Overview
Spec-Based Estimate Templates (SBET) allow you to create forms, apply formulas, and pull in pricing from your Pricebook. This makes it easier to build accurate, automated estimates for roofing and exterior jobs, streamlining your sales process.
Who uses this feature
Administrators, managers, and field employees
Primarily benefits Residential Roofing Service & Replacement
Feature configuration
Account configuration is required to use this feature. Please contact Technical Support for details.
The Access Setting permission is required to create or import forms in the SBET Builder and Create and Edit Spec-Based Template permission is required to build or modify the templates.
Things to know
The template conducts calculations and automatically generates a list of required materials and costs.
You can build estimates and formulas directly in the SBET builder or use a MS Excel file to define rules and calculations for each field. Using MS Excel allows you to pull in data from a form to automatically adjust pricing based on your setup. To download the excel template, go to Pricebook > Spec Based Templates > Step 4: Set Up Estimates & Create Formula > Import.
The system locks forms and you can't edit them when they are attached to an active Spec Based Template.
You can't edit, delete, or deactivate a proposal type or option if it's tied to an active Spec-Based Estimate Template (SBET).
You can generate a new estimate from a duplicated SBET form, even if the original form is linked to a sold estimate.
SBET is accessible to all trades, but its workflows and functions are specialized for roofing and exterior contractors.
Create Spec Based Estimate Template in ServiceTitan
Go to the top toolbar and click Pricebook.
In the side menu, click Templates.
Click the Create dropdown and select Spec Based Template. The Create Spec Based Template screen opens.
On the Create Spec Based Template screen that opens, enter the following details:
Spec Based Template Name: Internal template name shown to employees and sales people.
Note: Name the template based on the work type, like Roofing or Roofing and Gutters.
(Optional) Business Unit: Business unit associated with the template. Appears on jobs assigned to the selected business units. If none are selected, it applies to all jobs.
(Optional) Spec Based Template Summary: Additional details and notes.
When finished, click Continue.
In the Create Spec Based Template screen, you can set up the template in 5 steps.
Step 1: Select Form
You can create a new form, import if you have it in file or select an existing one from the list.
To create a new form:
Click + Add Form on the right.
In the Add Form screen, fill out the details of the form.
Note: For roofing customers it is highly recommended to use Conditional Logic.
In the Add Form window, enter a name for your form in the Untitled Form field.
Select the Status of the form Published.
Select if the form is displayed on the Office Side Only or Both Office and Technician Sides. If you select Office Side Only, the form becomes available on the Job screen.
If you select Both Office and Technician Sides, the form becomes available in both ServiceTitan, as well as the Forms section of ServiceTitan Mobile.
Note: If you don't select at least one location, you can only access the form from Settings > Operations > Forms.
For the Assigned to field, select the Job box so sales people can fill out the form while on the job.
(Optional) Assign tags to automatically appear on the job when the form is completed.
Click Job to add or remove areas you want your tags applied to.
Note: The job is preselected. To move it or any other area click X.
Click the Tags field and select which tags you want to apply when the form is completed.
Tip: Tags are used for reporting and marketing purposes.
Select whether you want the form printed or emailed as One Column or Two Columns.
If you want to assign the form to specific business units so that it only appears on relevant jobs, select the business unit from the dropdown.
Note: Assigning forms to specific business units helps reduce how many are displayed to sales people. For example, on a Roofing job, the sales people only see Roofing- Sales forms.
At this point, you're ready to create your form. Click +Add new item to add questions to the form.
In the window that opens, fill out the fields.
Fill out the Header field with the specific measurement that you are trying to capture.
Note: This header field is what is used as a reference in the formula later. An example field could be [LF Eaves].
In the Description field add in the relevant question you want the sales people to answer.
Example: How many linear feet of eaves does the roof have?Check the Required checkbox if you want to make the section required.
In the Type field, select one of the available following options for spec-based estimate template forms.
Number: Allows sales people to input numbers as answers.
Radio Buttons: Add the available options in the relevant fields, to allow sales people to answer the field by selecting one of the provided options.
