> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.stralos.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Company settings > Company-wide configuration and defaults Company settings control defaults that affect pricing and user experience across Stralos. Open **Settings** from the global navigation to access these areas. Each section has its own URL, so you can bookmark a section directly, share a link, or use the browser's **Back** button to return to a previously visited section. The settings navigation is grouped into four sections: **Company** * Company defaults. * Tender layout. * Users (admins only). * Billing (admins only). * Support access (admins only). See [Support access](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/users-and-authentication.md#support-access). * Project access (admins only). * Client companies (contractor company admins only) and Contractors (company admins only), when contractor companies are switched on. See [Contractor companies](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/contractor-companies.md). **Resources** * Projects. * Resource groups. * Resource categories. **Reference lists** * Disposal substances. * Takeoff categories. * Departures and clarifications. **Connections and activity** * Shared drives. * Assistant activity (admins only). The **Companies** register has its own page. Open **Rates & resources → Companies** from the global navigation. It lists all your clients and suppliers in one place, and a company can hold more than one role. Your company's own sites are also outside Settings. Open **Rates & resources → Locations**. Admins can add and edit these locations; members can view them. ## Who can change what Access to working edit controls in **Settings** depends on both the section and your role. | Section | Admin | Member | | - | - | - | | Projects | Add, edit | Add, edit | | Resource groups | Edit names, edit margins, edit colours | View only | | Resource categories | Add category, edit, delete | View only | | Disposal substances | Add, edit, retire, restore | View only | | Company defaults | Edit | View only | | Company branding (in Company defaults) | Edit brand colour and logo | View only | | Terms and conditions (in Company defaults) | Type, upload, replace, remove | View only | | Tender approval (in Company defaults) | Turn **Tenders need approval** on or off | View only | | Tender layout | Edit, save, and preview the layout | View and preview only | | Billing | Manage seats, saved cards, invoices, and subscription | Not available | | Users | Invite users, view members, edit eligible member names | Not available | | Support access | View the list, turn support sign-in off or on | Not available | | Takeoff categories | Add, edit, delete | View only | | Departures and clarifications | Add, edit, delete | View only | | Shared drives | Add, confirm, disable, remove, link project folders | View only | For the Companies register, both admins and members can add and edit companies. Units are supplied by Stralos from a fixed database catalogue and do not have a Settings page. ## Billing Admins can manage the number of active-user seats billed each month. The **Billing** panel shows how many seats are currently occupied. Occupied seats include active members and pending invitations. Use this count to make sure you have enough purchased seats for everyone who needs access. ### Free beta If your company joined Stralos through the free beta, **Settings → Billing** shows a beta notice instead of the free trial banner. The notice shows how many days of the 14-day beta are left, for example **Free beta: 12 days left**, and how many users your company can have during the beta. Once the beta has ended, the notice shows the date it ended instead. To subscribe during or after the beta: 1. Open **Settings → Billing**. 2. Select your **Billing country**. 3. Enter the number of **Paid user seats**. 4. Click **Subscribe** and complete secure checkout. Billing starts as soon as you subscribe. A subscription started from the beta has no free trial and no trial seat limit. Once your subscription is set up, the beta notice no longer appears and the panel shows your subscription in the usual way. When the beta ends without a subscription, your company moves to read-only access for 7 days, then access is blocked. Everything you have set up is kept. See [Overdue billing and access restrictions](#overdue-billing-and-access-restrictions). ### Free trial When your company is eligible for a free trial, **Settings → Billing** shows a banner with the number of trial days available. To activate the trial, complete the checkout steps below. You will be asked to add a credit card at secure checkout. Nothing is charged on that day. Your monthly subscription starts automatically after the trial period ends unless you cancel first via **Manage subscription**. While a trial is active, the **Billing** panel shows the trial end date and the date your first monthly payment is due. No seat charges apply during the trial. The number of seats you select at checkout determines your monthly price once the trial ends. ### Ending the trial early If you need to add more than three users before the trial ends, you can convert to a paid subscription at any time during the trial. 