Add an Estimate to a Proposal

As you build a proposal, you can add one or more estimate tables to help track the potential costs if the project is won.

Prerequisite: In the Navigation pane, select Proposals > Custom Proposals and then create a new proposal or open an existing proposal.

To add an estimate to a proposal:

1. Double-click on an area within the estimate table on the proposal.
   The Edit Estimate Table dialog box displays.
2. By default, the project that displays in the Choose Project list is specified in Proposals Properties. To select a different project, use the Project lookup to choose the project for this estimate.

   After selecting a project, the Choose Table field populates with a list of tables and columns that are available for that specific project.

3. Use the Choose Table options to select the table that you want to include in the estimate.

   This drop-down lists includes tables that are available based on the options specified in Settings > Projects > Estimates. Options that are not available for selection because the project has no data for that item display in gray with a no data available indicator.

   When you select a table, column options that are specific to that table display beneath the Table Display Name field. By default, the Include option is selected for all columns except cost columns. Use this option to add or remove columns as needed. Enter a Table Display Name to include a title in the header of your table and update the display name for each column as desired.

   It is important to note that you can only add one table at a time. For example, if you want both Labor and Expenses to display for the estimate, you must add one table for each.

4. After you choose a table, the Include and Display Name options display to allow you to select the estimate information to merge. Use these options to build the estimate table.

   Some of the options that display depend on your application's settings. For example:

   • Cost Fields:Cost fields display if the Estimate Type in Estimate Settings is set to Cost or Cost and Billing.
   • Billing Fields: Billing fields display if the Estimate Type in Estimate Settings is set to Billing or Cost and Billing.

   The estimate table will display one column for each item that is selected. The column order is based on the order in which they are listed on this dialog box.

5. From the Include list, select the column options that you want to include in the table.
   These options are based on the table that is selected in the Choose Table list. Possible options are:

   • Labor, Expense, Consultant, or Unit Descriptions
   • Hours
   • Planned Bill
   • Planned Cost
   • Generic Resource
   • Planned Quantity
   • Billing Rate

   By default, the Include option is selected for all columns except cost columns. Use this option to add or remove column options as needed.

6. The Display Name column displays the default label for each column. Use the text entry field next to the default label to enter a custom column label if needed.
   You can leave the label blank if you do not want a column header for a particular column. Upon saving this dialog box, the custom column label displays in the estimates table.

   For example, for the Labor table option, you have selected to include the Planned Hours column. You can then change the Planned Hours column to Hours by entering Hours in the Display Name column.

7. On the Actions bar, click Save.
   The columns and tags associated with the fields will be inserted into the proposal.

Post-requisite:

Specify the formatting options for the estimate table.