An item is a specific labor, material, rental equipment, subcontractor, or other that is required to perform a service. Typically, they have a cost associated with them.

Before items can be used on estimates, they must first be created in the item catalog. The item catalog, which is located in the Estimating tab of Administration, is a record of current or past items that have been created for estimating services.

To add an item to the catalog:

1. Start by clicking Settings in the bottom left corner.

2. Click Administration.

3. Click the Estimating tab in the top menu bar.

4. Next, click the Item Catalog subsection. You will be shown a default list of items known as your item catalog.

5. To create a new item for the item catalog, click the blue New icon and a dropdown menu will appear. Select the item type you would like to set up.

For this example, we will choose New Material. The New Material Item screen will appear.

6. Type in the Item Name. The Alternate Name field will copy what was put in the Item Name field. You can edit the alternate name to be a specific name of a product, plant genus, or species. The Item Code field is also available below Item Category.

Learn more about the differences between Item Name vs. Item Alternate Name vs. Item Code by clicking here.

⚠️ If you want to edit the item name later, after it has been bid, we recommend not changing the name on the original item. Instead, make the item unavailable to bid and create a new item. Update kits and templates with that item, then inactivate the old item.

7. Select an Item Category. Item categories can be useful for narrowing down purchasing lists and making group purchases.

8. Enter in how much the unit cost is from the vendor in the Purchase Unit Cost field.

9. Select the purchase unit’s measurement which is how the item is ordered or bought.

10. Select the allocation unit’s measurement in how the item will be allocated to jobs.

(If unit measure is different than the Purchase unit you will need to fill out the conversion factor in the Allocation field).

See the chart below for examples:

📌 Note: The Allocation Item Cost will update once the item has been saved.

11. Assign the branch(es) for where the item will be available. This function is available only if the Enhanced Branch Admin Security permission is checked in Administration ➡️ Configuration ➡️ Application.

Select All Branches so your item is available to all branches.

12. The Description field provides a more complete description of the item. This note becomes available when the item is placed onto a service in the estimate.

Additionally, you can choose to include it in the layout for a proposal as extra information for the customer.

13. Checking the Available to bid checkbox will make sure the item can be used in estimating a service.

14. Checking the Inventory item checkbox will make the item available to be received in inventory.

15. Checking the Allocate from Mobile checkbox allows for items to be added as costs to tickets in Crew Mobile and Time Entry. Usually, this is used for equipment during snow like a skid steer vs. a snow plow.

However, this box should only be used for Items that have a $0 cost.

16. If desired, select the Takeoff Item from where the calculation on the estimate should happen. This is mainly used for building kits.

17. Last, click Save.

If you would like to mass import your catalogue items, download our Item Import Sheet below and read the instructions on the first tab.

Each field in the spreadsheet will have a definition above it.

When you are finished entering the information, make a ticket with AspireCare for it to be uploaded into your system.

📌 Note: All submissions must be submitted in an Excel format (XLSX).

File → Download → Excel. Make sure to Save when filling out and when finished.

File → Make A Copy → Select Google Drive Space