What Are Selections?
Selections help streamline client decision-making throughout a project by providing a clear and organized way to present available choices.
Instead of managing decisions through emails, spreadsheets, or phone calls, you can create selections directly in Buildern and allow clients to review, compare, and approve their preferred options in one place.
For example, when choosing flooring for a home, you can create a Flooring Selection and add multiple options such as hardwood, laminate, or tile. The client can review each option, compare details, and make a decision directly through the selection.
Each selection can contain one or multiple options, giving clients the flexibility to choose the solution that best fits their preferences and budget while keeping the entire approval process organized and easy to track.
Create a Selection
There are two ways to create a selection in Buildern.
Method 1: Create from an Estimate Item
Use this method when the selection is related to a specific estimate item.
Open your project
Navigate to Estimate
Locate the estimate item
Click the ⋯ (three dots) menu
Select Create
Click Selection
Buildern will automatically create a new selection linked to the selected estimate item.
👉 Learn more about How to Create a Selection from an Estimate Item in Buildern
Method 2: Create from the Selections and Allowances Module
Use this method when you want to create and configure the selection directly from the Selections area.
Open your project
Navigate to Selections and Allowances
Click Add New Selection
Once the window opens you will see the fields that are needed to be filled in:
Name – Enter a name for the selection.
Link to – Select the estimate item this selection is associated with.
Deadline – Set a date by which the client must make their selection.
Choose Date – Set a specific date and time by selecting a date from the calendar and defining the required time.
Link to Schedule – Connect the selection deadline to a schedule activity and define how many days or hours before or after that task the selection must be completed.
Category – Organize selections into categories for easier management and filtering.
Location – Specify where the selected item will be used within the project.
👉Learn more about How to Configure Selection Categories and Locations in Buildern
Workflow – Define how long the client can modify their selection:
Client can change until manually closed
Close once the client selects an option
Client can change until the deadline
Pricing - Enables pricing for the option. When turned on, you can define quantities, units, costs, and other pricing details that will be displayed to the client as part of the selection.
When disabled, pricing information is hidden, and clients only see the option details, such as descriptions, photos, attachments, and other selection information.
ℹ️ Note - If the selection is created from an estimate item that is not an allowance, the Pricing setting is disabled and cannot be changed. This ensures the selection is used for choosing products or materials without affecting the estimate pricing.
👉Learn more about How to Configure Selection Pricing in Buildern
Description - Use the Description section to provide additional details, specifications, instructions, or context for the client.
Options - Options are the individual choices available within a selection. Clients review these options and choose the one they want for the project. A selection must contain at least one option before it can be published and presented to the client.
To add options:
Click Add New Option.
Choose one of the following methods:
Add New Option – Create a new option manually by entering the details directly in the selection.
Add from Cost Catalog – Add an existing Cost Catalog item as a selection option for quick reuse.
💡 Tip - Adding options from the Cost Catalog helps maintain consistent pricing, product information, and specifications across projects.
Internal Note - Use Internal Notes to add information that is visible only to your team.
ℹ️ Note - These notes are not displayed to clients.
Additional Permissions - The Additional Permissions section allows you to control how clients, vendors, and installers interact with the selection.
Client
Can add options – Allows clients to add their own options to the selection.
Vendors
Select one or more vendors and configure their permissions:
Can add options – Allows vendors to submit additional options.
Added options are visible to Client – Makes vendor-submitted options visible to the client.
Installers
Select one or more installers and configure their visibility settings:
Can see only selected options – Limits installers to viewing only the chosen option.
Can see pricing – Allows installers to view pricing information.
💡 Tip - Use Additional Permissions to involve vendors and installers in the selection workflow while controlling exactly what information each participant can view or modify.
Comments - The Comments section becomes available after the selection is created and can be used for communication and collaboration regarding the selection.
Save and Publish the Selection
After configuring the selection and adding at least one option, choose one of the following actions:
Save – Saves the selection as a draft so you can continue working on it later.
Publish – Makes the selection available to the client and sends it through the client portal for review and decision-making.
Once published, the selection will appear in the Selections and Allowances module, where you can track its progress and manage client responses.
Thanks for reading, and we hope this guide helps you get the most out of Buildern.
Happy building!