PDF Export

ForgeX provides robust PDF generation capabilities to create professional bid proposals directly from the application. Export complete bids with detailed cost breakdowns, scope summaries, and customizable messaging.

info

PDF generation happens client-side using jsPDF, ensuring fast exports without server load. All bid data is formatted and styled automatically.

Features

🧾

Complete Bid Breakdown

Export all scopes, items, and cost summaries in a professional layout

💬

Customizable Message

Include custom introduction/cover letter for each bid

🛡️

Tax & Compliance Flags

Display tax exemption status, certified payroll, insurance type

✅

Exclusions List

Automatically include active exclusions from templates

What's Included in the Export

Every PDF export contains the following sections:

Header Section

Company branding (Precision Site Services logo)
Bid metadata: Job name, client name, location
Prepared by: Estimator name
Date prepared: Creation/last updated timestamp

Bid Summary

Cost rollup showing totals by module:

Module	Description
Concrete	Total concrete items cost
Labor	Total labor cost (including per diem if enabled)
Equipment	Total equipment rental cost
Materials	Total materials cost
Subcontractor	Total subcontractor/sublet cost
Miscellaneous	Total misc items cost

Financial Summary:

Subtotal:        $X,XXX.XX
Overhead (X%):   $X,XXX.XX
Profit (X%):     $X,XXX.XX
─────────────────────────
Total:           $X,XXX.XX

Scope Overview

High-level table showing each scope's cost breakdown:

Scope Name	Concrete	Labor	Equipment	Materials	Sublet	Misc	Total
Foundation	$10,000	$5,000	$3,000	$2,000	$1,500	$500	$22,000
Driveway (5×)	$15,000	$7,500	$4,000	$2,500	$1,000	$0	$30,000

note

Scope multipliers are displayed (e.g., "Driveway (5×)") to indicate repeated areas.

Detailed Scope Breakdown

For each scope, the PDF includes:

Module-Level Details

Each module shows individual items with descriptions and costs:

Concrete Items:

• 3000 PSI Slab
  100 SF • 3.70 CY • 500 lbs rebar • #4 @ 18"
  $2,410.00

• Foundation Walls
  50 SF • 1.85 CY • 250 lbs rebar • #5 @ 12"
  $1,850.00

Labor Items:

• Concrete Finisher
  2.0 crew • 8.0 hrs/day × 5.0 days • $38/hr
  $2,052.00

• Laborer
  4.0 crew • 8.0 hrs/day × 5.0 days • $28/hr
  $3,584.00

Equipment Items:

• Dozer
  1.0 units • 5.0 days • $931/day • Delivery $150 • Fuel $250
  $5,055.00

Material Items:

• Rebar #4
  1000.0 LB • $0.92/LB • Waste 5.0%
  $966.00

Subcontractor Items:

• Concrete Pumping
  1.0 LS • $2,500/LS • Buffer 10.0%
  $2,750.00

Miscellaneous Items:

• Permits
  1.0 units • $500/unit
  $500.00

Compliance & Flags

The PDF displays important bid flags:

Flag	Description
Tax Exempt	✅ if bid is tax-exempt, ❌ otherwise
Per Diem Enabled	✅ if per diem costs are included
Certified Payroll	✅ if certified payroll required
C3 Required	✅ if C3 form required
Drug Testing Required	✅ if drug testing required
Insurance Type	CCIP, OCIP, RCIP, or None

Exclusions

If the bid has active exclusions, they're listed at the bottom:

Exclusions:
• Permits and fees (owner-provided)
• Site utilities (existing connections assumed)
• Disposal of hazardous materials
• Work outside of scope listed above

note

Only active exclusions from templates are included. Inactive exclusions are omitted.

Custom Message

Optional custom message/cover letter at the top of the PDF:

"Thank you for the opportunity to bid on this project. We have reviewed the plans and specifications thoroughly. This proposal includes all labor, materials, and equipment necessary to complete the work as specified. We look forward to working with you."

Generating a PDF

Open Bid Detail

Navigate to the bid you want to export.

Click Export PDF

Click the "Export PDF" button in the top toolbar.

