Product Release

Quote calculation with Ninox - How it works

5
min
Table of contents

Quotation calculation is a process of cost unit accounting in which the costs for the production of a product or service are calculated. The calculation includes all relevant costs associated with the production or service provision. A distinction is made between:  

  • Direct costs: costs incurred directly by the product.
  • Overhead costs: costs that are distributed to several cost units.

Accurate quotation calculation is important to ensure that companies can achieve an appropriate profit margin while offering competitive prices. Systematic quote calculation can also help identify potential risks before a quote is sent to the customer. Depending on the industry, a distinction is made between trade calculation and industrial calculation (also: surcharge calculation).

The different types of calculations

Calculations can be divided into different methods and categories. However, one of the most important distinctions is the categorization into industrial calculation and trade calculation.

Industry: Surcharge Calculation  

Surcharge calculation (also: full cost pricing) is used primarily in industrial companies. The method distinguishes between direct and overhead costs. Here, the indirect costs are added to the direct costs in the form of an overhead rate. The overhead rate is usually defined as a percentage of the direct costs and is calculated from the total amount of indirect costs in relation to the direct costs. The aim of overhead calculation is to calculate the manufacturing costs of a product as accurately as possible in order to create a solid basis for pricing.

Trade: Pre-calculation and post-calculation

Another method is the trade calculation. It is divided into preliminary calculation and final calculation.  

Preliminary trade calculation is used to calculate the price before selling a product. Both direct costs (cost prices, transport costs) and imputed costs (warehousing costs, personnel costs) are taken into account. Therefore, preliminary trade pricing allows a realistic assessment of potential earnings and risks in advance of the sale.

Post-trade costing, on the other hand, is performed after closing the fiscal year to determine the actual costs and revenues. In this process, the calculated costs and revenues are compared with the actual figures and variances are identified. Post-calculation thus enables a critical reflection on the business strategy and identifying the potential for optimization.

Step-by-step guide: How to create a quote calculation with Ninox

Use the Ninox quote estimation template to build more estimation templates and create digital quote estimations in no time.  

To do this, go to your Ninox account. Now, to set up a new quote costing, follow the steps below:  

  • Open all templates under "+ New database". Select the "Offer calculation" template.

The navigation of the database consists of the menu items:  

  • Dashboard
  • Overhead costing
  • Trade costing
  • Article
  • Documents  
  • Settings and  
  • Info.

To create a new calculation, go to the Dashboard. Here you choose between:  

  • Industry: overhead costing,
  • Trade: Trade calculation forward or
  • Trade: trade calculation backwards.

Then click on the blue "Create wew calculation" button.

Generate surcharge calculation  

The overhead calculation is created based on the articles as well as lot sizes. Once you have selected an item, the calculation base for the overhead calculation appears on the right side. At the very end of the calculation you will get the gross sales price calculated on the basis of direct costs as well as overhead costs.  

To change a value in the calculation, simply click in the field provided and type in the correct amount. Note, however, that not every field can be adjusted manually, as the corresponding values are set elsewhere in the database.  

Using the "Print" button, you can easily turn the performed calculation into a printable PDF document.

Generate overhead calculation

The overhead calculation is created based on the articles as well as batch sizes. Once you have selected an item, the calculation base for the overhead calculation appears on the right side. At the very end of the calculation you will get the gross sales price calculated on the basis of direct costs as well as overhead costs.  

To change a value in the calculation, simply click in the field provided and type in the correct amount. Note, however, that not every field can be adjusted manually, as the corresponding values are set in some other part of the database.  

Using the "Print" button, you can easily turn the performed calculation into a printable PDF document.

Generate trade calculation

Trade calculation is divided into the two subcategories of forward and backward. First, select the appropriate costing method in the dashboard. Then proceed in a similar way as for overhead costing. For trade calculation, you also need to select the respective product and then the calculation base of the cost estimate will be displayed.

Conclusion: Create quotation calculation in a flash with the help of templates

Ninox's quotation calculation templates not only ensures that everything is stored centrally in one digital location, but also simplifies the effort involved. The calculations can be done with just a few clicks and then printed as a PDF or sent to the customer. Best of all: In addition to quotation calculation, you can digitalize many other business processes with Ninox.

Build exactly what you need — nothing more, nothing less.