Dropdown: Add the available options in the relevant fields, to allow sales people to answer the field by selecting one of the provided options in the dropdown.
Note: The Radio Button and Dropdown Options only work if you use it in an IF statement in your formula.
Example: If the section header is called drip edge, the formula in excel should be IF([drip edge] = "yes", 14, IF([drip edge] = "no", 10, IF([drip edge] = "", 0, 20))). Yes, no, and blank are the dropdown options that the sales people can choose in the form. The following would be the outcome:
If the sales people selects Yes (If [drip edge] = "yes") the system will return 14 as the amount.
If the sales people selects No (If [drip edge] = "no") the system will return 10 as the amount.
If the sales people leaves the field blank (If [drip edge] is blank/empty) the system will return 0 as the amount.
When you're done with the item, click Done.
Click +Add new item to add additional questions to the form.
Tip: You can also copy or delete the item.
When finished, click Save.
For more, see Create a form in ServiceTitan.
To Import a form:
Click Import.
Click Upload File on the Import Form screen.
Note: To use the Best Practices form, contact your onboarding team or success manager to request access.
Select the form and click Import.
To select existing form:
Select one of the forms from the list.
(Optional) Click the pencil icon to edit an existing form.
When finished, click Next.
Caution: Changing the form in an existing template that is already set up removes all associated Pricebook items and formulas. A warning pop-up appears before the changes are applied.
(Optional) Step 2: Select Source
Select a source of measurement integration to automatically pull roofing measurement data into your spec based estimate forms.
You can select from the measurement integrations you have already set up or set up one of them directly from this screen. The current available measurement integrations are GAF QuickMeasure and EagleView.
Note: If you do not have this screen available, and want to have one of the measurement integrations, please reach out to your onboarding team or success manager.
To set up measurement integration:
Click Setup. This takes you to the Measurement Integrations screen in Settings.
From the Measurement Integrations screen, select one of the integrations and click Configure.
Based on which measurement integration you want to set up, check the corresponding article below for the setup steps.
After you set up an integration, select one of the following options and click Next.
Note: This is an optional step, you can bypass it if you do not want.
Step 3: Select Proposal Type
Select a proposal type for your template.
Under Select Proposal Type, you can create a new proposal type from scratch, or just select one of the preexisting proposal types options. This allows your sales people to automatically create multiple options from one form submission, for example Good - Better - Best are the most common.
To add a proposal type:
Click the Select Proposal Type dropdown.
From the dropdown you can do the following:
Create a Proposal Type: Click + Add Proposal Type to create a new proposal type. More on the setup step, see Add and edit proposal types.
Select existing type: Select one of the preexisting proposal type options in the dropdown.
You can also further edit existing proposal types by clicking on the Edit
. Note: You can also create proposal types directly from Pricebook > Proposal Templates if you have either the Create and Edit Spec Based Estimate or Edit estimate permissions.
After you selected a proposal type, click Next.
Caution: Changing the proposal type in an existing template that is already set up removes all associated Pricebook items and formulas. A warning pop-up appears before the changes are applied.
Step 4: Set Up Estimate & Create Formula
Add items to your estimates and create formulas.
You can add items to your estimates and create formulas directly within the user interface, making it easier to customize and complete your spec-based estimate templates. Alternatively, you can import a ready-made Excel file directly into the template.
Different item types from your pricebook are available to select, allowing you to tailor your automated estimates to fit your business needs. Below are the types of items:
Service: A Pricebook item used to sell a service on estimates and invoices.
Material: Roofing parts like shingles, nails, and flashing added to services for accurate pricing and job costing. Can also be added directly to invoices.
Other Direct Cost: Non-material expenses like rentals, permits, Subcontractor Labor, and fees added to jobs for accurate costing and invoicing.
Discounts and Fees: Add discounts as a percent or flat amount, and fees as a flat amount. You can set limits on discounts and choose if fees have tax. This helps keep prices clear and transactions easy.
Item Groups: Bundle multiple services or materials into one line item on estimates to remove from customer view.
You can also copy the items with their formulas to the other proposal options:
Click Copy.
