Sourcing and specification

Sourcing & Specification is the module where a designer discovers products, builds design boards, sets pricing, and presents them for client decisions. Each approved item then feeds the procurement and billing workflow without being re-entered.

Browser clipper

A browser extension lets the designer clip product details — image, name, vendor URL, list price — from any supplier website into the IDOS product library in one click. Clipped products are saved to the firm’s catalog for reuse across projects.

Product library and history catalog

Every clipped or manually entered product lives in the firm’s product library. The history catalog records every product the firm has ever used, searchable by name, vendor, or project. A product can be added to multiple boards across projects; each board placement carries its own quantity, markup, and notes, independent of the library record.

Design and spec boards

Products are organized into boards — named collections that represent a room, a scheme, or a phase. A board carries a designer’s notes, quantities, and per-item pricing. Boards are the unit of presentation: the designer sends a board to the client for review and approval.

Per-item markup

Each item on a board has a cost (what the firm pays the vendor) and a client price. The client price is calculated as cost × (1 + markup percentage). The markup can be set at the item, board, or default firm level. Cost and markup percentage are visible only to the firm — the client sees only the client price on the branded board.

Locked approval snapshots

When a board is sent, the current cost and client price for each item are snapshotted and stored immutably with the approval record. If the cost or markup changes later, the approved items keep the prices the client accepted. The snapshot is not recalculated and cannot be retroactively updated.

Client review and approval

The client receives a token-based link (no login required) to a branded board showing each item with its client price, description, and image. Cost, vendor identity, and markup are never exposed. The client can approve or reject individual items and leave a note on each decision. Rejected items remain on the board with the rejection note visible to the designer.

Approval-to-PO and invoice lineage

Each approved item carries its snapshotted cost and client price forward into the procurement pipeline. The item becomes a line on a purchase order and, once delivered or ready to bill, a line on a product invoice. The full chain — board → approval → PO → invoice — is traceable from any record in the chain, so the designer can see where every approved dollar came from and where it went.

Sourcing & Specification is a capability of the Procurement module, available on Professional and Studio. Foundation does not include sourcing.