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<ManualTopic ID="/baanerp/tp/onlinemanual/000315" xml:lang="en">
	<Header>
		<Title xmlns:ssa="http://www.ssaglobal.com" xmlns:HTML="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">To create an estimate</Title>
		<Keyword><Level1>estimate</Level1>
			<Level2>project</Level2>
		</Keyword>
	</Header>
	<GeneralSection><Paragraph>The estimate process aims to prepare a proposal, a quotation, or a bid. The estimate consists of the sales price and information on the proposed scope. The estimate contains information on the project schedule and on the contract.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>Prerequisite</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>Enter a project in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/pdm/tppdm6100s000" role="session">Project (tppdm6100s000)</GUIRef> session. You can use an activity or element structure, but if an estimate is launched to a budget, you can also link a structure.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>To use an estimate version</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>Create an <Link href="/baanerp/tp/glossary/glossary#000364" role="glossary">estimate version</Link> in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest1100m000" role="session">Estimate Versions (tpest1100m000)</GUIRef> session . By using various estimate versions, you can create different estimates. You can do this, for example, to compare alternative estimates and to create contract extensions. Estimate versions are not related to or derived-from another version.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>To copy structures from <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp">Project</GUIRef></SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>If you know your estimate project’s structure, you can link structures to the estimate version. Alternatively, you can estimate without using a structure. To create a structure code, in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest1100m000" role="session">Estimate Versions (tpest1100m000)</GUIRef> session, on the specific menu, select Estimate Structures. A new structure code requires structural elements. On the specific menu, select Generate Structural Elements.</Paragraph>
		<Paragraph>In the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest1220m000" role="session">Generate Structural Elements (tpest1220m000)</GUIRef> session, you can copy the <Link href="/baanerp/tp/glossary/glossary#000370" role="glossary">structural elements</Link> from project-specific activities, elements, extension lists, or cost components. You can view the new elements in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest1110m000" role="manual">Estimate Structures (tpest1110m000)</GUIRef> session. You can link up to eight structures to one estimate version. Having multiple structures in an estimate enables you to classify your estimate in various ways.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<ExampleSection><SectionTitle>For example</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>Your customer sends a request for quotation for ten ships. The estimate project is activity based. In the version, you use an activity structure with activities such as System Engineering and Component Production. On the bid, you do not want the customer to see this level of detail, so you also link a less detailed element structure to the estimate lines. If you prepare the bid, you skip the activity structure and only use the linked elements: Hold, Deck House, and Navigation. Consequently, the bid will only convey what you want the customer to see.</Paragraph>
	</ExampleSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>To use estimate lines</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>The <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest2100m000" role="session">Estimate Lines (tpest2100m000)</GUIRef> session is crucial to the estimating functionality. In the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest1100m000" role="session">Estimate Versions (tpest1100m000)</GUIRef> session, on the Specific menu, select Estimate Lines. Here, you can enter the lines for the estimate version. An estimate line contains a cost price or a sales price. You can also use a combination of sales and cost on one estimate line.</Paragraph>
		<Paragraph>By deploying the estimating functionality, you can develop a sales estimate from a cost estimate or work with various estimate versions. The estimate lines can be top down or bottom up (or a combination). Bottom-up estimate lines are summed up to give the overall estimate. Top-down estimate lines are always related to a primary structure. By using estimate lines, the total estimate value is distributed over the estimate version structure.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>To calculate an estimate</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>To calculate the estimate, you can either use the Microsoft Excel integration Alternatively, you can use the Microsoft Word integration. In the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest2100m000" role="session">Estimate Lines (tpest2100m000)</GUIRef> session, on the File menu, templates have been added to the Send To command.</Paragraph>
		<List><ListIntro>The following templates are available:</ListIntro>
			<ListItem>Estimate-Line.xlt: calculates all field values of estimate lines.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>Quantity-Calculations.xlt: calculates estimate quantities.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>Amounts.xlt: calculates surcharge, escalation, and contingency amounts.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>CostPrice-Calculation.xlt: calculates the cost price.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>SalesPrice-Calculation-Mark Up.xlt: calculates sales prices and markup.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>SalesPrice-Calculation-Target.xlt: calculates sales prices with target pricing.</ListItem>
		</List>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>Scheduling and estimating</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>After you schedule your activities in an external scheduling package, you can send the start date and end date of the activity back to the related estimate lines. As a result, if you click Modify Utilities on the Specific menu, and choose Estimate Line Dates, the date of expected sales is updated. After you finish the estimate, you can create a bid in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest3100m000" role="session">Bids (tpest3100m000)</GUIRef> session, or prepare a bid in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest3210m000" role="session">Prepare Bid (tpest3210m000)</GUIRef> session. In the latter session, you must select the estimate lines that are relevant to your bid. The bid contains information on the scope, pricing, scheduling, and contractual invoicing. The Excel and Word integrations offer you the possibility to collect the data and format it to your own standards.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
	<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>To launch an estimate</SectionTitle>
		<Paragraph>To <Link href="/baanerp/tp/glossary/glossary#000375" role="glossary">launch</Link> an estimate</Paragraph>
		<Paragraph>To avoid changes, you can set the version and/or estimate lines to Final. If, for example, the bid is accepted by the customer or if (part of) the work must start, you use the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/est/tpest2200m000" role="session">Launch Estimate to Budget (tpest2200m000)</GUIRef> session to launch your estimate to the <Link href="/baanerp/tp/onlinemanual/tpptc" role="glossary">Project Budget (PTC)</Link> module. For the estimate process, you can leave the structures empty. If you launch your estimate to a project budget, you must enter a default element, activity, extension, or cost component for which you can copy the lines.</Paragraph>
		<List><ListIntro>When the bid is successful, you have two choices:</ListIntro>
			<ListItem>You can launch the estimate as a project.</ListItem>
			<ListItem>You can start a new project by copying the estimate project in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tp/pdm/tppdm7840m000" role="manual">Copy Projects (tppdm7840m000)</GUIRef> session. Consequently, the estimate project becomes Blocked. In this way, you can separate estimate projects from projects for a customer contract. In the new project, you can launch the copied estimate to a budget. You can easily close an estimate project version by changing the status from Free to Closed.</ListItem>
		</List>
		<Paragraph>After you have estimated the project and prepared a bid that the customer agrees to, the next logical step is to work on <Link href="/baanerp/tp/onlinemanual/000062" role="manual">To use budgets in a project</Link>.</Paragraph>
	</GeneralSection>
</ManualTopic>
