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Estimating and quotes for construction firms: the margin is already on the quote

In Lean, estimating is not a spreadsheet next to the quote. Every quote line carries a sales price and a cost price. So you know your margin per item before the client signs, and the site later works on with the same figures.

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How is a price built up?

A quote consists of lines. Each line is an item, a cost item or a package, with quantity, unit, sales price and cost price.

Cost price and margin per lineThe margin is shown per item and adds up to the quote, the order and the project. You see straight away which items earn little.
Bill of materials per elementA wall, floor or roof element gets a bill of materials: materials, labour hours and machine hours. The element's cost price follows from that bill.
Packages and optionsLines can be nested. A package at a fixed price keeps that price, even when its parts are delivered and invoiced separately.
Labour, transport and craneDrawing office and preparation hours, transport and crane hours appear as separate items in the quote, with cost and sales price.

Why an old quote keeps its figures

The price belongs to the quote line, not to a price list that may be different tomorrow. A quote from last year still shows what it was then, even if timber has gone up since.

That lets you compare honestly later on. Job costing places the cost price from the quote next to the actual purchase price, and shows the difference as a price variance.

How job costing works ›

From quote to order

  1. 1
    DraftYou draw up the quote on the project. Quotes that are not accepted stay visible on the project, so you see which ones led to an order and which did not.
  2. 2
    VersionsThe client changes something? You create a new version. The previous one is closed as an old version and stays readable.
  3. 3
    Send and signThe quote goes to the client as a PDF. If you use digital signing, the client signs on a secure page and the signed document is kept on the file.
  4. 4
    ConvertThe accepted quote becomes an order in one action. You choose whether prices are recalculated or stay as agreed.
  5. 5
    On to the siteThe order carries its lines into the site budget, purchasing, planning and progress claims.

Supplier prices in your estimate

For each item, Lean keeps the suppliers with their prices: gross price, discount, net price, purchase unit and conversion factor. You import supplier price lists from a spreadsheet.

Unsure about a price? From the selected quote or order lines, you request a price from your supplier. The price request sits on the same project as the quote.

Purchasing and subcontractors ›

What information does the estimate need?

A price is only as good as the information behind it: the architect's plan, the bill of quantities, the choice of materials, access to the site. IRP links that information to the "quote" step and shows what is still missing, before the price goes out.

How IRP works ›

Frequently asked questions about estimating and quotes

Can I see the margin per item before I send the quote?

Yes. Every quote line has a sales price and a cost price. The margin adds up per package, per quote and per project.

Can an element be priced from its bill of materials?

Yes. An element gets a bill of materials with materials, labour hours and machine hours. Its cost price follows from that bill.

What happens to an old quote version?

A new version closes the previous one as an old version. The old one stays readable on the file.

Can I import bills of quantities?

We look at the files you use today when we start. Lean imports supplier prices from a spreadsheet; for bills of quantities or files from a drawing package, we discuss the integration up front.

Read on

Site management and job costing ›Planning crews and works ›Quotes and sales in Lean ERP ›
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