Estimating
5 min readConfiguring your cost database
Set up org-level pricing for materials, labor, and assemblies. Pricing flows automatically into every estimate.
Your cost database is the source of truth for pricing across all bids. The first 30 minutes spent here pay back on every bid for the next two years.
Initial seed
- Go to Settings → Cost Database → Import
- Upload your existing pricing CSV (columns: description, unit, cost, csi_division, supplier, notes)
- Map columns to OmniTakeoff fields. Most templates auto-detect.
- Review + confirm. Conflicts (duplicate descriptions) are flagged for manual resolution.
Per-bid overrides
Within a specific bid you can override database prices without touching the org-wide values. Useful for tight bids where you've negotiated a vendor discount or you're using leftover stock at lower internal cost.
Watch out
Don't update the org-wide cost database mid-bid. Updates apply to all in-progress estimates. Use per-bid overrides instead.