How To Create Different Job Types

Job types in JACK determine how a job's contract price is set and how invoices are raised against it. Most job types are created by converting a Lead or Estimate into a Job, though Cost Plus can also be created directly from Jobs without an estimate. Choosing the right job type ensures your invoicing method matches how you've agreed to bill the client and keeps your cash flow tracking accurate from the outset.

A job type is a setting selected at job conversion that determines how a job is invoiced. JACK offers two job types: Fixed Price and Cost Plus. At conversion, you can also choose whether the contract price is locked or left unlocked. This choice is available for either job type. However, it's most commonly used as an alternative to committing to a locked Fixed Price contract while pricing negotiations with suppliers or clients are still underway. See How To Create a Flexible Estimate for guidance on creating a job with an unlocked contract price.

Create a Fixed Price job by first completing a Lead and Estimate, then converting the winning estimate into a job. Fixed Price locks in the total contract amount, giving clients certainty while keeping your cash flow secure and easy to track.

To create a Fixed Price job, navigate to Lead > Estimates tab or directly to Estimates > select your estimate, then open the Costings tab and click + Create Job. A pop-up appears for you to select your Job Template and Job Type. At conversion, you can choose to leave the contract price unlocked while pricing negotiations with suppliers or clients are still underway, see How To Create a Flexible Estimate for the unlocked setup steps. If the contract price remains unlocked and no job financials have been applied, the job type can still be changed. However, unlike Cost-Plus, once a Fixed Price contract price is locked, it cannot be unlocked again.

Create a Cost-Plus job in which client invoices are issued based on paid supplier and subcontractor bills and timesheet costs. Unlike Fixed Price, Cost Plus can start with a Lead and Estimate, or be created directly as a Job, whichever suits how you run your Cost Plus jobs.

To create a Cost Plus job from an Estimate, navigate to Lead > Estimate or via Estimates > select your estimate, then open the Costings tab and click + Create Job. Select the required Job Template, set the Job Type as Cost Plus, and set the Markup Amount as a percentage. As with Fixed Price, you can choose at conversion to leave the contract price unlocked. The markup percentage is added to the amount on each paid supplier or subcontractor bill and timesheet charged to the customer. Once you've confirmed the Job Address, create your Job. Cost Plus jobs are the only job type in which the contract price can be unlocked after conversion, regardless of whether it was locked at conversion or afterwards, as long as no job financials have been applied yet. If the contract price is unlocked and no job financials have been applied, the job type can also be changed.

To create a Cost-Plus job directly without an estimate, navigate to Jobs > + Job. The job is created locked by default, and there is no unlocked option at this point. Enter the Job Address, confirm the Tax Code, and set the Markup Amount, then click Create Job. Rather than starting from an estimate, you enter Cost Groups, Cost Categories, and Cost Items directly into the job budget once the job is created.

For further information on converting a Lead to a Job, see Create a Job (from a Lead/Estimate).

Choosing between Fixed Price and Cost Plus at job creation, and deciding whether to lock or leave the contract price unlocked, sets the invoicing method and cash flow structure for the job. A Cost Plus job retains the flexibility to unlock and change job type later, provided no financials have been applied, while a locked Fixed Price contract cannot be unlocked again, so it's worth matching your initial choice to your client agreement. For guidance on managing budget changes after job creation, see How To Create A Variation.

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