Documentation Service Catalog
Detailed guide

Service Catalog

The reusable pricing foundation: phases, offerings, resources and their rates, proposal groups, and expense categories that estimates and quotes build on.

The Service Catalog is the single source of reusable pricing logic. When it is well maintained, estimates and quotes inherit consistent structure and cost, which is what keeps margin predictable instead of drifting one project at a time.

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Quick summary Step by step Guardrails Troubleshooting Related workflows

Quick summary

  • Fix the reusable catalog definition here when it is wrong, rather than patching every affected estimate.
  • Search the correct tab before creating so you reuse an existing record instead of making a near-duplicate.
  • Add or refresh resource rates so estimate cost and margin stay accurate.
  • Keep phase and group naming clear so estimate builders can find the right item quickly.

Put it into practice

  1. Choose the correct tab for what you are maintaining. Creating a resource when you needed a rate, or an offering when you needed a phase, is the most common catalog mistake, so start by orienting on the right section.

    InteractionsService Catalog page: select Phases, Offerings, Resources & Rates, Proposal Groups, or Expense Categories.

  2. Search and filter the tab before creating anything. On Offerings use the Phase and Type filters; on Resources & Rates use the Type and Source filters. Reuse an existing record whenever one already fits.

    InteractionsSelected tab: use the search box and filter dropdowns, then scan the results.

  3. Create the record with the right form, or use a quick-add button for speed. Give it a clear, consistent name so estimate builders recognise it later.

    InteractionsTop of page: use the Phase, Offering, Resource, Group, or Expense Category quick-add button, or the tab's create action.
    Open workflow: Catalog Offering Form

  4. For resources, add the per-offering cost rates after creating the resource, because those rates are what make estimate cost and margin accurate.

    InteractionsResources & Rates tab: expand the resource and use 'Add rates for this resource'.
    Open workflow: Catalog Rate Form

  5. Save and re-open the record to confirm its type, classification, and rates are correct before estimates rely on it.

    InteractionsSelected tab: re-open the row and verify its attributes and any nested rates.

  6. If the change supports active pricing, open an estimate and confirm the item now appears and behaves as expected in the line selectors.

    InteractionsProject estimate workflow: check the offering, group, and resource selectors.
    Open workflow: Estimate Workflow

What to review

Quick-add buttons

The top-of-page shortcuts (Phase, Offering, Resource, Group, Expense Category) for catalog maintainers to create a new reusable record without navigating into a tab first.

Tabs

The five catalog sections: Phases, Offerings, Resources & Rates, Proposal Groups, and Expense Categories. Each tab has its own search, filters, and table.

See guide: Catalog Offering Form

Phases tab

Lists the delivery phases offerings are grouped under. Phases are the top-level structure estimate lines inherit, so keep the list clean and meaningful.

See guide: Catalog Phase Form

Offerings tab

Lists reusable offerings with Phase and Type filters and columns for Name, Phase, Rate, Type (fixed, effort-based, % of group, or markup), Qty Units, and Budget Hrs/Unit. This is the scope-and-price library estimates pull from.

See guide: Catalog Offering Form

Resources & Rates tab

Lists resources with Type and Source (Internal/External) filters. Each resource expands to show its per-offering cost rates, and maintainers can add rates, edit, or delete from here.

See guide: Catalog Resource Form

Proposal Groups tab

Lists the groups (for example Core / Extended / Optional) used to organise estimate and quote lines, including which group is the default for new lines.

See guide: Catalog Group Form

Expense Categories tab

Lists the spend classifications offered when logging expenses. These are separate from offering phases and drive expense reporting.

See guide: Expense Category Form

Guardrails

  • Catalog mistakes spread quickly because many estimates reuse the same records, so validate a change before assuming it is safe.
  • Deleting or renaming an offering, resource, or rate that live estimates depend on can change or break their pricing; check usage first.
  • Overwrite-style bulk changes to the catalog (via Data Import) replace existing definitions, so prefer targeted edits when only a few records are wrong.
  • Catalog maintenance requires the manage-catalog permission because it changes workspace-wide pricing inputs.
  • The quick-add buttons and edit/delete controls only appear for users with that permission; viewers see the tables read-only.

If it starts drifting

  • If an estimate cannot find a reusable item, confirm you created it in the right tab and under the intended phase or group.
  • If a resource shows no cost in estimates, check that it has per-offering rates on the Resources & Rates tab.
  • If an offering prices unexpectedly, verify its Type (fixed, effort-based, % of group, or markup) matches what you intended.
  • If a record seems missing, clear the tab's filters and search before assuming it was deleted.