the case can reach partner review. A case submitted through the client portal before signing is created but held until the contracts are signed, and the client is guided through signing straight after submission; once the contracts are signed, the case moves on to validation and partner review. This applies identically to standard claims and to claims that will need a custom quote (disputed or non-standard claims) - the signing gate depends on whether a partner was matched during routing, not on the claim type. There is no assessment-only route: the exclusive partner cannot review or quote the case until the SDCA and PoA are signed.
No exclusive partner covers the jurisdiction: the case goes to the network quote request flow, where partners can view the case and submit quotes without the client signing anything up front.
Quote Pricing Models
Partners submitting custom quotes can choose from four pricing structures:
Pricing Model | Description |
Hourly Rate | Partner charges a per-hour rate for time spent on the case |
Flat Fee | Partner charges a fixed amount regardless of outcome |
Success Fee | Partner charges a percentage of the recovered amount (no recovery, no fee) |
Hybrid | Combination of the above (e.g., reduced flat fee plus success fee) |
For comparison, standard SDCA pricing uses fixed success fee percentages based on claim size, jurisdiction, and debt age. See Success Fees: How Pricing is Calculated for standard pricing tiers.
Quote scenarios
There are three scenarios in which custom quotes are collected:
Network scenario: Multiple partners receive the quote request and submit competitive bids. The client reviews all quotes and selects a winner. This type is used for legal cases or when the client wants multiple options.
Exclusive onboarding scenario: A single partner submits a custom quote - the exclusive partner assigned at case creation offers custom terms instead of accepting under the SDCA. This occurs when an exclusive pre-legal partner declines a case because it does not meet standard requirements, but the partner still wants to offer to handle it under custom terms.
Your current partner proposes legal or enforcement work. The partner already working your active case can propose advancing it into the Legal or Enforcement phase. The case is not closed, not re-assigned, and not shared with anyone else - the same partner, the same chat thread and the same history carry forward. The partner sends the quote as either a Recommendation (you can decline and collection simply continues) or as Required (declining pauses the case while the partner decides with you what to do next). You approve or decline it from the quote's detail page; there is no third option and no competing quotes to compare.
For a client-side walkthrough of the third scenario, see Clients: Your collection partner sent you a legal quote - what to do.
Client Approval Requirement
Clients must explicitly approve custom quotes before work can begin. The quote approval workflow:
The system identifies the case needs custom pricing
Eligible partners receive quote request notifications
Partners submit quotes with their proposed pricing and approach
The collection window stays open for 5 business days, or until the expected number of quotes is collected, whichever comes first
There is no hard deadline for the client to choose, but reminders are sent - the first about 10 days after quotes are collected, and a second about a week after that.
The client reviews all quotes and selects one
The winning quote is marked as accepted; other quotes are declined
The case is assigned to the winning partner and moves to active status
Two of these steps do not apply when your current partner proposes legal or enforcement work on a case they already handle: step 2 (partners are notified of a quote request) and step 4 (the multi-quote collection window). Neither is needed, because your current partner's quote is already attached when it is sent. The reminder step does still apply - you receive a reminder email around day 10 and a final one around day 17 if you have not decided, worded for your partner's quote rather than for choosing among several.
All custom pricing is negotiated directly between the partner and client. The SDCA Section 04 states that the client and collector must agree on all terms and pricing for legal actions beforehand.
Relationship to Standard Terms
When a custom quote is accepted:
The custom pricing replaces standard SDCA pricing tiers
Other SDCA terms (exclusivity period, payment handling, obligations) still apply unless explicitly modified
Legal actions are conducted directly between the client and partner under separate agreements; Debitura is not a party to those agreements
Impact by Actor
Client
Receives a quote where a non-standard case is priced by agreement rather than at the standard fixed rates
Can compare multiple proposals before selecting a partner
Must approve the quote before the partner can begin work
May view any pre-agreed custom terms at Custom Terms in account settings
Collection Partner
Can propose custom pricing for cases that do not fit standard pre-legal criteria
Competes with other partners on network quote requests
Can decline quote requests without obligation to quote
Work begins only after the client selects the quote
Debitura
Facilitates the quote collection and selection process through the platform
Distributes quote requests to eligible partners based on jurisdiction and criteria
Is not a party to custom pricing agreements between clients and partners
What Custom Quotes Are Not
Custom Quotes are sometimes confused with two unrelated mechanisms. They are not:
A way for a client to negotiate a discount on standard SDCA pricing for a single case. The Custom Quote process applies only when a case does not qualify for Standard Pre-Legal Collection under SDCA Section 04.1 - for example, a non-standard claim type, a disputed claim, a case requiring legal action, or a jurisdiction without an exclusive partner. It is not a route to lower the Success Fee on a single standard case.
A volume or enterprise pricing concession. Special pricing for high-volume clients is negotiated separately with Debitura's commercial team and requires 20 or more cases per jurisdiction per month. Volume concessions apply across a portfolio of cases, not to an individual case via the Custom Quote mechanism.
A budget-aligned quote. The collection partner prices the work involved - legal action complexity, debtor jurisdiction risk, and the expected enforcement effort - not the client's budget cap. A partner can decline a Custom Quote request, propose a different pricing model, or quote a figure higher than the client expected. The client can then accept, decline, or close the case.
Notes
Whether you must sign the SDCA before submitting a quote depends on the scenario. In the network scenario (competitive bidding) you can view the request and submit a quote without signing the SDCA - if you win, the case moves straight to active. In the exclusive scenario (you are the assigned partner offering custom terms on your own case), submitting the quote counts as taking the case, so you must have a signed SDCA first. In all cases, you must sign the SDCA before creating your own cases on the platform.
If a client has pre-agreed custom terms stored on their account, those terms apply automatically to all their cases and are separate from the quote process.
The SDCA Section 04 governs legal actions and quotes: all legal actions are conducted directly between the client and partner under separate agreements.