Halcyon Estimating
Quotation software for a renovation contractor: measured rates, margin rules and a client-facing option builder.
Halcyon is a residential renovation contractor running twelve to eighteen projects at a time. One estimator priced everything, from a spreadsheet only they fully understood.
- Client
- Renovation contractor, 40 staff
- System
- Quotation & pricing software
- First release
- 7 weeks
- Surfaces
- Estimator console · client option builder
- Status
- In production, on support
| Job | Type | Margin | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAL-2214 | Kitchen refit | 22.4% PASS | £61,400 |
| HAL-2215 | Loft conversion | 19.8% PASS | £88,250 |
| HAL-2216 | Full refurb | 14.1% APPROVAL | £214,900 |
| HAL-2217 | Bathroom | 26.0% PASS | £18,600 |
The commercial problem
The business could only quote as fast as one person could work.
Quotes took up to two weeks. Margin varied by ten points between similar jobs and nobody knew until completion. Clients asking for options meant rebuilding the quote from the beginning, so options were quietly discouraged — and the jobs went elsewhere.
Before: up to 14 days to issue
System strategy
How the system was shaped.
01
Get the rates out of the spreadsheet
A versioned rate library with labour constants and supplier pricing, owned by the business rather than by one person.
02
Make margin a rule, not a hope
Minimum margin enforced at quote time, with an explicit approval step to go below it.
03
Price once, present three ways
Good, better and best generated from the same measure, so options cost minutes rather than days.
04
Track every quote to a decision
Won, lost or lapsed, with the reason captured while it is still known.
Two journeys, one system
- 01EnquiryA short scoped form that captures property type, works and timescale.
- 02Site visit bookedAvailability offered directly, with a survey checklist prepared in advance.
- 03Measured quotePriced from the rate library while the surveyor is still on site.
- 04Options presentedA client-facing builder showing what each choice adds or removes.
- 05ContractAccepted option becomes the contract scope and the project budget.
- 01Survey captured on siteMeasurements entered once, on a tablet, against a structured checklist.
- 02Rates appliedCurrent labour, material and subcontractor rates pulled from the versioned library.
- 03Margin checkedThe quote cannot be issued below the rule without a named approval.
- 04Options generatedAlternates built from the same measure rather than re-estimated.
- 05Decision recordedOutcome and reason captured, feeding win/loss reporting by job type.
Key capabilities
What the system actually does.
- Measured rate libraryVersioned rates for labour, materials and subcontract work.
- Margin rulesEnforced minimums with an explicit, logged approval to override.
- Client option builderGood / better / best from a single measure, priced live.
- Quote versioningEvery revision kept, so what was agreed is never in dispute.
- Win/loss reportingOutcomes by job type, value band and estimator.
Architecture snapshot
Four layers, one source of truth
Nothing exotic. A boring, well-drawn architecture is what keeps a system cheap to extend three years later.
- Quote generation
- Under 2s for a 400-line estimate
- Option builder load
- 0.9s median
- Access model
- Role-based · approval chain
- Public surfaceEnquiry form, booking, client option builderStatically delivered
- Application layerRate engine, margin rules, option generation, versioningCore logic
- Data layerOne job record, versioned quotes, rate history, audit trailPostgres
- Integration layerAccounting, e-signature, supplier price lists, emailRelay
Accessibility
- Option builder is fully keyboard operable and announces price changes politely to screen readers.
- Margin status is stated in words as well as shown in crimson.
- Survey capture is designed for gloved, one-handed tablet use on site.
Commercial value
What changed after launch
Figures supplied by Halcyon from their own reporting across the first twelve months of use.
- 6.2×faster from site visit to issued quoteMeasured
- 22%median margin, previously between 12% and 24%Measured
- 3estimators now able to quote, previously oneMeasured
Future expansion
Where it goes next.
Phase two — scoped
Supplier price ingestion
Pull supplier price lists directly so the rate library never drifts.
Phase two — in discovery
Live job margin
Compare quoted margin against actual cost as the job runs, not at completion.
Concept
Client portal
Extend the option builder into a full project portal after contract.
Related systems
Other systems
Construction & renovation · Portal
PrototypeVantage Portal
Give clients status and documents without a single phone call.
Aviation & charter · Lead generation
Live systemMeridian Air
Win more charter trips by quoting first, with pricing the brokers trust.
Same problem, different sector?
The pattern behind Halcyon Estimating — turn one estimator’s knowledge into software the whole team can price with — transfers to most businesses selling complex, high-value work.