Services — Organising Your Takeoff

What is a service?

A service is a named category that groups related takeoff lines together inside Ensign X. Every item you measure or count is logged under the currently active service. Typical service names match the sections you would create in the estimating module — for example, Lighting, Small Power, Containment, or Fire Alarm.

Services serve two purposes:

1. During takeoff — they keep the right-hand service panel organised so you can see exactly what has been measured for each trade or system at a glance.
2. On export — when you export to the estimating module or to CSV, each service travels as a separate group. This makes it straightforward to import items into the correct estimating section, and it produces separate sheets in the CSV output.

Why services matter

Without at least one service, Ensign X will not let you begin any takeoff. The software prompts you to create a service the first time you click any takeoff tool. Planning your services up front — before you place a single measurement — has several benefits:

• Cleaner exports — every item is already categorised, so the import into the estimating module (or CSV review) requires minimal rework.
• Easier collaboration — if another estimator opens your project, well-named services make the takeoff self-documenting.
• Drawing-by-drawing flexibility — you can take off items on multiple drawings under the same service. For example, if two floor plans both contain small-power items, selecting the Small Power service on each drawing keeps everything in one group.

Creating your first service

1. 1

   Click any takeoff tool in the toolbar — for example, the Unit Takeoff button. If no services exist yet, Ensign X displays a prompt asking you to create one.

2. 2

   Enter a name for the service — for example, Lighting — and press OK.

3. 3

   The new service appears in the service panel on the right-hand side of the screen. All subsequent takeoff items will be logged under this service until you switch to a different one.

Adding more services

You do not have to wait for the automatic prompt. At any point you can add a service manually:

1. 1

   In the service panel on the right-hand side, click the Add button (the + icon beneath the service list).

2. 2

   Enter the service name — for example, Small Power — and press OK.

3. 3

   Repeat for every service you need. There is no limit to the number of services you can create.

Switching between services

If you have multiple services, click on any service name in the panel to make it the active service. The active service is highlighted, and all takeoff items you place from that point onward will be logged under it.

1. 1

   Look at the service panel on the right-hand side and find the service you want to work in — for example, Containment.

2. 2

   Click the service name. It becomes highlighted to indicate it is now active.

3. 3

   Begin your takeoff. Every measurement or count you place will appear under the active service.

You can switch services as often as you like, even in the middle of working on the same drawing. For example, you might count light fittings under Lighting, switch to Small Power to count sockets, and then switch to Containment to measure trunking runs — all on the same drawing page.

How services map to estimating sections

When you press the Export to Estimating button, Ensign X sends each service as a separate group. On the estimating side:

1. 1

   Open your job in the estimating module and navigate to the Takeoff page.

2. 2

   Press the Import PDF button. A dialog appears listing every service you created, along with the drawing each item was taken off on.

3. 3

   Select one or more items from a service, choose the target section in your section structure (e.g. Ground Floor — Containment), and press Import.

4. 4

   Repeat for each service until all items have been assigned to sections.

Because each service keeps its items separate, you can see at a glance which items belong to lighting, which to small power, which to containment, and so on. This is why naming services to match your estimating section structure saves time.

How services appear in CSV exports

When you press the Export to CSV button, Ensign X produces three CSV files:

1. Merged — all takeoff lines from the entire project in a single sheet.
2. Services — takeoff lines grouped by service, so each service has its own section within the file.
3. Parts — a more granular breakdown showing individual counts, services, and associated component detail.

Well-named services make the services CSV immediately readable without any post-processing.

Renaming and managing services

You can rename a service at any time by double-clicking its name in the service panel and overtyping it. Existing takeoff items already logged under that service will remain associated with it after the rename.

If you need to delete a service, select it and press the Delete button. Be aware that deleting a service will also remove all takeoff lines logged under it.

Practical tips

• Create all services before you start measuring. This prevents the mid-takeoff interruption of having to stop, create a service, and switch to it.
• One service per trade or system is the most common approach. You can go more granular (e.g. Lighting — Emergency, Lighting — General) if your estimate structure requires it.
• Check the active service before every new measurement. It is easy to forget to switch and accidentally log containment items under the lighting service.
• Use the show/hide function to turn individual services on and off on the drawing, letting you see what remains to be taken off.