Write-In Line Items
This article explains what write-in rows are, how to add and fill them in, and when to use one instead of building a full item sheet.
What a write-in row is
A write-in is a manual bid row you price directly on the bid sheet — no item sheet behind it, no built-up resource detail. You enter an item number, description, quantity, unit of measure, and unit price, and Stimaro multiplies quantity by unit price for the row total. That's it.
Write-in rows appear in italicized, muted text in the bid grid to distinguish them from linked item rows.
How a write-in differs from a linked item
| Linked item row | Write-in row | |
|---|---|---|
| Backed by an item sheet | Yes | No |
| Resource detail (labor, equipment, material) | Full breakdown | None |
| Updates when item sheet changes | Yes, automatically | No, never |
| Price | Calculated from resources | Manual — you type it |
| Appears in the Items tab | Yes | No |
Because a write-in has no item sheet, it never updates itself when your rates change. The price you type stays until you change it manually.
Adding a write-in row
- On the
Bidtab, clickWrite-Inin the toolbar (the pen icon). - A new row appears at the bottom of the grid, pre-filled with an auto-generated item number, the description
New Write-In, a unit ofLS(lump sum), a quantity of1, and a unit price of0.
The row is selected immediately, ready to edit.
Editing a write-in row
All fields are editable inline — double-click a cell (or press F2) to start:
| Column | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Item # | Your numbering — e.g., 1100 or ALLOW-01 |
| Description | What the line covers — e.g., "Mobilization Allowance" |
| Bid Qty | The quantity you're bidding |
| U/M | Unit of measure — LS, EA, LF, CY |
| Bid Unit | Your unit price |
Total Bid calculates automatically as Bid Qty × Bid Unit and isn't directly editable. Press Enter or Tab to commit and move on; changes save automatically.
How write-ins are marked up
A write-in receives a proportional share of the overhead, profit, and bond pool — the same shared markup spread across your linked items — based on its value relative to the whole bid. So a write-in allowance gets marked up like the rest of the bid. Category-level markups (labor %, equipment %, material %, and so on) do not apply to write-ins, because a write-in has no resource categories to mark up.
When to use a write-in
Good uses:
- A lump-sum allowance you're carrying but haven't priced in detail — an owner-required environmental allowance or a provisional sum
- A quick placeholder early in a bid, before you've built the item sheet — just replace it before submitting
- A subcontract pass-through where you have a firm quote and only need to carry the number
- A one-off line that won't repeat across jobs and isn't worth saving — a project-specific permit fee
- Matching an owner's bid form line-for-line when their format doesn't map to your item structure
Build a real item sheet instead when:
- You need the labor/equipment/material breakdown to see unit cost or benchmark it
- The item will appear on more than one project and you want a reusable template
- The line involves crews or rates that should recalculate when your rates change
- You want validation to check the line — write-ins bypass item-level validation, since there's no resource detail to check
- The quantity may come from a Takeoff measurement — Takeoff marks link to item sheets, not to write-ins
Deleting a write-in row
Select the row and click Delete (trash icon) in the toolbar. An Undo option appears briefly.