Setup

First, let’s connect to QuickBooks. This will allow DesignSpec to read data from your QuickBooks account and allow you to export data to QuickBooks.

1. To get started, log into your DesignSpec account. If you’re already logged in, go to the  settings workspace by clicking the Home button (house icon) in the top left corner of the screen.
2. Click on the QuickBooks® Integration tab.
3. If this is the first time anyone on your DesignSpec account sets up integration with QuickBooks, you will see an explanation of what QuickBooks data DesignSpec uses, and how it uses it. If you agree with the terms and conditions, check the box at the bottom of the page, and click Continue.
4. Now, you must authorize DesignSpec to Connect to QuickBooks. On the next page, click the Connect to QuickBooks  button. This will redirect you to a page from Intuit.
5. If you are not logged in to QuickBooks, you will need to sign in before continuing.
6. Once logged in, choose which company you want to connect to DesignSpec (note: you can only connect one at a time), and Click Next.
7. If you agree with Intuit’s terms and conditions, click the Connect to grant authorization. You will be redirected back to DesignSpec.
8. Once authorization is complete, you will see some basic authorization information, such as your QuickBooks company name, its country and what version of QuickBooks you’re using.

Create a QuickBooks® Estimate from your Budget

With QuickBooks Integration, you can generate Estimates from your DesignSpec budget.

Note that it’s recommended to have all your specifications assigned to categories in order to streamline the export process. All those categories should also have a corresponding product or service in QuickBooks by the same name.

1. In DesignSpec, open a project (click the home icon in the top left and go to the Projects tab, select a project.)
2. Click the Budget  tab. If you have not created a budget, refer to our Budgeting Tutorial .
3. On the top action bar above the budget, click the Export button, then QuickBooks Estimate. A new window will pop up.
4. On the window, you will see several options depending on your QuickBooks company settings and location. For more information about the available options, see our QuickBooks Reference.
5. Once you fill out all fields, click the Export  button. The top bar will show a checkmark and message indicating the budget was exported as an estimate.
6.  For quicker generation in the future, you can set some defaults in the Budget Settings.

Export a Single Purchase Order to QuickBooks®

With QuickBooks Integration, you can export purchase orders to your QuickBooks account directly from DesignSpec.

1. In DesignSpec, open a project (click the home icon in the top left and go to the Projects tab, select a project.)
2. Click the Procurement tab. This will take you to the Procurement Items page.
3. Hover over the left sidebar, and click Orders.
4. If you have not created any purchase orders, you can refer to our Procurement Tutorial .
5. For the purchase order you want to export, click the  More button (3-dot icon ), then click Details.  A new window will pop up with the purchase order’s details.
6. If you are using multicurrency in QuickBooks, ensure the Currency field is filled out with a valid code from your account. You can use auto-fill to enter a valid value.
7. If you are using tax in QuickBooks, you can use auto-fill to enter a valid tax rate.
8. On the left menu, click QuickBooks® Integration to jump to the export section.
9. Click the Export  button. A new window will pop up. (Note that if the purchase order has been exported before, you will see a Re-export Items button instead).
10. On the window, you will see several options depending on your QuickBooks company settings and location. For more information about the available options, see our QuickBooks Reference.
11. Once you fill out all fields, click the Export  button. The export window will close automatically and the details window will show information about the recently exported purchase order.
12. For quicker generation in the future, you can set some defaults in the Procurement Settings globally, or for your project.

Export Multiple Purchase Orders to Quickbooks®

With QuickBooks Integration, you can export purchase orders to your QuickBooks account directly from DesignSpec.

1. In DesignSpec, open a project (click the home icon in the top left and go to the Projects tab, select a project.)
2. Click the Procurement tab. This will take you to the Procurement Items page.
3. Hover over the left sidebar, and click Orders.
4. If you have not created any purchase orders, you can refer to our Procurement Tutorial  to create one . Ensure the purchase order has at least one item.
5. Select the purchase orders you want to export by clicking the checkboxes on the left side of the rows. You can also select all purchase orders by clicking the checkbox at the table’s header.
6. Click the Export  button on the right side of the action bar, then click QuickBooks®. An export window will pop up.
7. On the window, you will see several options depending on your QuickBooks company settings and location. For more information about the available options, see our QuickBooks.
8. Once you fill out all fields and address any warnings, click the Export  button. The export window will close automatically and the exported purchase orders will show a checkmark under the Intuit QuickBooks column.
9. For quicker generation in the future, you can set some defaults in the Procurement Settings globally, or for your project. ^[f]

QuickBooks Budget Settings

Setting defaults for your Quickbooks Estimate generation can help you speed up your workflow when exporting budgets.

1. In DesignSpec, click the Home  button in (house icon) on the top left corner of the screen to go to your Settings area.
2. Click the Budget Setup  tab and scroll down to the QuickBooks section. Here you can set several default settings:

1. QuickBooks Tax Code for non-taxable budget items
2. QuickBooks product/service for budget specs whose category does not match one
3. QuickBooks product/service for budget specs without a category
4.  QuickBooks Income Account for creating products/services
5. QuickBooks Expense Account for creating products/services

3. Once you have set values for the fields you want, click Save.

QuickBooks Procurement Settings

Setting defaults for your Quickbooks purchase order generation from budget can help you speed up your workflow when exporting purchase orders.

4. In DesignSpec, click the Home  button (house icon) on the top left corner of the screen to go to your Settings area.
5. Click the Procurement Setup  tab and scroll down to the QuickBooks section. Here you can set several default settings:

1. Default QuickBooks Account when exporting purchase orders
2. Default QuickBooks product/service for purchase order specs whose category does not match one
3. Default QuickBooks product/service for purchase order specs without a category
4. Default Income Account when creating new Items for purchase orders
5. Default Expense Account when creating new Items for purchase orders

6. Once you have set values for the fields you want, click Save.

Disconnect from QuickBooks

Disconnecting from QuickBooks revokes DesignSpec’s access to your QuickBooks account. If you need to link your DesignSpec account to a different QuickBooks account then you would first disconnect them, and then connect again. Note that when you are disconnected you will no longer be able to export data to QuickBooks.

1. In DesignSpec, click the Home  button (house icon) on the top left corner of the screen to go to your Settings area.
2. Click on the QuickBooks® Integration tab.
3. If you are connected to a QuickBooks account, you’ll see some basic authorization information about your account, as well as a Disconnect from QuickBooks  button. Click the button.

DesignSpec will no longer have access to your QuickBooks account. You can click on “ See how DesignSpec uses your QuickBooks Data ” for more information.