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Respond to Cost Management Emails

You can reply directly to Cost Management email notifications with attachments and comments. Your email responses are automatically captured in the system, streamlining collaboration and reducing the need to switch between your email client and Cost Management.

When you reply to system-generated emails:

  • Attachments and comments are automatically captured in the system
  • Relevant stakeholders are notified through the system's notification service (general contractor or owner)

For details on where information is stored, see the How Email Replies Work section.

This feature is available for:

  • Requests for Quotation (RFQ)
  • Contracts
  • Supplier Change Orders (SCO)
  • Owner Change Orders (OCO)

In this article:

How Email Replies Work

When Cost Management sends you an email notification (for example, when a supplier receives an RFQ request), the system automatically processes your reply instead of requiring you to sign in the platform.

The system extracts:

  1. Attachments: Any files you attach to your email (such as quotations, invoices, supporting documents, or photos)
  2. Comments: The text content from your email body
  3. Sender information: Your email address is used to identify you in the system

Where do you find extracted information?

  • Attachments section: All email attachments are uploaded to the Attachments section of the change order, contract, or related item
  • Comments section: Your email body text is added as a comment, visible to authorized users based on their permissions
  • Activity tracking: The system logs your response in the Activity section for audit trail purposes
Note: Associate the sender's email address with a Cost Management account. If the sender isn't recognized, the email may not be processed correctly.

Responding to Emails

Let's analyze the following scenario: you receive an RFQ (Request for Quotation) email from Cost Management. You can reply with your pricing and supporting documents. To do so:

  1. Open the email in your email client (Gmail, Outlook).
  2. Click Reply or Reply All.
  3. In the email body, type your response (for example, "PFA document" or detailed pricing information).
  4. Attach your quotation file (for example, Quotation.jpg, Pricing.pdf).
  5. Click Send.

Once you send your email reply:

  • The system receives and processes your email automatically
  • Your attachments and comments are captured (see How Email Replies Work)
  • The general contractor is notified and can review your quotation and comments in the RFQ details panel

Email reply example showing quotation attachment

Tip: Include all relevant pricing details and supporting documents in a single email to avoid multiple back-and-forth communications.

Email Reply Best Practices

To ensure that your email replies are processed correctly:

Do's Don'ts
Use clear subject lines and keep the original subject line intact when replying to preserve context Don't remove the original email thread; keep the conversation history intact
Attach files in common formats (PDF, JPG, PNG, XLSX, DOCX are widely supported) Don't use nonstandard file formats; avoid compressed or executable files that may be blocked
Keep email body concise and write clear, professional comments that provide necessary context Don't send overly large attachments; keep file sizes reasonable to ensure successful upload
Reply in a timely manner and respond to requests within the specified due dates Don't include sensitive information in plain text that shouldn't be logged in comments
Include all relevant attachments and attach all supporting documents in one email when possible
Tip: Email reply timestamps are captured based on the projects's timezone settings.

Troubleshooting Email Replies

If your email reply doesn't appear in Cost Management, refer to the following table:

Issue Solution
Email Address or Contact Not Recognized Ensure you're replying from the email address associated with your Cost Management account. Go to your account settings and verify the email address on file. Verify that your email is correctly configured in Company Setup and ensure that your contact information is linked to the appropriate company. Ask your project administrator to verify your account status if issues persist.
Insufficient Permissions Verify you have the necessary permissions to interact with the item. Navigate to Settings > Permissions and check that your role has collaborative access or appropriate permissions. Contact your project administrator if permissions need to be adjusted.
Attachments Not Uploading Verify that the file size isn't exceeding system limits and ensure that the file format is supported (for example, PDF, JPG, PNG, DOCX, XLSX). Try compressing large files or splitting them into multiple smaller files.
Email Processing Delays Email processing may take a few minutes. Wait 5-10 minutes and refresh the Cost Management page. Check your sent items to confirm the email was sent successfully. If the delay persists, contact your system administrator.
Parent page: Collaborate in Cost Management

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