1. Open **Settings → Billing**. 2. Click **Start paid subscription now**. 3. Review the confirmation, which shows the number of seats and the amount you will be charged. 4. Click **End trial and start paying**. Stralos charges your default saved payment method immediately for the number of seats currently saved on your subscription, then starts monthly billing from that day. Unused trial days cannot be restored. You can cancel future renewals in **Manage subscription**. The **Start paid subscription now** button is not available if your subscription is set to cancel at the end of the period. Resume your subscription in **Manage subscription** first, then convert. Once the conversion succeeds, the seat limit is lifted and you can add more users up to your purchased seat count. ### Starting a new subscription Before proceeding to checkout, you need to select your billing country and optionally enter a discount code. Stralos quotes the price for your selected country, including any applicable tax such as GST. 1. Open **Settings → Billing**. 2. Select your **Billing country** from the dropdown. The price shown updates to reflect country-specific pricing and tax. 3. Enter the number of **Paid user seats**. 4. If you have a discount code, enter it in **Discount code (optional)**. If your company has a signup discount, Stralos pre-fills this field. You can edit or clear the code before continuing. 5. Click **Continue to secure checkout**. The **Continue to secure checkout** button stays disabled until you select a billing country. The price shown is before any discount. Your invoice shows the final discounted total. The seat picker starts at the number of occupied seats. You cannot choose fewer seats than the active members and pending invitations already using them. ### Changing an existing subscription To update your seat count on an active subscription: 1. Open **Settings → Billing**. 2. Enter the number of **Paid user seats**. 3. Click **Update seats**. An increase takes effect immediately. Stripe charges the prorated difference for the rest of the current billing period. A decrease creates a credit for the unused time. Active subscriptions display your billing country and any applied discounts. The country and discount code fields are not shown for existing subscriptions. ### Payment methods The **Payment methods** section of the **Billing** panel lists your company's saved cards. The default card is used for future subscription payments. Saving a card does not charge it. To add a card: 1. Click **Add card**. 2. Enter your card details in the secure card form. 3. Tick the consent checkbox to confirm you agree to save the card for future subscription payments. 4. Click **Save card**. Complete any verification requested by your bank. To set a different card as the default, click **Make default** on that card and confirm in the dialog. To remove a card, click **Remove** on that card and confirm in the dialog. A card cannot be removed if it is required for an active subscription or another billing obligation. The reason is shown below the card when removal is unavailable. ### Invoices The **Invoices** section of the **Billing** panel shows your subscription invoices in a table with the following columns: **Invoice** (number), **Date** (including billing period where applicable), **Total**, **Paid**, **Remaining** (shown only when at least one invoice has an outstanding balance), **Status**, and **PDF**. Money columns are right-aligned. Status appears as a coloured badge — for example, **Paid**, **Open**, or **Void**. Click **Load more invoices** to page through older invoices. ### Manage subscription Click **Manage subscription** to open Stripe's secure customer portal. Use the portal for subscription management tasks not covered in the Billing panel. Changing the billed seat count does not add, remove, activate, or deactivate user accounts. Manage user access separately and keep the number of active accounts within your purchased seat count. ### Subscription status When a subscription exists, a status badge appears next to the **Billing** heading. The possible statuses are: | Status | Meaning | | - | - | | Active | Subscription is current and billing normally. | | Trial | Subscription is in a trial period. | | Payment overdue | A recent payment failed. Stralos will retry; update your payment method to resolve. | | Unpaid | Outstanding invoices remain unpaid after retries. | | Incomplete | Subscription setup is in progress and requires action to complete. | | Expired | Subscription setup was not completed and has expired. | | Cancelled | Subscription has been cancelled. | | Paused | Subscription is temporarily paused. | No badge is shown if no subscription