What is Self Perform in DESTINI Cloud Cost Library? (Private Preview)

Self Perform enables contractors to estimate work that is completed using their own labor, equipment, and resources instead of subcontractors. By defining resources, applying burdened costs, building crews, and assigning those crews to Cost Library line items, organizations can create more accurate and repeatable self-performed estimates.

Self Perform in DESTINI Cloud Cost Library allows you to model the actual workforce and equipment required to complete a scope of work. Rather than assigning a single labor cost to a line item, Self Perform lets you define the labor, equipment, and other resources that perform the work, apply markups to those resources, and calculate costs based on real-world productivity.

 

Because Self Perform data is stored within Cost Library, crews, rates, and productivity assumptions can be reused across multiple estimates, helping maintain consistency and reducing estimating effort.

How Self Perform Works

Self Perform is built on a series of connected components. Each component contributes information to the final cost calculation.

• Rate Tables define pricing scenarios.
• Resources define labor, equipment, and other cost items.
• Resource Markups apply burden and indirect costs.
• Crews combine resources into working teams.
• Productivity defines how efficiently crews perform work.
• Cost Library Line Items use the crew and productivity information to calculate costs.

The result is a flexible estimating system that can model actual field operations instead of relying solely on unit costs.

All Self Perform configuration is managed from Cost Library > Self Perform. The Self Perform area includes:

• Rate Tables
• Resources
• Resource Markups
• Crews

Rate Tables

Rate Tables provide the pricing context used by Self Perform. They allow organizations to maintain multiple pricing scenarios without duplicating resources or crews.

Examples of Rate Table Scenarios

• Union vs. non-union labor rates
• Regional pricing differences
• Client-specific agreements
• Current versus future labor rates
• Alternative market conditions

For example, a Laborer resource can exist once in the Cost Library while using different hourly rates in separate regional Rate Tables.

Key Concepts

• A Cost Library can contain multiple Rate Tables.
• Only one Rate Table can be designated as Current.
• Resources are shared across Rate Tables.
• Rate Tables can contain rate overrides and markup adjustments.
• Changing the Current Rate Table can immediately affect Self Perform calculations throughout the library.

Resources

Resources are the individual cost elements used to perform work. Every crew is built from resources from the following categories.

Category	Description	Examples
Labor	Workers performing the work	Laborers, Carpenters, Foremen
Equipment	Machinery, vehicles, and tools	Pumps, Cranes, Power Trowels
Other	Additional non-labor costs	Fuel, Per Diem, Consumables

Resource Properties

Each resource includes:

• Code
• Name
• Base Rate
• Unit of Measure
• Resource Markups

Resource Units

Resources can be priced using:

• Hour - Uses the hourly rate directly.
• Day - Converts the daily rate to an hourly equivalent using Hours per Shift.
• Week - Converts weekly costs using a five-day work week and Hours per Shift settings.

Because resources are shared across the Cost Library, they only need to be created once and can be reused across multiple crews and pricing scenarios.

Resource Markups

Resource Markups represent costs that are added to a resource's base rate. They ensure Self Perform calculations reflect the true cost of performing work, not just wages or rental rates.

Common Labor Markups

• Benefits and burden
• Payroll taxes
• Workers' compensation
• Insurance
• Union dues

Common Equipment and Other Markups

• Maintenance costs
• Fuel costs
• Operating expenses
• Overhead allocations

Markup Types

Percentage Markups

Percentage-based markups can be calculated from:

• The resource's Base Rate
• Another markup using the Based On setting

Dollar Markups

Dollar-based markups apply fixed values regardless of the resource rate.

Resource Rate Calculation

A resource's total cost is calculated as:

Resource Rate = Base Rate + Markup Amounts

As markups change, resource rates automatically update throughout Self Perform.

Crews

A Crew is a reusable group of labor, equipment, and other resources that perform a specific scope of work.

Instead of assigning individual resources to every line item, estimators can assign a crew that already contains the required workforce and equipment.

Example Crew

A concrete placement crew might contain:

Resource	Quantity
Concrete Foreman	1
Journeyman Carpenter	3
Laborer	4
Concrete Pump	1
Power Trowel	2
Fuel & Consumables	1

Benefits of Crews

• Standardized estimating practices
• Reusable crew configurations
• Consistent resource assignments
• Simplified estimate creation
• Automatic updates when resource rates change

Because crews remain linked to their resources, updates to resource pricing or markups automatically flow through to all affected crews.

Productivity

Productivity determines how efficiently a crew performs work. While a crew defines who performs the work, productivity defines how quickly that work is completed.

Productivity Fields

Field	Description
Units/MH	Units produced per manhour
MH/Unit	Manhours required per unit
Units/HR	Units produced per hour
HR/Shift	Hours worked per shift
Shifts	Number of shifts required
Manhours	Total labor effort

Units/MH

The primary productivity field is Units/MH (Units per Manhour).

Examples:

Units/MH	Meaning
1.50	Crew produces 1.5 units per manhour
1.00	Crew produces 1 unit per manhour
0.75	Crew produces 0.75 units per manhour

Higher productivity values generally reduce the cost per unit because the same crew can complete more work in less time. Lower productivity values increase the cost per unit because additional crew time is required.

Assigning Crews to Line Items

The final step in the Self Perform workflow is assigning a crew to a Cost Library line item.

When a crew is assigned:

• Productivity fields become available.
• Labor, Equipment, and Other costs are calculated automatically.
• Self Perform calculations are enabled.
• Crew-driven cost categories become read-only.

After assigning a crew, estimators can enter productivity values and allow DESTINI Cloud to calculate the resulting unit costs.

How Everything Works Together

The complete Self Perform workflow consists of:

Component	Purpose
Rate Table	Provides pricing context
Resources	Define labor, equipment, and other costs
Resource Markups	Add burdened and indirect costs
Crew	Groups resources into a working team
Productivity	Measures the crew's efficiency
Cost Library Line Item	Uses all Self Perform data to calculate costs

When these components work together, DESTINI Cloud can model actual self-performed construction work and automatically calculate labor, equipment, and indirect costs based on crew composition, productivity, and pricing assumptions.