Direct Costs Overview
The Direct Costs view is where most estimators spend most of their day. It is the main schedule of items — the work that will be built and priced.
What Lives Here
A Direct Cost grid shows DirectCostItem rows, each with:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Line # | Sequential line number within the project (auto-assigned; resequenceable). |
| WBS | Optional free-text code. |
| Item | Name / description of the work. |
| Description | Longer detail. |
| Qty | Quantity to be built. |
| Unit | Unit of measure. |
| Resource | Linked resource (optional). |
| Rate | Resource rate (pulled from the resource, editable). |
| Total | Qty × Rate or sum of breakdowns. |
| Status | Draft / Review / Approved / Complete. |
| Pricing Mode | Standard / Rate Only / Not Contributing / etc. |
| Sell Rate | Calculated: direct rate + allocations. |
| Sell Total | Calculated: direct total + allocated pools. |
Additional columns become visible per user preference: Carbon, Markup %, Margin %, custom columns, etc.
What You Can Do
- Add, indent, duplicate, move and delete items.
- Drill into a row to open its Breakdowns — sub-lines that build up the cost.
- Change pricing mode to drive sell-rate behaviour.
- Hide an item and apportion it to others.
- Write formulas for Qty / Rate / Total / custom columns.
- Link items to code sets for reporting.
- Assign custom colours and text styles for readability.
Totals Bar
The bottom of the view shows project-wide totals: direct subtotal, apportioned overheads, markup, margins, and the grand sell total. These update live as you edit.
The Rest of This Section
- 02 — creating an item.
- 03 — indenting / nesting.
- 04 — breakdowns.
- 05 — pricing modes.
- 06 — apportionment and hidden items.
- 07 — formulas in the grid.
- 08 — custom columns.
Skip to any topic — they stand alone.