Estimate Templates

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Clicking Main Menu Estimate Templates on the Menu Bar will display a list of all your estimate templates. Estimate templates are just like regular estimates but they are not attached to a project or customer. You can create templates for the common types of jobs you do. This will speed up estimating greatly. You can use all the powerful; features available when creating estimates when creating templates such as assemblies and super assemblies.

You can sort the list by any column by clicking the column heading. Click the same column heading again to sort in the opposite direction.



To find an estimate template just click a field in any column you want to search (i.e. Template Name) and start typing. Quick Estimator™ 2005 will move to the nearest match. Keep typing until you find the one you want. If there is more than one match (i.e. you have two templates named "Patio Template") just hold down the Shift key and hit Enter. Quick Estimator™ 2005 will move to the next match.

Click the Options button and select Add New Template to add a new estimate template.

Click the Options button and select View Template Notes to display template notes. Select again to hide.

Click the Options button and select Update Templates to update all Estimate Templates you have created with any changes you have made to the Cost Book. What this means is that if you changed the Unit, Unit Cost or Supplier for an item, Quick Estimator™ 2005 will look for Estimate Templates that use that item and update them with the changes. This will make sure your Estimate Templates are always using the latest Cost Book information.

Double-clicking a row will open the Estimate Templates screen where you can view or edit the complete details for the estimate template.

The Estimate Templates screen is where you create and edit estimate templates. All items in a template are divided into five categories, Materials, Labor, Subcontract, Equipment and Miscellaneous. You can set a separate Profit and Overhead percentage for each category. See the Categories section of the Setup / Defaults topic for more information. This screen works similarly to the Estimates screen.



Use the Browse drop-down list to browse through your estimate templates. You can also search for an template by typing a template name in the Browse drop-down list. As you type the list will filter out the closest matches. Keep typing until you find the one you want. Hit the Enter key to move to that template.

Clicking the Options button will display the drop-down menu shown below.


Select Add New Template to add a new estimate template.
Select Expand Item List to expand the item list area all the way to the bottom of the Estimate Templates screen. This hides all the information at the bottom and gives you more room to view and edit items. This is useful if the estimate has a lot of items. Select this option again to return the screen to normal view.

Select Add / View Assemblies to view, edit, or add assemblies to the estimate template. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about adding assemblies to an estimate or template.

F Select Add / View Super Assemblies to view, edit, or add super assemblies to the estimate template. See the Adding Super Assemblies topic to learn more about adding super assemblies to an estimate or template.

Select Import Estimate to import a previous estimate you created into the current estimate template. This will open the Import Estimate screen. This is useful if you have an estimate which is for a typical type of job you do often that you want to make into a template. See the Importing An Estimate topic to learn more about importing estimates.

Select Import Template to import another estimate template you have created. This will open the Import Template screen. This is a great way to speed up creating templates that are similar. See the Importing A Template topic to learn more about importing templates.

Select Recalculate to recalculate and refresh all numbers.

Select Delete Estimate to delete the current estimate.

Creating A New Estimate Template

If the Estimate Templates screen is already open, click the Options button and select Add New Template, otherwise click Main Menu then Estimate Templates on the Menu Bar on the Main Menu. and click the Options button and select Add New Template.

The first step is to assign a template name in the Template Name field. Once you have entered the name, hit the Tab or Enter key on your keyboard.

If you are not using the Replication feature, the Template # will be automatically entered for you. You can edit the number as required. If you are using the Replication feature then you will have to enter the Template # yourself. The replication feature is only available in the Full version.

The current date will already be entered in the Date field. If you want to change the date, click anywhere in the Date field to display a drop-down calendar. Select the date you want from the calendar. See the Entering Dates topics to learn more about the drop-down calendar.

Select the estimator for this estimate template from the Estimator drop-down list. If you have setup a default estimator in the Setup / Defaults section, then that estimator will already be selected. You can change it if you want.

Enter any notes about the template in the Notes field.

To add items to your estimate template, first select the category by clicking any the category buttons If you have selected Not Grouped or Grouped By Assembly in the Item List View drop-down list then these buttons will not be visible.

There are seven different ways to add individual items to the estimate template which are listed below. Some of these options will only be available in the Full version. These options give you great flexibility when adding items to an estimate template.

1.

Type a partial or full item name in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is found it will be added to the estimate template. If the item is not found you will be asked if you want to add it to the cost book.

If you click Yes, the small screen shown below will open. This lets you add basic information about the item.

If you have select Grouped By Category in the Item List View drop-down list, the

Category will be set to the category selected on the Estimate Templates screen. The Name will be filed in with what you had typed into the Estimate Templates screen. Enter the rest of the information for the item and click the OK button. This will save the item to the cost book and return you to the Estimate Templates screen where the item will have been updated with the information you entered. Click the Cancel button to not add the item to the cost book.

If you click No when asked if you want to add the item to the cost book, you can carry on entering the rest of the information for the item in the estimate template without adding it to the cost book.

If you don't want to be asked every time you enter an item that is not in the cost book, click the Cancel button. You can switch this back on from the Setup / Defaults screen under General.

2.

F Type * in the Item field and press Tab or Enter to select an one or more items from your Cost Book Favorites list. This opens a screen exactly like the Cost Book Item Selector screen but which only shows items you have added to your Favorites list. The favorites list allows you to add you most used items so that you can easily locate them without having to browse through all your cost book items. See the Cost Book Favorites topic to learn more about managing favorites.

