1. Open or Create a Draw
To view draws for a job:
Go to Jobs.
Open the job.
Click the Draws tab.
Select an existing draw, or click New draw to create one.
The Draws tab shows current and historical draws for the job, including draw number, title, project name, sync status, draw date, due date, linked transactions, and price.
2. Review the Draw Tabs
Each draw has three main tabs:
Summary: Review the draw summary and edit export details.
This period: Review or edit the costs, markup, and other line items included in the current draw.
Draw schedule: Review budget, previous draws, this period, total completed, percent complete, and balance to finish.
In Summary, use Export details to update fields such as export title, draw date, draw number, project, due date, description, and signature settings. Available fields may vary based on your job and export settings.
3. Add Costs to the Draw
To add job costs:
Open the draw.
Go to This period.
Click Add to draw.
Select Costs.
In Select costs to include on this draw, select the costs you want to add.
Click Add to draw.
The cost picker shows available transactions for the job. Use filters to narrow by vendor, cost code, account, date, transaction type, transaction status, payment account, or Billable status.
By default, cost-plus workflows usually rely on Billable costs. A bill, receipt, or time activity line marked Billable is ready to be added to a draw.
Note: Costs that have already been added to a draw cannot be added again.
4. Add Empty Lines or Markup
Use Add to draw for additional draw items:
Select Empty line to add a manual line to the draw.
Select Markup to open Add draw markup.
In Add draw markup, choose the markup cost code or account, enter either a percentage or flat amount, select the applicable lines when needed, and click Save.
Note: Markup can only be added after the draw has at least one line. See more about creating markups in Adaptive here: Using Markups (Cost Plus vs. Fixed Price).
5. Edit This Period Line Items
In This period, you can review and edit draw line details such as:
Item
Description
Cost
Price
Retainage fields, if retainage is enabled
If you change the item or details for a line that is linked to an underlying cost, Adaptive shows a warning:
You edited a line item linked to an underlying cost
Choose:
Update costs to push the edit back to the linked bill, receipt, or time activity.
Don't update costs to keep the edit only on the draw.
6. Review the Draw Schedule
Use Draw schedule to review the draw by budget line.
Common columns include:
Description of work or Category
Budget
Changes
Revised budget
Costs to date
From previous draws
This period
Total completed to date
% complete
Balance to finish
If categories are enabled, use View by Items or View by Category. To enter a fixed dollar amount, switch to View by Items.
7. Export the Draw
Click Export draw to download or prepare draw files.
Common export options include:
Draw package (PDF)
Draw package (XLSX)
Transaction backup images (ZIP)
Cover page
Draw schedule
This period by line item, vendor, category, or class when enabled
External change orders, when change tracking is enabled
Transaction backup
Labor backup, when labor tracking is enabled
Click Download to start the export. Large draw packages may take longer, and Adaptive may email the files when they are ready.
8. Sync the Draw to QuickBooks
When the draw is ready, click Sync to QuickBooks.
The draw status shows whether it is in Draft or Synced to QuickBooks. If a synced draw needs changes, use Revert to draft to unsync the draw before editing, when your permissions and accounting status allow it.
Note: If a draw is locked, click Unlock draw before editing. Changing an older draw can recalculate totals in later draws, so review the impact before unlocking.
If you have any questions or want to share feedback, feel free to reach out at [email protected].