Understanding Materials
A Material is any physical item, product, or consumable that can be used, sold, or billed as part of a service in Viaesys. Materials can be added to estimates, projects, work orders, and invoices to accurately track quantities, costs, and customer pricing.
Examples of materials include fertilizer, mulch, sod, seed, salt, herbicides, concrete, irrigation parts, and other products used while performing work.
Basic Material Setup
When creating a material, only two pieces of information are required:
Field | Description |
Material Name | The name used to identify the material throughout Viaesys. |
Unit | The unit of measure used when estimating, tracking, and billing the material. |
Examples
Material | Unit |
Mulch | Cubic Yard (CuY) |
Fertilizer | Pound (lb) |
Sod | Roll |
Salt | Ton |
Herbicide | Ounce (oz) |
Once created, the material becomes available for use in estimates, projects, and services.
Adding a Material:
Advanced Configuration
Additional settings can be configured to improve estimating accuracy, automate pricing, and provide better customer-facing proposals.
Billing Defaults
Billing Defaults define both the internal cost of the material and the amount charged to the customer.
These values can automatically populate when the material is added to an estimate, project, or invoice.
Setting | Description |
Cost | The amount your organization pays for the material. |
Bill Rate | The amount charged to the customer for the material. |
Bill By | Determines how the material is billed (typically by quantity). |
Example
Material | Cost | Customer Price |
Mulch | $25.00 / CuY | $45.00 / CuY |
Fertilizer | $1.00 / lb | $2.50 / lb |
Using billing defaults helps maintain consistent pricing across estimates and projects.
Production Rates
Production Rates define how much material is typically required for a given amount of work.
These rates are used during the estimating process to automatically calculate material quantities and costs based on measured areas, lengths, counts, or other quantities.
Example
Material | Production Rate |
Mulch | 3 CuY per 1,000 sq ft |
Fertilizer | 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft |
Seed | 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft |
When a service is added to an estimate, Viaesys can use these production rates to calculate the recommended material quantities needed for the work.
Proposal Description
The Proposal Description is customer-facing text that can be included in estimates, proposals, and contracts.
This description helps explain the material being used and provides customers with additional information about the products included in the proposed work.
Example
Material: Premium Hardwood Mulch
Proposal Description:
"Premium shredded hardwood mulch will be supplied and installed in all designated planting beds to improve appearance, retain moisture, and reduce weed growth."
Why Use Proposal Descriptions?
Provides transparency to customers.
Clearly communicates what materials are included.
Creates more professional and detailed proposals.
Helps differentiate service levels and material options.
Note: Production Rates and Proposal Descriptions are primarily used during the estimating and proposal process to help calculate material requirements and communicate proposed work to customers.