What Direct Costs are
A Direct Cost (DC) records a project expense that is not tied to a Purchase Order — for example, a one-off material purchase, a site service, or an ad hoc expense. Direct costs can be applied to Applications, budgets, and the buying list, just like Variations and Dayworks.
Viewing Direct Costs
Open a project and click Direct Costs in the sidebar under Procurement. The table shows all Direct Costs with their number, description, status, cost amount, and who created them.
Creating a Direct Cost
- 1
Click Create Direct Cost in the top-right corner.
- 2
Enter a Description for the cost.
- 3
Set the Date.
- 4
Click Create. You are taken to the Direct Cost detail page.
Adding items
From the detail page, you can add items in two ways:
- From the buying list — click Add from Buying List to select items from the project's buying list. Enter quantities and click Add Items to Direct Cost.
- Free-type items — click Add Direct Cost Item to add a custom item with a description, quantity, and unit cost.
Applying to the project
Use the Apply To dropdown in the header:
| Option | What it updates |
|---|---|
| Project | Applications, budgets, and the buying list |
| Applications | Makes the cost available for claiming |
| Budgets | Reflects the cost in budget totals |
| Buying List | Adds items to the procurement buying list |
A checkmark icon shows which areas have already been updated. An incomplete icon shows which have not.
Other actions
From the Actions dropdown you can duplicate the Direct Cost.
Next steps
- Purchase Orders — manage formal orders to suppliers.
- Budgets — view how Direct Costs affect the project budget.