Select the proposal option.
Click Apply.
To add a service:
Click + Service to add.
From the Name & Code dropdown select a service.
After selecting the service, click + Create Formula to add a formula to the service.
The Create Formula screen opens. For more, see SBET Supported Formula & Operations.Click Roofing Formula Glossary to browse best-practice roofing formulas by material. You can use these as a starting point and customize them to fit your needs.
Select one of the options from the dropdown.
Click Use this Formula.
Red Highlighted fields: Click the red highlight to replace the suggested form field with the actual field from your form.
Orange Highlighted fields: Click the orange highlight to enter the product specific material coverage provided by the manufacturer for a single unit of that material. For example, number of bundles per square or number of feet per roll.
Blue highlighted functions: The system automatically highlights functions, such as IF/THEN, ROUNDUP in dark blue as you type, confirming correct syntax interpretation.
Red highlighted text: The system underlines syntax errors in red highlighting the issue. For example, if you enter invalid text such as txtx, the system underlines it red.
To add an item group:
Use item groups to bundle materials and services under a single line item on the estimate. Customers see only the group name, but the included items still count toward costs and material lists. For example, you can create a group called Supply and Install Shingles and add underlayment, vents, and nails as hidden child items.
Click + Item Group to add. The Create Item Group pop-up opens.
Select Service as the Parent Item Type.
Select the service you want as the parent item. You can search by item code, name, or description from the Select Parent Item dropdown.
Note: The parent item description is listed as the single line item for the item group.
(Optional) To create a name for the item group, enter it in the Name field. Otherwise, the estimate template uses the parent item name.
When you're done, click Create. The newly created item group appears in its own section under the Set up Estimate & Create Formula step.
Tip: We recommend setting parent item formula value to 1 to ensure it is included on the estimate. The parent item does not require any complex formula setup. You can create formulas for the child items within the item group.
You can further customize your items group by adding services, materials or other direct cost.
Click + Add Service ,+ Material or + Other Direct Cost to add a sub-items to the item group.
Use the search field to find the sub-item you want to add. You can search by item code, name, or description.
After you select the subitem, it is added to the item group.
You can create formulas both for the parent item and the subitem within the item group.
Caution: When you add a parent item with linked materials or equipment, the linked items display a chain icon showing their connection. You can't create formulas for these child items, they inherit formulas from the parent.
To create formula from scratch:
Use the Form Fields and Formula Builder Guide sections to create your own formulas.
Select a field from the Form Fields section or type directly into the formula box. When you type an opening bracket [, a list of available form fields appears.
Add operators such as +, -, * or / and ROUNDUP such as IF from the Formula Builder Guide.
To test formulas:
Use the Test Formula section to preview how your formula works. When you have a valid formula, you can enter sample values to see the results before applying it.
Test your formulas by selecting responses for each form field to generate a result.
Enter values in the Test Formula fields, and the result will appear in the Result field.
After creating formulas for the item, click Save & Go to Next Item to also create formulas for the other items.
To import spreadsheet file with the tasks and formulas:
If you have a premade file with all the tasks and formulas, you can also import it here. For more, see SBET Supported Formula & Operations.
Click Import.
Click Upload File to attach the file.
Note: If you do not have the excel file, you can import it from the Prepare and Import Your Formula File screen.
Select the file you want to import and click Import.
A confirmation pop-up appears at the top of your screen when the spreadsheet is successfully imported.
View your imported spreadsheets:
After importing a spreadsheet, an Import History button. This lets you view the different versions of files you've imported.
Click Import History.
The Import History screen opens. And here you can do the following:
Date: When the file was imported.
User: Who imported the file.
Import Status: The import status.
Download xlsx: The imported file. Click the file to download it.
Download Error Log: Any error for the imported file.
After adding tasks and creating formulas or just importing the file, make the necessary updates and click Next to finalize the template.
Step 5: Review & Finalize
From the Review & Finish screen you can review the generated estimate options from the SBET you just created and click Save and Publish to finalize it. Additionally, you can click Save as Draft if you have not completed the template yet.