has been set up yet. ### Seat enforcement Stralos enforces your purchased seat count when inviting users and when users accept invitations. Each invitation reserves a seat immediately — pending invitations count against your total the same as active members. Revoking an invitation releases its seat. If you try to invite a new member when all seats are in use, the invitation is refused. Increase your seat count in **Settings → Billing** before sending more invitations. If your subscription is not in good standing — for example, due to a failed payment or cancellation — new invitations and membership acceptances are blocked until the issue is resolved. Use **Manage subscription** to update your payment method. ### Overdue billing and access restrictions When a payment fails or a subscription lapses, Stralos enters a grace period. During the grace period, users can view existing content but cannot make changes or accept invitations. A warning banner appears at the top of every page: > **Billing issue: your company has read-only access.** Access will be blocked on \[date]. The banner includes the exact date and time when access will be blocked. Admins see a **Manage billing** link in the banner. Members see "Please ask your admin to update billing." When the grace period ends, access is blocked for all users. The page shows: > **Access blocked** > > The payment grace period has ended. Update billing to restore access. Members see "The payment grace period has ended. Please ask your admin to update billing." instead. Admins see a **Manage billing** link pointing to **Settings → Billing**. Once an admin updates billing and payment is confirmed, clicking **Check again** on the blocked screen restores access immediately without requiring a sign-out. When a free beta has ended, the banner and the blocked screen say so instead. Admins see "Your 14-day free beta has ended. Please add a card to keep working in Stralos. Everything you've set up is safe." with an **Add a card** link to **Settings → Billing**. Members are asked to get their admin to add a card. Once per sign-in, Stralos also takes an admin straight to **Settings → Billing**. When access is blocked, the screen title is **Your free beta has ended**. If your company is on the free beta and access is blocked, **Settings → Billing** shows "Your free beta has ended. Please add a credit card profile to keep using Stralos." instead of the payment grace period notice. Click **Subscribe** to complete checkout and restore access. See [Free beta](#free-beta). If Stralos cannot reach the billing service to check your subscription status, the app shows a **Billing is unavailable** screen with a **Check again** button. Admins can still open the billing recovery page. The **Manage subscription** action remains available during read-only and blocked access so an admin can restore billing. ### Trial user limit Free trials are limited to three users, including pending invitations. The seat input in **Settings → Billing** is capped at that limit while your company is on a trial. You cannot increase the seat count beyond the trial limit until after checkout activates your subscription. ### Contractor companies A contractor company works inside its clients' companies in Stralos. Upgrade from **Billing** with **Upgrade to contractor**, or change back to a standard company there. A company created by a contractor company follows that company's billing until it sets up its own. See [Contractor companies](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/contractor-companies.md). ## Company defaults **Company defaults** holds your company's name, contact details, country and time zone, company-wide pricing fields, quote and job numbering, your company branding, tender approval, and your terms and conditions. The page has a single **Discard** and **Save changes** pair at the bottom. Editing fields in any combination of sections and clicking **Save changes** once saves every edited section. If a section cannot be saved, only that section stays unsaved and its fields remain editable so you can correct and retry. Only admins can save changes. Members can view the fields but cannot edit them. ### Company country The **Company country** field sets the country your company operates in. Stralos uses this value to favour local address results when searching in Google Maps. Changing this setting does not affect your billing country. Only admins can save changes. Members can view the field but cannot edit it. To set the company country: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. Select a country from the **Company country** dropdown. 3. Click **Save changes**. ### Company time zone The **Time zone** field sets the IANA time zone for your company. Every project uses this time zone to determine what "today" means for dates, working-day calculations, and rate schedules unless the project's own settings specify a different zone. Only admins can change the time zone. Members can view the current value but cannot edit it. To set the company time zone: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. In the **Time zone** field, type to search or scroll to find your time zone. The current UTC offset is shown beside each zone name (for example, `Pacific/Auckland (UTC+13:00)`). 