Producing an Itemized Construction Quote for a Cold Storage Build (Labor + Materials)
A cold storage build is not a one-line "supply and install" job — you're pricing insulated panels, a condensing unit and evaporators, refrigerant pipe runs, a floor, a door, controls, and the crew hours to put it all together. R-Pro pairs a field app that captures the real site conditions and equipment data with an office ERP that turns those numbers into a clean, itemized quote and flows the won job straight into your books.
On Site: Capture the Real Numbers Before You Price
- Walk the room and record actual dimensions — wall, ceiling, and floor area drive your insulated panel (PIR/PUR) square-meter count, so log them once instead of guessing back at the desk.
- Scan the nameplate on the proposed condensing unit and evaporators with the field app — model, capacity, and refrigerant (e.g. R-448A/R-449A) auto-fill, so the quote names the exact equipment instead of a vague 'cold room unit'.
- Note the room's target temperature and use — a +2°C chiller for produce versus a −18°C freezer changes panel thickness, evaporator selection, and defrost requirements, all of which become separate quote lines.
- Drop a voice memo for the awkward stuff a spreadsheet forgets: drain heater for the freezer, ramp or threshold at the door, a remote condenser run across the roof, or a 3-phase supply that isn't there yet.
- Tag everything to the customer and the site so the dimensions, photos, and equipment list are sitting in their record when you sit down to estimate.
In the Office: Build the Itemized Quote, Labor and Materials
- Create the quote with grouped line items — Insulated panels & fixings, Refrigeration plant (condensing unit + evaporators), Pipework & refrigerant, Cold room door, Floor & sealing, Electrical & controls — so the customer sees exactly what they're paying for.
- Price materials from your supplier records: panels per m², the condensing unit and evaporators at your buy price, copper line set, insulation, the personnel door, drain lines, and the controller/thermostat each as their own line.
- Add labor as real lines too — panel erection, plant set and pipe brazing, evacuation and charging, electrical and commissioning — by crew-hours, so margin isn't buried inside a single lump sum.
- Set your own country's tax — VAT, GST, or sales tax with your name and rate — and the quote totals correctly for where you work, no hard-coded assumptions.
- Issue it as a professional PDF in any of 10 languages; when the customer says yes, convert the same document to an invoice or tax invoice without re-typing a single line.
The Connection: One Job, From Quote to Books
- The accepted quote becomes the job — material lines pull against inventory and the equipment you scanned on site is already attached, so nothing gets re-entered.
- Order the panels, unit, and copper through purchase orders to your suppliers; those purchases post to accounting as costs against this exact cold storage build.
- As the crew works, field activity and any on-site receipts you issue flow into the office books automatically — sales, purchases, and expenses land in one place with no double entry.
- Reports then show the true picture for this build: quoted price versus actual material and labor cost, and the net profit on the job — not just whether you got paid.
- Because the field app and the office ERP are one connected system on one subscription, the same job lives end to end without a single hand-off spreadsheet.
Quote it, build it, and bank it — in one system
R-Pro is two strong tools working together: a field app that scans equipment, captures site conditions, and works fully offline, and an office ERP that produces itemized construction quotes, invoices and tax invoices, accounting, inventory, and supplier orders. The cold storage build you measure on site becomes the quote, the job, and the books — no double entry. One subscription, 10 languages.
Get R-Pro →FAQ
Can I split labor and materials into separate line items instead of one lump 'supply and install' price?
Yes. R-Pro's ERP lets you build the quote as grouped, itemized lines — panels per m², the condensing unit and evaporators, copper and refrigerant, the door, floor, electrical, and each labor task by crew-hours. The customer sees a transparent breakdown and your margin stays visible to you instead of hidden inside a single number.
How do I make sure I quote the exact equipment, not a generic 'cold room unit'?
Scan the nameplate of the proposed condensing unit and evaporators with the field app. Model, capacity, and refrigerant auto-fill and attach to the customer's record, so the quote line names the precise unit and the data carries straight through to the job and your inventory.
My country uses GST, not VAT — will the quote total correctly?
Yes. You set your own tax name and rate — VAT, GST, or sales tax — so quotes, invoices, and tax invoices calculate correctly for where you operate. R-Pro doesn't assume one country's tax system.
After the cold storage job is done, can I see if I actually made money on it?
Yes. Because the quote becomes the job and purchases, expenses, and any on-site receipts flow into accounting automatically, reports show quoted price versus real material and labor cost and the net profit for that specific build — not just whether the invoice was paid.