Setup Data

Build reusable setup data

Decide what belongs in your shared catalogue and what should stay inside one RFQ.

Reusable setup data is the shared layer you want to use again across many RFQs.

The goal is not to store everything. The goal is to store the records that genuinely save time and improve consistency.

Good candidates for reusable setup data

Add setup records when they are likely to be used again, such as:

  • common companies and people
  • frequently priced materials
  • standard labour, equipment, and subcontract rates
  • repeatable classifications and cost codes
  • reusable cost presets or estimate templates

Keep one-off details out of the catalogue

Leave information in the RFQ or estimate instead when it is:

  • unique to one customer request
  • temporary or not verified yet
  • too vague to reuse safely
  • only relevant because of one unusual package

A simple way to decide

Ask:

  • Will we use this again?
  • Would another estimator understand why this record exists?
  • Is the value stable enough to trust later?
  • Is this better as a reusable record or just a job note?

If the answer is unclear, keep it in the RFQ first.

Example decisions

Good reusable record

Mild steel plate 10 mm, kg rate, linked suppliers

This is a normal reusable setup record.

Better left in the RFQ

Urgent weekend crane allowance for Builder X tender revision

This is job-specific and should usually stay in the estimate or quote notes instead of the shared catalogue.

Good reusable company relationship

Linking a supplier to materials or subcontract rates you buy from repeatedly is usually worth keeping.

Better reviewed before import

A spreadsheet that mixes old archived suppliers, duplicate names, and unclear currencies should be cleaned first instead of imported directly.

Build in layers

The simplest reliable order is:

  1. companies and people
  2. materials and rates
  3. classifications
  4. presets and templates

This keeps dependencies easier to review.

Use AI carefully here

Ask Kwantflow AI can prepare grouped setup-record proposals, but you still approve or discard them yourself.

Use AI to save setup time, not to lower the review standard.

Next: Materials and rates.