The summary table provides two ways to mark up your site labour: using an on-cost percentage (the same method used for materials) or by setting a selling rate that differs from your cost rate. If your project uses multiple labour types, you can mark up each one separately.
Marking up labour with an on-cost percentage
Enter a percentage in the On Cost % cell on the site labour row. This works in the same way as material markup -- the percentage is applied to the total labour cost.
For example, if your total labour cost is 4,361 and you enter 20%, the software adds 872 as on-cost, giving a sell-out value of 5,234 for site labour.
Using the selling rate
In the Labour section at the bottom-left of the summary table, you will see:
- Labour Rate -- your base cost rate per hour.
- Selling Rate -- the rate you charge the client per hour.
You can overtype the selling rate to increase the labour charge. The difference between the cost rate and the selling rate is added as on-cost to the site labour line.
If you use the selling rate to mark up labour, there is no need to also enter an on-cost percentage on the site labour row -- you would be marking it up twice.
Multiple labour rates
If your project uses more than one labour rate (for example, standard hours and out-of-hours work), you can mark up each rate separately.
- 1
Click the Site Labour tab along the top of the summary table. This tab only appears if your project contains multiple labour types.
- 2
You will see each labour rate listed with its own Inflation % and On Cost % columns.
- 3
Enter different percentages for each labour type. For example, 20% on standard labour and 30% on out-of-hours work.
- 4
Return to the Summary Table tab. The site labour on-cost percentage now shows a weighted average of the individual rates you entered. For instance, if you set 20% on standard and 30% on out-of-hours, the main screen might show 21.46% as the blended average.
If you click into the site labour on-cost percentage cell on the main summary table after setting individual rates, the software will ask whether you want to overwrite your per-rate breakdown. Select No if you want to keep your individual rates intact.
Multiple labour rates are available if your system is configured to support them. For more information on setting up multiple labour types within a single project, consult the Ensign support team or refer to the advanced electrical or mechanical guides.
Next steps
- Material on-cost percentages -- apply different on-cost percentages to each material category.
- Presetting default markup -- save your standard markup percentages so they are pre-filled on every new project.
- Overhead and profit -- apply general overhead and profit percentages.
- Inflation column -- adjust base costs for volatile prices and labour rounding.