3. Click **Save changes**. The default time zone is `Pacific/Auckland`. If a stored zone is not available in your browser's local list (for example, a historical alias), it is still shown and selectable so the field never appears empty. ### Company name The **Company** card shows your company's display name, used by the company switcher, your own price list, and your own entry in the Locations register. Admins can update the name. Members see it read-only. To change the name: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. Edit the value in the **Company name** field. 3. Click **Save changes**. After saving, the company switcher and your own entry in the Locations register use the refreshed name straight away. Prices from your own price list also display the current company name; they do not retain a separate stored source name. The **Company defaults** screen reads from a regional copy of the record. After you save, it shows a confirmation: "Saved. The name is already updated everywhere else — this screen reads a regional copy that can take a moment to catch up." This does not mean the save failed. Other region-backed displays update when the company update reaches that region. The company's login URL (its slug) is separate from the display name and is fixed once issued. Renaming the company does not change that URL. If the **Company name** field shows "Not available yet", the company record has not yet reached this region. It will appear once the region receives the record. Stralos accepts non-empty names up to 200 characters. Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed on save, and the name must not already be used by another company. ### Company contact details The **Company contact details** card holds your company's **Phone**, **Email**, and **GST number**. They print with your company's details on [Tender download](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/tender-submission.md#tender-download) PDF and Excel files. All three are optional. Each office in **Rates & resources → Locations** can have its own phone, email, and GST number. A tender uses the project office's value for each field when it is filled in, otherwise the value saved here. See [Location fields](https://help.stralos.app/guides/reference/suppliers-and-locations.md#location-fields). To set them: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. Enter any of **Phone**, **Email**, and **GST number**. Enter the GST number as 8 or 9 digits, for example `123-456-789`. 3. Click **Save changes**. Clear a field and save to remove it. Only admins can change these details. Members see them read-only. ### Pricing basis and default percentage Under **Settings → Company defaults**, choose **Margin (on the sell price)** or **Markup (on the cost)** in **Pricing basis**. Enter the **Default margin %** or **Default markup %**, check the worked example, then click **Save changes**. The worked example is labelled **Example in NZD** and shows a \$100,000 cost job. A 20% markup produces \$120,000 sell. A 20% margin on the same cost produces \$125,000 sell. The default percentage starts at 15. Use 0–95 for margin and 0–1000 for the company markup default. Each estimate keeps the pricing basis saved when it was created. It also keeps a snapshot of the company's default, rate-group, and category percentages. Changing company settings does not reprice existing estimates. Set tender-specific percentages in [Tender Submission → Markup or Margin](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/tender-submission.md#markup-and-margin). On either pricing basis, the most specific available percentage wins: component override, item category, rate group, tender default, then frozen company default. A tender override replaces the company value at the same category or group. A tender default does not override a more specific category or group. An explicit 0% means sell at cost; a blank group or category inherits. ### Working-day defaults The **Pricing defaults** card has three working-day fields: | Field | Default | Accepted values | Used for | | - | - | - | - | | **Default hours per working day** | `8` | Greater than `0`, up to `24`, up to two decimal places | Duration-driven pricing in new estimates | | **Default days per week** | `5` | Greater than `0`, up to `7`, up to two decimal places | Converting weekly rates to working days | | **Default days per month** | `20` | Greater than `0`, up to `31`, up to two decimal places | Converting monthly rates to working days | New estimates inherit **Default hours per working day**. Each estimate then stores its own working-day length. To change it, open the estimate and edit **Hours per working day** there. Project Settings shows the primary estimate's current value as read-only. **Default days per week** and **Default days per month** apply to every project that has no value of its own. A project can override either one under [Working week and month](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/project-settings.md#working-week-and-month) in Project Settings. A weekly or monthly rate can also carry its own number of days, and an estimator can override the conversion on an individual build-up line. To set the working-day defaults: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. Edit **Default hours per working day**, **Default days per week**, or **Default days per month**. 