3.

Type an Item code in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. (Only applies if you use Item Codes (CSI Codes)). If the code is found the item will be added to the estimate template.

4.

F Type an item barcode number in the Item field and press Tab or Enter and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is found it will be added to the estimate template.

5.

F Scan an item barcode into the Item field using a barcode scanner and the item will be looked up in the cost book. If the item is found it will be added to the estimate template.

6.

Click the button to the right of the item field to open the Cost Book Item Selector screen where you can add multiple items at once. This screen allows to easily find and choose items from your cost book and add them to the estimate template. If you have selected Grouped By Category in the Item List View drop-down list then only items from the category chosen on the Estimate Templates screen will be available on the Cost Book Item Selector screen. See the Cost Book Item Selector topic to learn more about this screen.

7.

F To enter a note or heading item type - followed by the text you want in the Item field and press Tab or Enter. None of the other fields will apply and they will be set to blank.. This is useful if you just want to add a note item that does not have a quantity or price or if you want to add a group heading to organize the items in the estimate. These items will be formatted in bold text both on screen and when printed. You must leave the - (dash) at the beginning for it to be recognized as a note. If you remove it Quick Estimator™ 2005 will assume it is a regular item.

In the Variation / Type field you can enter information like color, sizes, type or any other information you want to give your customer about an item. This is optional. If you have setup multiple variations for an item in the Cost Book, then these variations will be available from the drop-down list.

Next enter or select a task that you want to group this item by in the Task drop-down list. If you have selected a default task for the item in the Cost Book, then that task will already be entered for you. Using tasks is optional but will give you more control and options when printing estimate you create form the template. A typical use for tasks is if you are estimating for pavers and for a retaining wall on the one estimate. You would enter pavers as a task for all paver items and Wall as a task for all wall items. You can then print your estimate grouped by task so that all paver items and all wall items will be grouped together with their own subtotals. You are not limited to what is on the list, you can type in what you require. To add to or edit the list of tasks, simply double-click the Tasks drop-down list. This will open a screen where you can add, edit or delete tasks. See the Project Tasks topic to learn more about this screen.

The Supplier field will already be filled in if you have entered a supplier for the item in the Cost Book. You can change the supplier or if one has not been entered just select one from the list. Double-click the Supplier field to open the Suppliers screen where you can add, edit or delete suppliers. Having suppliers assigned to items allows you to print purchase orders from your estimates.

The Unit field will already be filled in but you can change it by selecting a new unit from the drop-down list. You are not limited to what is on the list, you can just type in what you require. If you change the unit you will also have to change the unit cost.

Next enter the quantity in the Quantity field. If you used the Cost Book Item Selector to add an item then the quantity will already be entered. Once you enter the quantity, the total cost for that item will be calculated. You can change the quantity at any time and every thing will be recalculated. You can also double-click the Quantity field to open the pop-up Calculator to help you calculate the quantity. You can also leave the quantity at 0 and only enter the quantity when you import the template into an estimate.

The Unit Cost field will already be filled in if you have entered unit costs for all the items on the Cost Book. You can change the cost if you want.

The overhead and profit will all be calculated and the totals will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Taxes will not be calculated for estimate templates but will be calculated when you import the template into an estimate.

You can also add a description or note to any line item. You can have a different note for customers and your crew. This is useful if you would like to give more information about a product or describe how you to install it. To do this check the Show Line Item Notes check box. A blank line will appear below each item where you can type free screen text. It is divided into two sections. The left section is for customer notes and the right is for crew notes. Use the two small buttons to the right of the Show Line Item Notes check box to increase or decrease the height of the field. When typing use the Enter key to move to a new line. You can include as much text as you require. Uncheck the Show Line Item Notes check box to return to normal view. If you have added customer or crew notes to items in the Cost Book and have checked the Add Notes To Estimate check box, then those notes will automatically be added to the estimate template when you add the item

Each line item will be given a number as it is added to the estimate template. This number is used to sort the items on screen and on printed reports. You can edit these numbers to resort the items or you can use the up and down buttons at the bottom of the details area to move items up or down in the list.

To delete an item, click the button to the right of the item you want to delete.

Click the Options button and select Add / View Assemblies to add one or more Assemblies to the estimate template. Assemblies are a powerful way to create estimates and templates. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about using assemblies in estimates or templates. See the Assemblies topic to learn more about creating assemblies.

Click the Options button and select Add / View Super Assemblies to add one or more Super Assemblies to the estimate. Super Assemblies are a combination of regular assemblies are a powerful way to create estimates and templates. See the Adding Assemblies topic to learn more about using super assemblies in estimates and templates. See the Super Assemblies topic to learn more about creating super assemblies.

Items that belong to an assembly are color coded down the left side in green. Items that belong to a super assembly are color coded in orange. This makes it easy to tell which items were added individually and which ones were added as part of an assembly or super assembly. Items that are not in your cost book such as items you just typed in or notes are color coded in blue.

You can lock an item that is part of an assembly or super assembly by checking the box. This prevents the quantity of the item from being changed when you change the assembly or super assembly quantity. This will only apply to items that belong to assemblies or super assemblies.

Click the Options button and select Recalculate to recalculate and refresh all numbers.

Click the Print button to open the Estimate Template Print Options screen. See the Printing Estimate Templates topic to learn more about printing estimate templates.

Click the Close button to close the Estimates Templates screen. If this is a new estimate template, you will be asked if you want to save it or not.

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