Review Export Modal

The export modal displays:

Scope selection (export all or select specific scopes)
Custom message field
Preview of financial summary

Add Custom Message (Optional)

Enter a custom message to appear at the top of the PDF. This is useful for:

Cover letters
Special notes to the client
Clarifications or assumptions

Select Scopes (Optional)

By default, all scopes are exported. Uncheck scopes to exclude them:

Useful for partial bids or alternates
Excluded scopes won't appear in scope overview or details
Financial summary adjusts automatically

Generate PDF

Click "Generate PDF".

The browser generates the PDF and prompts you to download:

Filename: Bid_[JobName]_[Date].pdf
Example: Bid_Commercial_Foundation_2025-01-29.pdf

tip

Save generated PDFs to your bid attachments for easy reference and version tracking.

Customization Options

Message Customization

The custom message field supports:

Plain text (no formatting, line breaks preserved)
Multi-paragraph content (separate with blank lines)
No length limit (but keep it concise for readability)

Best practices:

Keep it professional and concise
Use bullet points for clarity (manual formatting)
Avoid special characters that may not render correctly

Scope Selection

Use cases for selective scope export:

Bid Alternates

Export separate PDFs for base bid vs. alternate scopes.

Example:

Base bid: Foundation + Driveway
Alternate 1: Add Sidewalks scope
Alternate 2: Add Retaining Wall scope

Phased Proposals

Split large projects into phases:

Phase 1 PDF: Excavation + Foundation
Phase 2 PDF: Slab + Parking Lot

Client Comparison

Create multiple proposals for the same project with different scope combinations for client to compare options.

Template Variables (Future)

warning

Planned Feature: Future versions will support template variables like {{clientName}}, {{bidNumber}}, and {{date}} in custom messages for dynamic content.

PDF Layout & Styling

Page Format

Paper size: US Letter (8.5" × 11")
Orientation: Portrait
Margins: 0.5" all sides
Font: Helvetica (sans-serif)

Typography

Element	Font Size	Style
Title (Job Name)	20pt	Bold
Section Headers	14pt	Bold
Subsection Headers	12pt	Bold
Body Text	10pt	Regular
Item Details	9pt	Regular, Gray

Color Scheme

Headers: Dark blue (#1a365d)
Body text: Black (#000000)
Item details: Gray (#718096)
Borders: Light gray (#e2e8f0)

Table Formatting

Headers: Bold, dark background
Rows: Alternating white/light gray for readability
Borders: Thin gray lines
Alignment: Numbers right-aligned, text left-aligned

API Endpoint

Generate PDF Data

The backend provides a dedicated endpoint for fetching PDF-ready data:

POST /api/bids/:bidId/pdf-data

Request Body:
{
  "scopes": ["scope-id-1", "scope-id-2"],  // Optional: filter scopes
  "message": "Custom message text",         // Optional
  "overheadPercent": 10,                    // Optional: override
  "profitPercent": 5                        // Optional: override
}

Response:
{
  "meta": {
    "bidId": "bid-123",
    "jobName": "Commercial Foundation",
    "clientName": "ABC Construction",
    "clientEmail": "contact@abc.com",
    "location": "Austin, TX",
    "preparedBy": "jmckenzie@precisionsiteservices.com",
    "createdAt": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z",
    "updatedAt": "2025-01-29T14:30:00Z"
  },
  "flags": {
    "taxExempt": false,
    "perDiemEnabled": true,
    "certifiedPayroll": true,
    "c3Required": false,
    "drugTestingRequired": true
  },
  "compliance": {
    "insuranceType": "CCIP",
    "certifiedPayroll": true,
    "c3Required": false,
    "drugTestingRequired": true
  },
  "exclusions": [
    "Permits and fees (owner-provided)",
    "Site utilities (existing connections assumed)"
  ],
  "message": "Custom message text",
  "modules": [
    { "key": "concrete", "label": "Concrete", "amount": 40000.00 },
    { "key": "labor", "label": "Labor", "amount": 20000.00 },
    ...
  ],
  "overview": [
    {
      "id": "scope-1",
      "name": "Foundation",
      "totals": {
        "concrete": 10000.00,
        "labor": 5000.00,
        "equipment": 3000.00,
        "materials": 2000.00,
        "subcontractor": 1500.00,
        "misc": 500.00,
        "total": 22000.00
      },
      "multiplier": 1,
      "shape": "Slab"
    }
  ],
  "scopes": [
    {
      "id": "scope-1",
      "name": "Foundation",
      "multiplier": 1,
      "shape": "Slab",
      "totals": { ... },
      "modules": {
        "concrete": {
          "key": "concrete",
          "label": "Concrete",
          "total": 10000.00,
          "items": [
            {
              "description": "3000 PSI Slab",
              "detail": "100 SF • 3.70 CY • 500 lbs rebar • #4 @ 18\"",
              "totalCost": 2410.00
            }
          ]
        },
        ...
      }
    }
  ],
  "financial": {
    "subtotal": 60000.00,
    "overheadAmount": 6000.00,
    "profitAmount": 3300.00,
    "totalCost": 69300.00,
    "overheadPercent": 10.0,
    "profitPercent": 5.0
  }
}

