BOQ & Estimation in OpenConstructionERP

Workflow

1. Pick a cost base — load it (see oce-load-cost-bases) so items are searchable.
2. Create the BOQ — POST /api/v1/boqs with project, currency, classification standard (DIN 276 / NRM / MasterFormat / regional).
3. Find items — GET /api/v1/costs/?region=TR_NATIONAL&q=duvar (SQL search) or the semantic path (/qdrant-search when Qdrant is on). Every item carries a components[] breakdown (labour/material/machine with norm quantities and unit prices).
4. Link quantities — either manual entry, BIM bulk-link (POST /api/v1/bim/elements/bulk-link style endpoints aggregate area/volume/length per element), or PDF/DWG takeoff measurements.
5. Validate — POST /api/v1/boqs/{id}/validate/ runs rule packs (BOQ quality, DIN276, NRM, GAEB) and returns violations; quality score updates live.
6. Export — GAEB X83/X84, XLSX, JSON for tendering.

Cost item anatomy (what the platform stores per item)

{
  "code": "15.115.1008",
  "description": "El veya kompresörle ... yumuşak kaya kazılması",
  "unit": "m³",
  "rate": 1044.5,
  "currency": "TRY",
  "classification": {"collection":"İnşaat","department":"İnşaat","section":"15.115","category":"CONSTRUCTION WORK"},
  "components": [
    {"name":"Kompresör","type":"equipment","quantity":0.2,"unit_rate":1991.73,"cost":398.35},
    {"name":"Düz işçi","type":"labor","quantity":1.25,"unit_rate":165.0,"cost":206.25}
  ],
  "metadata": {"labor_cost":437.25,"equipment_cost":398.35,"labor_hours":3.83}
}

Estimation inputs the platform supports

Input	Path	Notes
Natural language	POST /api/v1/costs/match (or AI estimate)	multi-lingual matching
Photo	AI photo-to-BOQ (GPT-4o + YOLO)	returns scoped BOQ with confidence
BIM model	element → cost matching (/suggest-for-element)	uses volume/area from the model
DWG/PDF	takeoff measurement	vectors/rooms detected, pushed into BOQ

Pricing notes (honest rules)

• National bases are priced in their home currency; markets are PPP-repriced upstream (no FX inside the platform).
• Coefficient bases (Vietnam Dinh Muc, Indonesia AHSP) import with rate = 0 — attach a market resource price sheet before estimating.
• Turkey positions carry the source book's markup (e.g. 25% contractor profit) inside total_cost_per_position; resource sums reconcile to total_resource_cost_per_position.

Best practices

1. Always verify unit matches your takeoff quantity (m²/m³/m/kg).
2. Check the components[] sum against rate before committing a binding estimate.
3. Keep the region currency on the BOQ; never blend currencies in one total.
4. Re-run validation after every bulk edit — the quality score is the fastest signal.