3. Click **Save changes**. Stralos sends only the fields you changed. A field you have not edited keeps its stored value, so saving another change cannot overwrite a value another admin has just saved. ### Quote and job numbers Stralos numbers your quotes and your jobs separately. **Company defaults** has a **Quote numbers** card and a **Job numbers** card, each with a prefix, a next number and a **Preview** of the next number. * **Quote numbers**: every new project gets one when it is created, and so does each other tender estimate, saved version and revised tender. Set **Quote number prefix** (default `Q-`, up to 20 characters) and **Next quote number**. The quote prefix is required. * **Job numbers**: a project gets one when an estimate on it is marked Won. Set **Job number prefix** (up to 20 characters) and **Next job number**. Leave the prefix blank to use `JOB-`. Stralos pads the number to four digits: next number `3` with prefix `Q-` gives `Q-0003`. Numbers beyond `9999` simply grow longer. Each counter moves on by itself as numbers are assigned, and two people creating projects at the same time get different numbers. To change either sequence: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. In the **Quote numbers** or **Job numbers** card, change the prefix or the next number. Check the **Preview**. 3. Click **Save changes**. Quote and job numbers cannot be changed once assigned, in project settings or through the API. If you set a next number that is already in use, the next project create (for quotes) or the next estimate marked Won (for jobs) fails. Set the counter beyond the highest number already issued. ### Company branding The **Company branding** card sets a brand colour and a company logo for the spreadsheets you export. The colour fills the section headings and the logo sits at the top left of the sheet. With nothing set, exports use the Stralos navy and no logo. Only admins can change the branding; members see the card read-only. A contractor who is an admin in a client company edits that client company's branding, not their own company's. The card saves with the rest of **Company defaults**. Nothing is saved or uploaded until you click **Save changes**, and **Discard** drops any pending colour or logo change. The **How your exports will look** preview shows the heading colour and logo as you edit. To set the brand colour: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. In **Brand colour**, choose a colour or type a six-digit hex code (for example, `#1a2b3c`). 3. Click **Save changes**. To go back to the Stralos navy, choose **Stralos colours** in **Brand colour** and click **Save changes**. The logo must be: * a PNG or JPEG image; * smaller than 10 MB; * between 16 and 10,000 pixels on each side, and 50 megapixels at most; and * no more than 250 times as long as it is wide. You don't need to resize the logo first. Stralos makes a smaller copy of it for your exports and keeps any transparency in a PNG. To add or replace the logo: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. Under **Company logo**, click **Upload logo**, or **Replace logo** if a logo is already set. 3. Choose the image file. 4. Click **Save changes**. To remove the logo, click **Remove logo**, then click **Save changes**. Exports have no logo until you add a new one. If the image is refused, the card says why, for example "Please use an image smaller than 10 MB." or "That image is too long and thin for a logo. Please crop it and try again." If logo storage is unavailable, the card shows "Logos can't be saved just now. Please try again in a few minutes." Your other changes on the page still save; retry the logo later. ### Tender approval The **Tender approval** card has one switch, **Tenders need approval**. When it is on, each tender in progress has a **Send for approval** button, so someone else can check the tender before it goes out. Approval is a record only: it never stops a tender being submitted. See [Tender approval](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/tender-submission.md#tender-approval) for how estimators and approvers use it. To turn it on or off: 1. Open **Settings** → **Company defaults**. 