Estimates

The Estimate is the priced schedule of work for a project — a list of items, each with a description, a quantity, a unit, a rate, and a total. It’s what you send to a client to win the job, and what you compare subcontractor quotes against.

In this section

• Excel export — step-by-step guide to producing the spreadsheet you send out.
• Tender vs. client vs. internal — which export options to pick for each audience.

How estimates get priced

There are two paths into an estimate line:

1. From a takeoff group. You measure the drawing, group the shapes, apply an assembly, then push the group to the estimate. The cleanest, fastest workflow.
2. By hand in the rate builder. Open the line, click the rate cell, apply an assembly or type a direct rate. Useful for items that aren’t measured (preliminaries, P&Gs, allowances).