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Using Kits

A kit is a saved bundle of labour and materials that you build once and drop into any estimate. Instead of pricing the same "bathroom rough-in" or "double GPO install" line by line every time, you apply the kit and Sammy fills in all the right priced lines for you.

Kits are perfect for the work you do over and over: a switchboard upgrade, a stud wall per metre, a hot water unit changeover, a back-to-back split system. Save it once and your repeat jobs come out the same way every time.

If you've used other trade or estimating software, you might know this idea by another name. Pre-builds (Simpro), assemblies (AroFlo, STACK and PlanSwift), bundles (ServiceM8) and recipes (Buildxact) are all the same thing. In Sammy we call them kits, and they work the same way. So if you're wondering how to create a pre-build or an assembly, you're in the right place: just follow the steps below.

Where to find Kits

Go to Settings → AI → Kits. This is your kit library, where every kit you save lives, ready to drop into any estimate.

Creating a kit

  1. Open Settings → AI → Kits
  2. Tap New kit
  3. Give the kit a name (e.g. "Bathroom rough-in") and, if you like, a category
  4. Choose how the kit is priced (see Pricing below)
  5. Add your components, one row per line item:
  6. A description (e.g. "PVC DWV pipe & fittings")
  7. The type: materials, labour, or other
  8. The quantity, unit, and rate
  9. Optionally, link the row to a supplier item so the cost stays tied to your supplier's price
  10. Fill in "When should Sammy use this kit?", a quick note describing the jobs this kit suits (see Helping Sammy pick the right kit)
  11. Tap Save

Your kit is now in the library and ready to use.

Kits inside kits

A kit can contain other kits, not just line items. When you're adding components, you can add a sub-kit row and pick another kit (with its own quantity) instead of a single line.

This lets you build big scopes from smaller, trusted blocks. For example, a "2 bed 2 bath" kit might be made up of your "underground plumbing" kit, a "basic sink fittings" kit, and a "bathroom rough-in" kit applied twice. When you apply the big kit, Sammy expands the whole lot for you.

Or ask Sammy to build it

You don't have to fill in the form yourself. Describe the kit in the chat panel and Sammy will create it in your library:

  • "Create a kit called 'Hot water unit changeover'"
  • "Make a bathroom rough-in kit with the usual pipework, tapware and labour"
  • "Build a '2 bed 2 bath' kit from my underground plumbing and bathroom rough-in kits"

Sammy sets up the components, the pricing, and the "when to use" note from what you tell him, and you can fine-tune anything afterwards in the kit editor.

How kits are priced

When you create a kit you choose one of three pricing modes:

  • Sum of prices: each component is priced the normal way (your rates and markups apply), and the kit's price is the total of those lines. Use this for most kits.
  • Markup on cost: every component is marked up by a percentage you set. Use this when you want a fixed margin on the whole kit's cost.
  • Fixed price: the whole kit is one lump sum you set. The component list is kept for your reference, but the estimate shows a single line at your fixed price.

Tip: If you want itemised materials you can order from later, use Sum or Markup mode. A Fixed price kit shows as a single line, so it doesn't break the materials out into the estimate.

Applying a kit to an estimate

Once you've saved at least one kit, open any estimate and:

  1. Tap Add, then choose Kit
  2. Pick the kit you want
  3. Set how many you need (apply it ×2 for two bathrooms and every quantity scales with it)
  4. Choose which section it goes into

Sammy drops all the kit's lines straight into your estimate as a tidy block.

Or just ask Sammy

You don't have to use the menu. In the chat panel, just tell Sammy what you want:

  • "Add my bathroom rough-in kit"
  • "Add two double GPO installs"
  • "Use the switchboard upgrade kit in the electrical section"

Sammy applies the kit and prices it for you.

Sammy uses your kits automatically

When you describe a new job from scratch, Sammy looks at your kits and applies the ones that fit, then tells you which kit he used (for example, "I used your Bathroom Rough-In kit ×2"). That's how your repeat work stays consistent without you lifting a finger.

You always see the full draft before anything goes to a client, and every line a kit adds is still yours to edit.

Helping Sammy pick the right kit

The "When should Sammy use this kit?" note on each kit is what Sammy reads to decide when to apply it. The more clearly you describe the jobs a kit suits, the better Sammy gets at reaching for the right one.

For example: "Use for any standard residential bathroom rough-in: one bath, one vanity, one toilet, one shower."

Editing kits and applied lines

  • Editing a line in an estimate. Once a kit is applied, every line it added is a normal line. Change the quantity, rate, or description right there. It won't affect your saved kit or any other estimate.
  • Editing the saved kit. Changing a kit in your library only affects new estimates from that point on. Anything you've already quoted stays exactly as it was, so a sent quote never silently re-prices.

Ask Sammy to change a kit

Sammy can edit your saved kits for you too. Just tell him what to change:

  • "Add a line for silicone sealant to my bathroom rough-in kit"
  • "Change the labour rate in my switchboard upgrade kit to $95 an hour"
  • "Rename my 'GPO' kit to 'Double GPO install'"
  • "Delete the hot water kit, I don't use it anymore"

The same rule applies: changing a kit only affects new estimates, never ones you've already quoted.

How kits look to your client

On proposals, a kit shows as a single tidy line with one price by default. Your client sees "Bathroom rough-in" and the price, not the full parts list.

If you'd rather show every component, turn on Itemise kits in the proposal options when you send. This choice carries through to the proposal PDF as well.

Kits don't get a special label on your takeoff. The takeoff groups everything by type (materials, labour, other), so a kit's lines appear there like any other lines.

Saving work you've already done as a kit

Done a job in an estimate that you'll quote again? Ask Sammy to save it:

  • "Save these as a kit called Hot Water Changeover"
  • "Turn the electrical section into a reusable kit"

Sammy creates the kit in your library so it's ready for next time.

Tips

  • Start with your most common jobs. The scopes you quote again and again are where kits save the most time.
  • Write a clear "when to use" note. It's the difference between Sammy picking the kit automatically and missing it.
  • Use Sum or Markup mode if you need to order materials. Fixed-price kits hide the parts list from the estimate.
  • Apply ×N instead of adding a kit multiple times. Three identical units is one kit applied ×3.
  • Build big kits from small ones. Nest your trusted kits rather than rebuilding the same scope inside every large kit.

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