Estimating and quotes

TradeForm estimating takes you from a blank estimate to a proposal you can send, with your catalog and markup doing the heavy lifting.

Build an estimate

Create a new estimate and add line items. Each line has a cost type so your numbers stay organised the way builders actually think:

• Material for supplied goods.
• Labour for hours on the tools.
• Subcontractor for work you put out.
• Equipment and other costs where they apply.

You can type a line in directly or pull it from your catalog. Pulling from the catalog keeps rates consistent across every job.

Use your catalog

The catalog is your saved library of items and rates. When a supplier price changes, update it once in the catalog, then reprice an estimate from the catalog to pull the new rates through. This keeps old estimates as a record and new ones current.

Apply markup

Markup turns cost into price. Set your margin and TradeForm applies it across the estimate so you can see cost, markup, and sell price side by side. Adjust the margin and the totals update straight away.

Send a proposal

When the numbers are right, turn the estimate into a proposal for your client. The client gets a clean, itemised document they can review and accept online. Acceptance is recorded against the job, so you always know where a quote stands.

Tips

• Keep cost types accurate. They drive reporting later in the project.
• Build the catalog as you go. Every job you price makes the next one faster.
• Ask BuilderBot to explain any total. It reads the same estimate you are looking at.