Entering Material Prices

Entering Material Costs

The Material Manager stores price information for each of the materials used in typical construction projects.

To make it easier to manage the price book for the BidMagic Material Takeoff Software, the prices are divided into several price categories. The current category is displayed at upper left, and all the items in the category are displayed in the list in the left side of the window.

EXAMPLE: In the picture above, the current price category is appliance, and all the appliance materials are displayed in the list at left.

The price information for the currently selected item in the list is displayed on the right-hand side of the Material Manager window.

EXAMPLE: In the picture above, the currently selected price is central vacuum.

The name field shows the name of the item. You can change the name to anything you'd like just by typing the new name into this field.

HINT: Give each material a unique, descriptive name. It will make it much easier for you to read your material takeoffs, and there's less of a chance that you'll confuse one kind of material with another.

The unit size field displays the unit in which the cost for this item is measured. It may be a simple measurement such as ea/each, lineal feet, or square feet. Or it may be a more complex quantity such as 4x8 sheet, 5 gallon pail, or M board feet.

The material price field displays the current price for one of the listed units. This is the price your supplier currently charges for the item.

The markup field displays the markup used for this item, if you include one with your material prices.

NOTE: Since BidMagic already provides an overall markup percentage elsewhere in the bid, you usually will use a material markup of 0%.

The net price field displays the net price of the item, after the markup has been applied. For example, if you enter a 10% markup for central vacuum, the net price will change from $409.50 to $450.45.

The supplier field displays the name of the supplier from which you usually get the item. To enter a new supplier name, click on the pop-up button to the right of the name, and select a new supplier from the pop-up menu.

NOTE: You can also type in a new supplier name, if it's not already listed in the pop-up menu.

The last updated field shows the date on which the item was last updated. You cannot edit this field-- BidMagic will automatically change the date for you, whenever you change an item's net price or markup.

The comment field displays an optional comment describing the item. You can enter any text you'd like into the comment field.