Estimation Workspace

Darwin’s estimation workspace is the revision-level screen for inspecting, defending, and moving one estimation toward a decision.

In the request-to-baseline workflow, it carries:

estimate → review → approve

Open it from the project’s Estimations tab. Use Estimation Details to choose scope, edit quantities, and set margins; use the workspace to review the revision as a whole.

Read the Revision State

The header shows the current approval state for this revision:

State	What it means
Not requested	The revision has not entered the approval path yet.
Pending	An approval decision is still required.
Rejected	The decision is recorded; use a request or later revision to address the outcome.
Approved - active baseline	This is the revision Cost Control tracks.
Approved - superseded	This revision was approved, but a later revision is now the active baseline.

Active and superseded approved revisions have read-only line and margin editors, as do all revisions in a finished project. Create a later revision to change approved work. Preliminary tracking alone does not lock an open project’s estimate.

Use the Workspace Tabs

Tab	Use it to
Summary	Inspect base cost, applied margin, and sell price by Section, System, or Cost Type. See how to read the figures.
Reports	Download a cover sheet, Client or Advanced material/labor reports, expenses, and configurable hierarchy PDF/Excel reports. An eligible IFC source also allows cost-enriched model export.
Proposal	Build the client-facing proposal from this revision. This tab is a hub: it shows the draft’s state, totals, and last-modified time, and opens the full-page proposal editor where you configure visibility, work on markup distribution, and record the decision.
Estimate Review	When available, generate assisted analysis, inspect earlier analyses, and complete, dismiss, or turn recommendations into requests.
Bid Leveling	Manage packages, bids, clarifications, decisions, and scenarios from approved alternatives.
Requests	Create change, price-refresh, alternate, or approval requests. Clarifications can also start from Details.
Audit	Read the merged change timeline with actor, time, and description.
Comparison	Choose another revision and launch the separate side-by-side comparison tool.
Activity	Follow linked requests by status and last update; open them to act.

Badges on Estimate Review and Bid Leveling indicate open items that need attention.

Move a Revision Toward a Decision

Review the Summary and open Estimation Details when line-level changes are needed.
If using Estimate Review, check whether the analysis is outdated. Regenerate it, mark it reviewed, complete actions, dismiss them with a reason, or assign them through requests.
Use Requests to coordinate changes or seek approval with the estimation already in context.
Use Comparison to explain meaningful differences from another revision.
Request approval or open the pending request from the header. The designated approver can use direct approval when offered, or decide from the project summary. The submission validates the actor’s authority.

Direct approval asks for notes and Cost Control grouping: summary, section, system, or module. That choice is separate from Summary’s viewing lens.

Reviewing assisted analysis, completing price review, and approving are separate actions. Analysis availability depends on your instance and release. Its suggestions require human judgment and do not change costs on their own. Downloading a Client report does not finalize or issue a proposal either.

Confirm a revision’s source in its Audit history. The Requests panel’s Created from label can select another project estimate as a fallback and is not sufficient proof of origin.

Best Practices

Review a revision in the workspace before treating it as ready for approval.
Raise a work request instead of relying on an informal side conversation.
Use Approved - superseded as history, not as the current cost-control baseline.
Keep reports, proposals, bid decisions, and review findings tied to the revision they describe.