2. In **Tender approval**, switch **Tenders need approval** on or off. 3. Click **Save changes**. Only admins can change the setting; members see the card read-only. Turning it off removes **Send for approval**, but a tender that already has approval requests still shows them, so a request sent earlier can still be answered. ### Terms and conditions The **Terms and conditions** card holds the terms your company can add to the end of a [tender download](https://help.stralos.app/guides/estimators/tender-submission.md#tender-download). Type them in, or upload a PDF. Only admins can change the terms; members see them read-only. A contractor who is an admin in a client company edits that client company's terms, not their own company's. The card saves with the rest of **Company defaults**. Nothing is saved or uploaded until you click **Save changes**, and **Discard** drops any pending change. Under **How would you like to add them?**, choose **Type them in** or **Upload a PDF**. Only one is used on tenders. Stralos keeps the other stored, so you can switch back without losing it. To type your terms: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. In **Terms and conditions**, choose **Type them in**. 3. Type or paste your terms. Use the toolbar for headings, lists, bold, italic, and underline. The limit is 50,000 characters. 4. Click **Save changes**. Typed terms print as their own section in the tender PDF and as their own sheet in the Excel file. To upload a PDF: 1. Open **Settings → Company defaults**. 2. In **Terms and conditions**, choose **Upload a PDF**. 3. Click **Upload a PDF**, or **Replace PDF** if one is already stored, and choose the file. The card shows the file name and size, and says it will be uploaded when you save. 4. Click **Save changes**. The PDF must be smaller than 10 MB and must not be locked with a password or editing restrictions. A terms PDF is attached after the last page of the tender PDF, and the Excel file says the terms are attached separately. To remove the PDF, click **Remove PDF**, then click **Save changes**. To remove typed terms, clear the text and click **Save changes**. Tender downloads leave the terms out until you add some again. If the file is refused, the card says why, for example "Please use a PDF smaller than 10 MB." or "That PDF is locked with a password or editing restrictions. Please save a copy without the lock and upload that." If PDF storage is unavailable, the card shows "PDFs can't be saved just now. Please try again in a few minutes." Your other changes on the page still save; retry the PDF later. ## Tender layout **Settings** → **Tender layout** sets what your company's tender holds and in what order: the page setup, fonts and logos, the blocks, and the footer. Any member can view and preview it; only admins can save it. See [Tender layout](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/tender-layout.md). ## Resource groups **Settings → Resource groups** shows the six resource groups in a single table. Each row carries the group's display name, its margin or markup percentage, and an optional display colour. One **Save changes** button saves edits across all three fields. Only admins can make changes; members can view the table. ### Resource group names Each resource group has a display name your company can customise. The underlying classification, ordering, pricing, imports, exports, events, and calculator behaviour do not change. Renaming a group changes only what is shown on screen. The product defaults are: | Default name | | - | | Labour | | Plant & Vehicles | | Bulk Materials | | Materials | | Subcontractors | | Disposal | Edit a name in its row and click **Save changes**. A row with a custom name also shows a **Default name** button, which removes the override and returns to the product default. Custom names appear in the Settings resource-category tree and in estimate build-up group headings. ### Resource group colours Each resource group has an optional display colour used in estimate and activity build-ups. When no custom colour is set, the group uses a colour from the shared theme palette that follows your light or dark mode preference. To set a custom colour: 1. Open **Settings → Resource groups**. 2. In the **Colour** column, choose a preset colour. For another colour, choose **Custom colour…** and use the picker or enter a six-digit hex value (for example, `#1a73e8`). 