Resources
The catalogue every rate analysis, BOQ and material request draws from — materials, labour, plant, subcontract work and services, with their units and standard rates.
A resource is anything a rate analysis consumes: a bag of cement, a mason-day, a mixer-hour, a lump of subcontracted waterproofing, a survey fee. Get the catalogue right first — rate analyses, BOQs, material requests and purchase orders all pick from it.
📷 Screenshot spot — the Resources list filtered to materials, with one resource open below showing its kind, unit, category and standard rate
Save as static/img/screenshots/precon-resources.png and replace this box with 
The five kinds
| Kind | Examples | Held in stock? |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Cement, TMT bars, tiles, ready-mix | Yes — shown as stockable |
| Labour | Mason, bar bender, helper | No — shown as direct |
| Equipment | Mixer, JCB, tower crane | No |
| Subcontract | Waterproofing package, false ceiling | No |
| Service | Survey, testing, design fee | No |
The kind decides which cost head the resource lands in, and it is fixed once the resource is created. Only materials can carry minimum and maximum stock levels.
Add a resource
- Open Resources (under Masters in the sidebar) and click New resource.
- Enter a Code (such as
CEM-OPC53) and a Name. Codes are unique. - Pick the Kind and the Unit.
- Optionally pick a Category, and add HSN / SAC and Brand.
- Enter the Standard rate — the estimating rate every rate analysis and BOQ inherits — and GST %.
- For a material, add Min stock and Max stock if you want reorder levels.
- Click Save resource.
Units
The Unit list is a standard list set up for your company: counts (nos, set, pair, bag, roll, coil, bundle), lengths (m, rmt, km, mm), areas (sqm, sqft), volumes (cum, cft, litre, brass), weights (kg, MT, quintal), time (day, hour, shift, month) and lump sums (LS, job, %). Each unit carries its GST unit code, so the BOQ can say "cum" while a GST return says what the law needs.
Adding your own unit is not in the app yet. Pick the nearest standard unit.
Rates and what each one means
Open a resource by clicking its row. If your role can see rates, the panel shows Standard rate, Last purchase, Average and GST.
The Standard rate is the one that matters for estimating. You set it, and it is what every rate analysis and BOQ assumes the resource costs. A purchase never changes it: what the last load of cement cost is a fact, what your estimates should assume it costs is a decision.
Last purchase and Average are not filled in from goods receipts yet, so they usually show a dash. The weighted average cost of material actually in stock is kept per store — see Stores.
There is no rate-history screen in the app yet. Every standard-rate change is recorded with its reason.
Change a standard rate
- Open the resource and click Edit.
- Change Standard rate.
- Fill in Reason for the rate change (required).
- Click Save changes.
Every rate analysis that uses this resource is flagged stale, with the old and new rate in the reason. Nothing is recalculated automatically, because a BOQ or quotation may already have been priced from it. Open the Estimation page to review and recompute.
Only the Company Admin, Project Manager and QS / Estimator can change a standard rate. A Procurement Manager can add and edit resources and set the standard rate when creating one, but on an existing resource the field is greyed out.
Categories
Click Categories to group the catalogue (for example Cement, Steel, Finishes, under a parent such as Civil). Enter Code, Name and Parent (or Top level) and click Add. Use Rename or Retire on any row. A category with resources or sub-categories in it cannot be retired — move them first.
Filter the list with All kinds, All categories and Search name or code. The list shows the first 200 matches; narrow the filters to reach the rest.
Delete a resource
Click Delete, optionally give a reason, and confirm with Delete resource. It stops being offered on new documents; rate analyses, BOQs and orders that already name it stay readable.
Materials that go straight to cost
Every material you receive goes into stock first and becomes project cost when it is issued. Marking a material such as ready-mix concrete — poured off the lorry, never stored — so that it posts straight to cost on receipt is not in the app yet.
Who sees rates
| Role | Sees |
|---|---|
| Company Admin, Project Manager, QS / Estimator, Procurement Manager, Accountant | The resource and its rates |
| Site Engineer, Store Keeper, QA/QC Engineer | The resource without any rate |
Related
- Rate analysis — where resources and their rates become an item rate.
- Stores — stock on hand and its average cost, per store.
- Resource Catalog Match — links BOQ lines to the right resource.