From Estimate to Purchase Order with Zero Manual Re-Entry
Autodesk Forma — Cost Management
From Estimate to Purchase Order with Zero Manual Re-Entry
One connected Autodesk Forma workflow takes your project from model-based takeoff through budgeting to supplier purchase orders, automatically, without re-typing a single number.
Estimating, connected directly to cost management.
Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) connects estimating directly to cost management. The moment a takeoff is complete, quantities and costs flow straight into a live project budget, organised by cost code, division, and supplier. From there, approved budget lines convert directly into supplier purchase orders, with every dollar traceable back to the original estimate line it came from.
No exporting to spreadsheets. No re-keying numbers between systems. No disconnect between what was estimated and what gets ordered.
Why It Matters
Every manual hand-off is a place where numbers drift.
Every manual hand-off between estimating, budgeting, and procurement is a place where numbers drift, time is lost, and errors creep in. This workflow removes those hand-offs entirely, so the number an estimator takes off the model is the same number that lands in the supplier’s purchase order, with nothing manually retyped in between.
How It Works
One connected workflow across Autodesk Forma.
1
Estimating
Quantities and costs taken off directly from the model and sheets.
2
Budget
The estimate flows straight into a live project budget, no manual entry.
3
Purchase Order
Budget lines convert into supplier POs automatically, no re-entry required.
View Demo Video →
All inside one platform, not six disconnected tools.
Core Capabilities
What’s driving the automation under the hood.
01
Model-Based Estimating
Take off quantities and costs directly from sheets and models, organised by cost code and division.
02
Live Budget Sync
Estimate line items populate the project budget automatically, with original vs. revised tracking by supplier and division.
03
Automatic Purchase Order Creation
Approved budget lines generate supplier purchase orders directly, each one tied back to its source budget line and estimate, ready for review in Contracts.
Who This Is For
Built for estimators, project managers, and quantity surveyors in architecture, engineering, construction and infrastructure who want the numbers from takeoff to purchase order to move as one, not through spreadsheets and manual re-entry along the way.
Next Step
See Forma Cost Management in action on your projects.
Let’s talk about how the Autodesk Forma platform could fit into your workflows.