3. Click **Save changes**. To reset a group, choose **Theme default** and click **Save changes**. Members see the stored colour value as read-only text. Non-admins cannot use the colour picker. ### Resource group margins and markups The percentage column is labelled **Margin %** or **Markup %** depending on your company's pricing basis set under **Company defaults**. A **Margin used** or **Markup used** column shows the effective percentage that applies to each group. New estimates snapshot each group's percentage at creation time. A category or component override takes precedence; a tender can also replace the same resource group rung. Leave the field blank to use your company default. Enter `0` to sell work in that group at cost. Stralos accepts: * **Margin basis:** 0–95, up to three decimal places. * **Markup basis:** −100–999.999, up to three decimal places. If your company prices on markup, you can enter a negative percentage down to −100 to apply a discount. Stralos accepts the value but shows a warning beside the field while it remains negative, because items priced through a negative markup are priced below cost. To remove the warning, enter a non-negative value or clear the field. When a field is blank, the **Margin used** or **Markup used** column shows **Company default · X%** to indicate which value applies. The field is never pre-filled: pre-filling would pin the group to today's default so a later change to the company default stopped flowing through. Rows with no custom percentage set show a **Default margin** or **Default markup** chip. Rows with a custom value show a **Custom margin** or **Custom markup** chip. To set a resource group percentage: 1. Open **Settings → Resource groups**. 2. Edit the name, the percentage, or both across one or more rows. 3. Click **Save changes**. To clear a percentage and return to using the company default, click **Default margin** (or **Default markup**) on the row, or clear the field and click **Save changes**. ### Partial save feedback When you click **Save changes**, Stralos attempts every edited name, colour, and percentage independently. One failure does not prevent the rest from saving. If all changes land, a success notification confirms what was saved. Examples include **2 names and 1 colour saved.** and **1 name, 1 colour, and 1 margin saved.** If some changes fail, an error notification names the parts that could not be saved — for example, "1 name and 1 margin saved. 1 change could not be saved." Each affected row also shows the server's error message in the relevant cell. The failed value stays in the field so you can correct and retry without retyping. ## Resource categories **Resource categories** (under **Settings → Resource categories**) is a two-level tree: fixed parent heading, then category. Rates attach to categories — not directly to parent headings. The six parent classifications are fixed and cannot be added, removed, or reordered. Their displayed names follow **Resource group names**: * Labour * Plant & Vehicles * Bulk Materials * Materials * Subcontractors * Disposal The names above are the defaults. Use **Settings → Resource groups** to change what your company calls any of the six; see [Resource group names](#resource-group-names). Each category row in the list shows its margin or markup percentage on the right. A category with an explicitly set value shows that value. A category with no explicit value shows the percentage it inherits — from its resource group, or from the company default if the group has none — displayed in a muted style and labelled **(inherited)**. The column heading matches your company's pricing basis: **Margin %** or **Markup %**. Admins can add, edit, and delete categories. Members can view the tree but cannot make changes. ### Adding a category 1. Open **Settings → Resource categories** and click **Add category**. 2. Enter a **Category name**. 3. Select a **Resource group** from the six fixed headings. 4. If the parent is **Plant & Vehicles**, an optional **Cartage vehicle** flag appears. Tick it if rates in this category carry **Payload (t)** and **Bin volume (m³)** fields. 5. Under **Allowed units**, tick at least one unit that rates in this category can use. Tick **Select all units** to choose every unit, or tick a group's heading to choose every unit in that group. You must select at least one unit to save. 6. A **Margin %** or **Markup %** field appears, labelled for your company's pricing basis. Leave it blank to inherit the percentage from the parent resource group (or your company default if the group has none). Enter a value to set a percentage specific to this category. 7. Click **Save category**. If the button is unavailable, a message beside it names the first unmet requirement — for example, "Enter a category name first." or "Choose at least one allowed unit." The cartage vehicle flag is available only under Plant & Vehicles. Categories under all other parent headings carry no flags; use the Disposal parent for disposal categories. The **Margin %** or **Markup %** field is labelled for your company's pricing basis. It appears whether your company prices on margin or markup. Any percentage stored on the category is preserved when you save other changes without editing this field. If your company prices on markup, you can enter a negative percentage down to −100 to apply a discount. Stralos accepts the value but shows a warning beside the field while it remains negative, because items priced through a negative markup are priced below cost. Seeded disposal categories offer cubic metre, tonne, each, and lot by default when their template still uses the standard disposal unit list. Seeded Bulk Materials categories use cubic metre and tonne. Admins can