​Introduction

Construction Add-on is an extension intended to simplify the Quote generation process for General Contracting Companies.

Generating a Quote for a construction project is a complex process since it is based on the site and the time requirements. Construction Add-on allows you to easily record site and duration details and use them to generate Quotes.

Construction Add-on Components

Construction Add-on comes with two new modules called Site Survey and Labour. These new modules affect the Deals and Quotes module directly. 

When you generate a Quote directly from a Deal record with Site Survey and Labour records linked, the complete line item details, including the sections, are captured in a Quote.

Site Survey Module 

Site Survey module primarily contains a grid field to make it easy for surveyors to enter dimensions (Length, Width, Height) to capture the site area. Multiple Site Survey records, for example, different rooms, floors, and sites, can be created and linked to a Deal. Admins can customize the formulas in the grid field. 

Following is the flow of a Site Survey:

• User creates a Site Survey by selecting the respective Deal record.
• When a Deal record is selected, the Project Type in Site Survey is automatically set as Deal Project Type.
• User enters details in the Area breakup grid field. The Total Area field is updated automatically using the value from the Grid cell.
• User uploads a site drawing in the Site Plan field. The uploaded file will be created as a document and linked automatically to the respective Deal record.
• When a Deal record is updated, the Project Type will be updated in all the linked Site Survey records as the Deal Project type.

Labour Module

Labour Module primarily contains a grid field with formulas to calculate the total amount of time (hours) put in by the labour to complete the job. Multiple Labour records can be linked to a Deal record.

Following is the flow of the Labour module:

• User creates a Labour record by selecting the respective Deal record.
  • When a Deal record is selected, the following fields are copied from the Deal record:
    • Project Type - Deal’s Project Type
    • Total Area - Deal’s Overall Area
• User enters details in the Labour breakup grid field. The field Total Duration will be automatically updated with the value from the Grid cell.
  • When a related Deal is updated, the fields Project Type and Total Area from the linked Labour records are automatically updated from the Deal Project Type and Deal Total Area fields.

Quote Generation from a Deal Record

Following flowchart describes the complete process of creating a Deal with Site Survey and Labour information and generating a Quote including the same:

Following are the fields from a Deal record captured into a Quote with Construction Add-on installed:

• The value of the field Total area from a Site Survey record is captured in the field Quantity for any line item added in the section Area.
• The value of the field Total duration from the linked Labour record is captured in the field Quantity for any line item added in the section Labour.

Feature Availability

The Construction Add-on is available in the Vtiger Marketplace. It is available as a downloadable zip file at the cost of 250$ per month with a 15-day trial period. It is available only for One Professional and One Enterprise Edition users.

Benefits

Following are the benefits of the Construction Add-on:

• Save Time 
• Reduce errors 
• Track changes

Key Terminology 

Installing Construction Add-on

1. Log in to your CRM account.
2. Click the User Menu.
3. Click Settings.
4. Look for Extension store.
5. Click Add-ons.
6. Search for Construction.
7. Click Install.

Creating a Site Survey

Once you have completed the installation of the Construction Add-on, you can create a Site Survey.

Follow these steps to create a Site Survey:

1. Log into your CRM account.
2. Click the Main Menu.
3. Search for Construction/Site Survey.
4. Click Add New Site Survey.
5. Enter or select information for the following:
   1. Survey Name - Enter a name for the survey.
   2. Deal - Enter the reference Deal number and select the  Deal record.
   3. Happened on - Select the Deal closing date.
   4. Construction Type - Select one from the drop-down:
      1. Residential
      2. Commercial
      3. Industrial
   5. Area breakup - Enter information in the grid (Will be configured with formulas).
   6. Total Area - Enter information in decimal form (This is read-only and will be auto-filled from the grid).
   7. Site Plan- Upload the required file from the local drive (The uploaded file should be auto-linked to Deal).
   8. Description - Enter a rich text describing the survey.

Creating a Labour Record

Once you have completed the installation of the Construction Add-on, you can create a Labour record recording all the working hours put in by the labours to complete the job..

Follow these steps to create a Site Survey:

1. Log into your CRM account.
2. Click the Main Menu.
3. Search for Construction/Site Survey.
4. Click Add New Site Survey.
5. Enter or select information for the following:
   1. Survey Name - Enter a name for the survey.
   2. Deal - Enter the reference Deal number and select the  Deal record.
   3. Happened on - Select the Deal closing date.
   4. Construction Type - Select one from the drop-down:
      1. Residential
      2. Commercial
      3. Industrial
   5. Total Area - Enter information in decimal form (This is read-only and will be auto-filled from the grid).
   6. Labour Breakup - Enter information in the grid.
   7. Total Duration - Enter information in decimal form (This is read-only and will be auto-filled from the grid).
   8. Description - Enter a rich text describing the labour.

Changes in a Deal Record with Construction Add-on

Following are the changes in a Deal record with Construction add-on installed:

• Line Item Changes 
  • While creating a Deal, two default sections will be added. The names of these sections can not be edited.  
    • Area Section 
    • Duration Section 
  • The option to Add Section in line items is changed as a drop-down with the following options:
    • Add Default Section
    • Add Area Section
    • Add Duration Section

• New fields in Line item 
  • Base Quantity 
  • Wastage (For defining the percentage of wastage that would incur)
  • Item Quantity (Updates automatically using the formula - Item Quantity = Base Quantity + (Wastage % X Base Quantity)). For example, if Wastage is 10% and Base Quantity is 100%, the Item Quantity = 110.

• New Fields in Deal
  • Project Type - Select one from the drop-down:
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Industrial
  • Total Area (Decimal) - This field is read-only and will be auto-set with the sum of Total Area from related Site Surveys
  • Total Duration (Decimal) - This field is read-only and will be auto set with the sum of Total Duration from related Labour records