A blank PR budget template with approval gates that are not about money

This PR agencies budget template is intentionally blank. It gives an England buyer a structure for comparing planned, committed and actual cost. Fill it only from authorised quotations, signed terms, invoices, time records and finance-approved assumptions.

What to take away

Identification block

Record the buyer legal entity, agency legal entity, service territory, contract version, budget owner, finance owner, service owner, start and end dates, currency, VAT-review status and approval date. Add the do-nothing or in-house baseline. A brand name or informal scope is not enough to support payment.

Store the completed template with the contract record in the finance system. The budget owner signs the approval date; the finance owner countersigns.

Cost rows

Use one row for each cost driver:

Every monetary cell needs currency, net or gross status, VAT shown, billing period, quantity, inclusions, exclusions, source URL or document, source date and confidence. Do not convert a foreign currency unless finance records the exchange-rate source and date.

Version columns

Place five columns beside the cost rows: initial estimate, approved budget, committed amount, invoiced or accrued amount, and current forecast. Keep the original values visible when a revision is approved. Record change reason, approver, date and the evidence replaced.

Add a reconciliation status beside each actual amount: unmatched, matched, disputed, credited or closed. A dashboard total should never conceal an unresolved invoice line. The finance owner sets the review interval and defines which variance, missing artefact or late approval pauses new commitments.

A typical stop rule is a forecast variance above 10% of approved budget with no signed change note; this pauses new commitments until the finance owner and budget owner approve.

Copy the table below into a spreadsheet or document. Leave the money cells blank until each row has a source.

Worked example row, using placeholders and the public 20% VAT rate, not a public benchmark:

If VAT applies at the standard 20% rate, the gross cash requirement includes the VAT on each invoice.

HMRC's VAT record guidance identifies records for sales, purchases, invoices and adjustments. It applies in its UK tax context and does not settle the treatment of this buyer's supply. Retain gross cash, net amount and possible recovery as separate columns until a qualified reviewer decides the position.

Formula sheet

Leave all variables empty:

approved net external cost = sum(accepted quantity x approved net unit charge) + fixed net charges

cash requirement = external net cost + confirmed VAT cash effect - approved credits

internal economic cost = sum(recorded internal hours x finance-approved loaded rate)

full economic cost = finance-approved external cost + internal economic cost + other buyer resources

Do not treat contingency as an automatic percentage. Give each contingent row an event trigger, evidence owner, maximum authority and release decision.

Non-financial approval gates

The spreadsheet should not average away mandatory failures. The NCSC supply-chain review guidance supports ongoing assurance and reporting for suppliers, while the ICO lists processor-contract subjects such as instructions, security, subprocessors and return or deletion. Neither source proves that a particular agency passes.

Add independent go, hold or stop cells for privacy, PECR, security, accessibility, rights, advertising, regulated-sector, procurement, contract, finance and tax review. The budget is not ready while a required owner, source, unit or stop rule remains blank.

Before you act

Common questions

Can a buyer fill the template before finance signs?

No. Fill the identification block and cost rows from authorised documents, but leave formula variables and approval gates empty until the finance owner and budget owner sign.