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Understand proposal sections and totals

Understand how base products, sections, categories, and product rows form a proposal.

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Understanding Proposal Structure

The Proposal Hierarchy

Every proposal is organized into a clear hierarchy:

Proposal
  └─ Base Product (the foundation)
      ├─ Section: Basic Options
      │   ├─ Category: Pool Color
      │   │   └─ Product: Blue Pebble
      │   ├─ Category: Filtration
      │   │   └─ Product: Standard Filter
      │   └─ Category: Lighting
      │       └─ Product: LED Package
      ├─ Section: Optional Upgrades
      │   ├─ Category: Heating
      │   │   └─ Product: Gas Heater
      │   └─ Category: Automation
      │       └─ Product: Basic Controls
      └─ Section: Landscaping
          └─ Category: Paving
              └─ Product: Concrete Paving

Sections

Sections are top-level groupings in your proposals:

  • Basic Options (system-defined, always first) - Products always included with the base product
  • Custom sections your organization creates (e.g., “Optional Upgrades”, “Landscaping”, “Approval Costs”)

Each section has controls that determine:

  • Include in Contract: Show products from this section in the contract
  • Include in Proposal: Include products in the proposal total
  • Include in Proposal Summary: Show section in first page summary (rich proposals)
  • Calculate Total: Calculate the section subtotal and include that section in the proposal total when Include in Proposal is also on
  • Allow Custom Field: Enable adding one-off custom line items
  • Allow Adjust Price: Enable adding hidden price adjustments

Categories

Categories sit within sections and contain your products:

  • Each category belongs to one section
  • Has an “Included in proposal” checkbox - if checked, appears automatically in every new proposal
  • Has a default product assigned - when added to a proposal, this product is automatically selected

Products

Products are the actual items with pricing. Each belongs to one category and can use different pricing types:

  • Fixed: One consistent price
  • Unit: Price × quantity
  • Variable: Price based on base product rules
  • Attribute: Price × base product attribute (e.g., volume, size)

To Learn More: See the Base Products & Product System Guide for details on product pricing types.

How It Works Together

When you select a base product, the system automatically:

  1. ✅ Adds all categories marked “Included in proposal”
  2. ✅ Selects the default product for each category
  3. ✅ Calculates all prices based on your base product
  4. ✅ Organizes everything into the correct sections

This means most proposals are 80% complete as soon as you select a base product!