Set up rate cards and itemised variation pricing

Decide how the catalogue will be organised

Use a structure that matches how your team searches for work. Too many nearly identical lines slow the field user down and make reporting less reliable.

• Use recognisable item codes where your business already has them.
• Write descriptions in terms the site and office teams both understand.
• Choose a consistent unit such as hour, metre, item or day.
• Keep customer-specific agreements in the correct rate card.

Check the customer-facing rate

The rate card should contain the selling information used to build the variation. Internal cost, margin and mark-up controls remain an office responsibility.

• Confirm the rate and VAT treatment before release.
• Make clear whether preliminaries, plant or attendance are separate items.
• Avoid embedding several unrelated activities in one vague line.
• Review expired or superseded rates before a new project begins.

Import the full approved catalogue

VariationDesk is designed for the office to load the real commercial catalogue rather than drip-feed a few items at a time. CSV, TSV, XLSX, ODS and other supported tabular files can be mapped during import, and there is no plan-based cap on individual rate-card items.

Control what happens in the field

Field users can select approved lines and enter quantities. They should not need to calculate margin or see internal commercial information to record the work accurately.

• Search the approved rate card and select the line that matches the work.
• Ask field users to enter measurable quantities and useful notes.
• Allow custom lines only where the office has a clear review process.
• Treat a field estimate as input to review, not an automatic final invoice value.

Review custom and unusual work

When the catalogue does not fit, a custom line is better than forcing the work into an incorrect item. The office should then standardise it if the same work starts appearing regularly.

• Check the description and unit before approving the value.
• Replace temporary wording with a customer-ready description.
• Add a recurring item to the rate card after commercial approval.
• Keep a history of why the unusual price was accepted.