note

The prepareBidPdfPayload function in /services/bids/backend/src/services/pdf/bidPdfData.js handles all data transformation and formatting.

Best Practices

👁️

Review Before Exporting

Always review the bid summary in-app before generating PDF to catch errors or missing data.

🏷️

Use Descriptive Job Names

Job names appear prominently in the PDF. Use clear, descriptive names for professionalism.

📋

Keep Exclusions Updated

Regularly review and update exclusion templates to ensure they're relevant to current bids.

📎

Save PDFs as Attachments

Upload generated PDFs to bid attachments for version tracking and easy sharing.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
Missing scopes in PDF	Scopes not linked to bid	Verify scope-bid relationships
Zero costs displayed	Cost rollup not triggered	Manually trigger cost rollup before export
Tax amounts incorrect	Tax rates outdated	Update pricing database tax rates
PDF won't download	Browser popup blocker	Allow popups for ForgeX domain
Custom message cut off	Message too long	Keep message under ~500 words

Browser Compatibility

Browser	Support	Notes
Chrome	✅ Full	Recommended
Firefox	✅ Full
Safari	✅ Full
Edge	✅ Full
IE 11	❌ Not supported	Use modern browser

Future Enhancements

note

Planned features for PDF export:

Custom templates: Choose from multiple PDF layouts/styles
Template variables: Dynamic content insertion (client name, bid number, etc.)
Logo customization: Upload custom company logos
Signature fields: Add signature blocks for client approval
Attachment embedding: Include photos/plans in PDF
Email integration: Send PDF directly to client from ForgeX

Next Steps

🧮

Cost Rollup

Understand how costs aggregate from items to bids

⚙️

Bid Settings

Configure overhead, profit, and bid-level settings

Features​

Complete Bid Breakdown

Customizable Message

Tax & Compliance Flags

Exclusions List

What's Included in the Export​

Header Section​

Bid Summary​

Scope Overview​

Detailed Scope Breakdown​

Module-Level Details​

Compliance & Flags​

Exclusions​

Custom Message​

Generating a PDF​

Customization Options​

Message Customization​

Scope Selection​

Template Variables (Future)​

PDF Layout & Styling​

Page Format​

Typography​

Color Scheme​

Table Formatting​

API Endpoint​

Generate PDF Data​

Best Practices​

Review Before Exporting

Use Descriptive Job Names

Keep Exclusions Updated

Save PDFs as Attachments

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Browser Compatibility​

Future Enhancements​

Next Steps​

Cost Rollup

Bid Settings

Features

What's Included in the Export

Header Section

Bid Summary

Scope Overview

Detailed Scope Breakdown

Module-Level Details

Compliance & Flags

Exclusions

Custom Message

Generating a PDF

Customization Options

Message Customization

Scope Selection

Template Variables (Future)

PDF Layout & Styling

Page Format

Typography

Color Scheme

Table Formatting

API Endpoint

Generate PDF Data

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Browser Compatibility

Future Enhancements

Next Steps