change a category's allowed units later. Existing companies keep their current category configuration. ### Editing a category Click the category name, or click **Edit** on the row. Both open the same editor panel. You can rename the category, move it to a different parent heading, update its cartage vehicle flag where applicable, change the allowed units, including with **Select all units** or a group's heading, or set a category-level margin or markup percentage. When you move a category to a different parent heading, the inherited percentage shown in the placeholder updates immediately to reflect the new parent group's value (or the company default if that group has no value set). Moving a category does not change any percentage you have explicitly set on it. When you move a category to a different parent heading, any flag that is no longer valid for the new parent is cleared automatically. ### Deleting a category Click **Delete** on the category row and confirm the deletion. If rates still use this category, the deletion is blocked. Move those rates to another category first, then delete. After deletion, the category leaves the active tree and is no longer offered when creating or editing rates. Stralos keeps the category for history, so estimates that already use it are unaffected — they continue to display the category name as saved. The category's name can be reused by a new active category. ## Disposal substances **Disposal substances** (under **Settings → Disposal substances**) is the company-wide catalogue of material physics used to convert excavated solid volume into loose volume and tonnes. Calculators that price spoil disposal draw on this list to determine how much volume and mass leaves the site. Each substance has these fields: | Field | Description | | - | - | | Excavated material | Name of the material, up to 120 characters. | | Loose density (t/m³) | Tonnes per cubic metre once dug out. Must be greater than 0 and no more than 10, with up to 3 decimal places. | | Bulking (%) | How much bigger the material gets once dug out. Enter a value from 0 to 200 with up to 3 decimal places. | | In-situ density (t/m³) | Read-only. Stralos works it out as loose density × (1 + bulking ÷ 100), shown to 2 decimal places. It is never typed or stored, and stays blank until loose density and bulking are both valid. | | Can be used for reinstatement backfill | Tick to allow calculators to use this substance when backfilling a reinstatement layer. Unticking clears the compaction figure. | | Compaction from loose (%) | Appears only when **Can be used for reinstatement backfill** is ticked, and is then required. How much the loose material compacts when it goes back in. Enter a value from 0 to 100 with up to 3 decimal places. | The table shows the same values, with the **Reinstatement** column just before **Compaction from loose (%)**. On a narrow screen it shows only the material name and in-situ density. Admins can add, edit, retire, and restore substances. Members can view the list but cannot make changes. ### Adding a substance 1. Open **Settings → Disposal substances**. 2. Click **Add substance**. The **Add disposal substance** side sheet opens. 3. Enter the **Excavated material**, **Loose density (t/m³)**, and **Bulking (%)**. **In-situ density (t/m³)** updates as you type. 4. If the substance can be used to backfill a reinstatement layer, tick **Can be used for reinstatement backfill**, then enter **Compaction from loose (%)**. 5. Click **Add substance**. ### Editing a substance 1. Click **Edit** on the substance row. The **Edit disposal substance** side sheet opens with the current values. 2. Update any fields. 3. Click **Save changes**. If you close the sheet with unsaved changes, Stralos asks you to confirm before discarding them. ### Retiring a substance 1. Click **Retire** on the substance row. 2. Click **Retire substance** to confirm. A retired substance is no longer offered when choosing a substance. Layers already saved with it keep their saved density, bulking and compaction values. ### Restoring a retired substance Tick **Show retired** to list retired substances, then click **Restore** on the row. If an active substance now uses the same name, Stralos cannot restore it until you rename or retire the active one. ## Shared drives Admins can connect Google shared drives and SharePoint document libraries so that files stored in them sync into project **Documents** pages. Go to **Settings → Shared drives** to connect a provider, add drives, and map them to projects. See [Shared drives](https://help.stralos.app/guides/admins/drive-sources.md) for the full steps and what each drive status means. ## Good practice * Review defaults before relying on tender pricing. * Keep company names and client records clean. * Use reference lists for controlled values instead of hard-coding labels into project data. * Document changes to pricing assumptions when they affect active tenders. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.