Electrical Estimating Software: Creating a Job from an Estimate
What is the difference between an Estimate and a Job?
An Estimate is the creation of a Take-Off to enter costs such as material, labor, expenses, and more. Once you have your costs, you apply your profit and overhead percentages. From here, you create the Proposal and finalize information relative to the bid. As soon as you send the Proposal out, that is the end of the Estimating process. However, if your Proposal is accepted, that is the beginning of the Job creation within Red Rhino’s Electrical Estimating Software.
The purpose of creating a Job
Within a Job, you can create Change Orders and Invoices and track Project Management data as you complete a project. Think of a Job as a hub for all information for a project. From the Job, you can view or change any information for the project as it progresses. Electrical Estimating Software keeps all of your information organized.
How to create a Job
Creating a Job from an Estimate is a simple process. Follow the steps below to create a Job from an Estimate:
1. On the Proposal screen, click “Create Job” at the top.
2. The Electrical Estimating Software will show you what Proposal you are creating a job for and the selected customer. Verify that this information is correct, and click on the arrow to the right of “Continue to create Job.”
3. After clicking “Continue to create Job,” you will be prompted to enter Job details. To be able to get to the next step, everything with an asterisk (*) is a required entry. After entering all the necessary information, click “Save” at the top.
4. You have created your first job in Red Rhino’s Electrical Estimating Software!
How to create a Change Order
Now that you have created your first Job, you can work on Change Orders for a project. A Change Order is a modification made to a contract. The three main reasons for a Change Order are: additions beyond the project’s scope, substitutions or alterations are requested, or omissions to the original project are necessary.
Creating a Change Order in Electrical Estimating Software simplifies this process. To create a Change Order in Red Rhino, please follow the steps below:
1. Click “Change Orders” at the top right of the Job screen.
2. To create a new Change Order, click “New” at the top right.
3. Now, type in all required information for the Change Order. Please be aware that anything marked with an asterisk means that it is a required entry. To reduce confusion, being as detailed as possible is essential throughout the Change Order creation. After entering all information, click “Save” at the top right.
4. After pressing Save, you will be taken to the Change Order. On this page, you can view all the information entered. If you want to add material and labor to the Change Order, click “Estimate” at the top right and then “Change Order Estimate.”
5. Now, give the Change Order Estimate a name and provide as much detail as possible. Once you enter all the information, click “Save” at the top.
6. After clicking Save, you will reach a familiar-looking Estimate screen. You will now create a Section and edit the Take-off just as you would for an Estimate creation.
7. Add all material and labor required for the Change Order in the Take-Off. Once all material and labor are added, click Recap at the top right.
8. When you are at the Recap, start by editing the Header to represent the Change Order’s rates. Then, look through the Take-Off Summary for a detailed breakdown of the material cost, labor cost, overhead, and profit.
9. After reviewing the Take-Off Summary for accuracy, we will click on “Proposal/RCO” to generate the Request for Change Order.
10. On the Request for Change Order page, you can now finalize details that are relevant for the Change Order if you didn’t include them earlier. When satisfied with the information, click “Save” at the top right.
11. You have created a Change Order in Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software. With the completed Change Order, you can save it to your computer or email it to your customer.
Here is a PDF (Preview) of the Change Order:
Proposal PDF
.pdf
Download PDF • 98KB
Creating an Invoice
Some Electrical Estimating Software has built-in Billing functions that allow you to send your customer’s Invoices for the work performed. Within the software, the Estimate data will automatically transfer to the Invoice to provide you with accurate and updated information. The steps below outline how to create an Invoice in Red Rhino Electrical Estimating Software.
1. After selecting the right Job, click “Invoice” at the top right of the screen. Then select “New Invoice” to create a new Invoice.
2. Enter all required information, starting from top to bottom:
a. First, start with selecting an Invoice Date and an Invoice Query Contact.
b. Secondly, input all information for the Customer Information section.
c. Next, verify the Job Information to ensure accuracy.
d. Finally, input the Contract % Complete to bill for the amount of work you have completed. For example, if you would like to bill for 20% of a $100,000 job, you would be billing for $20,000. If there is any Retention, enter the Retention percentage. Electrical Estimating Software will automatically do the calculations for you.
3. After inputting all information, scroll back to the top and click “Save” at the top.
4. You can now choose to email the Invoice directly to your customer through the Electrical Estimating Software or email a PDF to yourself to send through your work email. To avoid confusion, verify all your information on the Invoice before sending it to your customers.
Here is a PDF (Preview) of the completed Invoice:
Contract Invoice
.pdf
Download PDF • 104KB
Utilizing Electrical Estimating Software to send Invoices keeps all the information synchronized throughout the software. Keeping information synchronized will help ensure accuracy and reflects positively on your company.