How do I calculate a quotation with cost types, posts and parameters?

In a calculated quotation you build up each quotation line from cost lines: material, hours, machines and other costs. You give each cost line a cost type, bundle the cost lines in a reusable post and make that post smart with parameters. Robaws then analyses that calculation in the quotation and, in the project, compares it with what actually happened. Do you prefer to work with activities? The principle is the same.

Navigate quickly to:

• the cost types
• building up a post
• adding parameters to your post
• analysing your calculation in the quotation
• the recalculation in the project

Cost types

Every cost line in the build-up of a quotation line or post gets a cost type. You choose from six types:

Building up a post

A post is the reusable build-up of a quotation line. You record once which cost lines belong to, for example, 1 m² of painting work, and then use that post in every quotation. How to create a post and which fields the post file has is explained in Posts | General.

The quantity of a cost line is multiplied by the quantity you enter for the post on the quotation line. Don't want that, for example for a crane that you charge once? Then switch on Totality on that cost line. You can do this in advance in the post or once in the build-up of a quotation line.

In the rest of this article we use as an example a "Painting work" post with these cost lines:

Adding parameters

With parameters you ask a question once in a post, such as "which colour?" or "how many days?", and the calculation adapts to the answer. You add them in the Parameters section of the post.

A choice: which colour of paint?

The customer chooses blue or red, and only one of the two paint lines may count.

1. Create a parameter with a unique name, e.g. kleurverf.
2. In Description, put the question: which colour is used?
3. Switch on Show details. The Possible values column appears.
4. Enter the values between double quotation marks, "blauw" and "rood", and press Enter after each one.

Then link the choice to the paint lines with a condition. Put it between brackets after the existing Quantity of the blue paint line. If it says 1/100 (1 litre per 100 m²), that becomes 1/100 * (kleurverf == "blauw" ? 1 : 0): with blue the line counts, with red it does not. Do the same for the red paint line with "rood".

If you now choose a colour, Robaws only counts the correct paint line. The other one is set to 0.

A number: how many days of aerial work platform?

For a number you do not need possible values. Create a parameter aantaldagen, put the number in the Formula column and enter aantaldagen as the Quantity of the "Aerial work platform" line. Also switch on Totality on that line, otherwise the number of days is still multiplied by the number of m² of the post.

Do you also want to let the user choose whether an aerial work platform is needed? Then create a choice parameter hoogtewerker with the values "ja" and "nee" and multiply the quantity by (hoogtewerker == "ja" ? 1 : 0).

Building in experience: a surcharge

Do you know from experience that a site that is hard to reach costs extra hours? Pour that into a choice parameter, e.g. vlottetoegang with the question is there easy access to the floor? and the values "ja" and "nee". As the quantity of the "Working hours" line, put:

8 * (1 + (vlottetoegang == "nee" ? 0,15 : 0))

With "nee", the post automatically calculates 15% extra hours. Every quotation with this post asks the question again.

The fixed parameters Q and DISTANCE_KM

Two parameters always exist, without you having to create them:

• Q: the quantity you enter for the post on the quotation line. On the post file itself, Q is always 1.
• DISTANCE_KM: the value in the Kilometers field of the quotation. Use it as the quantity of the "Kilometercompensation" line and the travel cost calculates itself. On the post file itself, DISTANCE_KM is 0, which is why that line shows a quantity of 0 there.

Parameters as text on your quotation

Put ${parameternaam} in the Extended description of the post and the chosen value appears on the quotation pdf. Kleur: ${kleurverf}, for example, becomes Kleur: blauw.

This way you can also make a whole sentence depend on a choice. Create a parameter teksthoogtewerker with the formula

hoogtewerker == "ja" ? "Er zal een hoogtewerker door ons voorzien worden voor " + aantaldagen + " dagen." : "Er wordt een hoogtewerker voorzien door de klant."

and put ${teksthoogtewerker} in the extended description.

Ground rules for formulas

You write mathematical functions with Math. in front, such as Math.ceil or Math.round. You can find all characters and functions in Symbols and formulas you can use in posts, and worked-out formulas in Examples of posts and formulas.

Analysing your calculation

In a calculated quotation you see the costs per cost type and, if you work with activities, per activity:

• per line: in the Analysis tab of the build-up of a quotation line;
• for the whole quotation: in the Overview tab of the quotation.

The amounts from the Direct costs tab and the indirect costs from your indirect cost margin are included in the chart per cost type, not in the chart per activity.

Recalculation in the project

If you consistently give the items in your quotation the correct cost type, Robaws automatically makes a recalculation in the project that is linked to the quotation.

Also link your planning and assignments to that project. What your teams register in Wappy is converted into work orders, and in the recalculation Robaws compares what you planned in the quotation with what was actually realised.

Updated on: 14/10/2026