Costbooks, questions, and pricing rules

Set up the costbook

Organize items into folders and use clear item names, units, and prices. Check whether an item price represents one unit or a complete package.

For labor and subcontract work, choose a direct per-unit cost or hourly pricing. Hourly pricing multiplies the rate by hours per unit: $50/hour × 0.5 hours/unit = $25/unit. An entered direct per-unit value, including zero, takes precedence; select hourly mode to clear that direct value. Material waste is a percentage applied only to the material component. Equipment and other costs are added per unit.

Save catalog changes and run sync while connected. The Apple app can pull company costbook changes made on the web.

Before editing on multiple devices, sync the latest changes first. Pending edits and deletion markers are retained with the native account workspace; do not assume two simultaneous edits will merge the way you intend.

Configure questions and rules

Setup questions collect project details that pricing rules can use. Give each question and answer a clear meaning.

Add one pricing rule at a time and test both the matching and nonmatching answers. Rules can change item prices, so a catalog’s base price may differ from the proposal line.

AI assistance can help draft configuration, but you must review its conditions, affected items, and arithmetic before saving. AI output is not a guarantee of business correctness.

Verify a calculation

Compare a simple sample manually: adjusted unit price × quantity, then discount, applicable tax, and administrative charges.

Check the on-screen total against the generated PDF. Do not send a proposal if the two differ.

Retest rules after changing question options, catalog item references, tax, or discount settings.