Proposal settings: Properties

The Properties tab contains basic but important proposal details. These settings determine how the proposal is identified, and they establish the period of performance (PoP). They also affect the pricing of the proposal after you submit it to ProPricer Contractor Edition Enterprise.

Proposal
Name The proposal name is required. It can contain up to 40 characters. It cannot contain a backslash \ or be enclosed within parentheses (). Multiple proposals can have the same name with different versions. For example, My Proposal, Ver. 1 and My Proposal, Ver. A would be considered different proposals.
Version The proposal version is required. It can contain up to 20 characters. It cannot contain a backslash \. Multiple proposals can have the same name with different versions. For example, My Proposal, Ver. 1 and My Proposal, Ver. A would be considered different proposals.
Description The proposal description is optional. It can contain up to 255 characters.
Location The proposal location is optional. When you use this setting, each location acts as a folder for your proposals, and the folders can have parent-child relationships. You can group proposals by location in the proposal list.

Set up locations by expanding the drop-down menu in the Location setting. With it expanded, you can create, rename, delete, or move locations.

To create a location, click Add New. Or right-click the drop-down menu, then select Create New Location.

To rename a location, double-click it. Or right-click the drop-down menu, then select Rename Location.

To delete a location, right-click it in the drop-down menu, then select Delete Location. When you delete a location, its proposals will not be deleted. If the location is a child, its proposals will move to its parent.

To make a location a child of another one, like making a subfolder, drag it to the location that will be the parent.

To move a child location to the top level, right-click it, then select Make Root Location. Root locations have no parent.
Period of Performance
Start/End Date Type Select Month/Year if you want tasks and spread periods to start and end with complete months.

Select Date if you want to specify the day that tasks and spread periods start and end. This affects the distribution of labor resource estimates. If the dates include days and you distribute a resource with a spread curve, Contractor Essentials will prorate the estimated hours or equivalent heads in the first and last month accordingly.
Start Date & End Date

Initially, the proposal's dates are optional, and you can create tasks based on the proposal's duration alone. However, the dates must be set to submit the proposal. As long as all tasks will remain within the period of performance, you can return to the Properties and enter dates anytime.

Together, the start date and end date define the proposal's period of performance. They also set the default start and end dates of new proposal tasks.

When you enter values in both the Start Date and End Date fields, the length of the period of performance automatically appears in the Duration field. After dates are entered, the fields must always contain values. While you can continue to change the dates after they are set, you cannot permanently delete them.
Duration

The proposal duration is required. It is the number of months in the period of performance, and it sets the default duration of new tasks.

This field updates automatically when the proposal's start and end dates change. After proposal dates are set, the duration can no longer be entered manually.

Although the duration is linked to the start and end dates, you only need an approximate duration to begin entering task and resource data in the proposal. Just remember to set the dates before submitting the proposal.
Due Date The proposal due date is required. Enter a month, day, and year to set the due date.
Calendar Details
Timescale The timescale is required. It determines how time is measured within the period of performance.

Select Monthly to estimate by month. Select Annual to estimate by year.

If you discretely enter estimates in the proposal later, this setting will be disabled. However, if the proposal is empty, or if you distribute all your estimates with a spread curve, you can change the timescale.
Fiscal Year Period The proposal’s fiscal year period is required.
Fiscal Year Is Determined By This setting is required. It bases the fiscal year on either the first or last month of the fiscal year period.

For example, if the fiscal year period begins November 2020 and ends October 2021, and the fiscal year is based on the first month, then the fiscal year is 2020. If it’s based on the last month, then the fiscal year is 2021.