What is a bill of materials for?

It lists every input and its standard cost to make one unit, so your selling price is built on real cost, not a guess. Change an input cost and your standard cost moves with it.

Is the bill of materials free?

Yes. Download the bill of materials as a ready-to-use Excel workbook, with no sign-in and no payment. It is yours to keep and edit.

What is inside the bill of materials workbook?

Six sheets: a Start Here guide, the Bill of materials register (Product, Component/Input, Quantity per Unit, Unit, Unit Cost KES, Standard Cost KES, and more), a Dashboard that adds everything up, a Lists sheet for the dropdowns, a Settings sheet, and a Next step sheet. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets or WPS, with no macros.

Does it work in Google Sheets and on my phone?

Yes. The workbook opens in Excel, Google Sheets or WPS. There are no macros, so it works on a phone or a laptop. Keep your own copy before you share it.

Does the bill of materials calculate my totals?

Yes. The money columns total automatically on the register and on the Dashboard. Statutory figures like PAYE, VAT, NSSF and SHA are deliberately not typed into the sheet. SawaAfrik computes those from the current KRA rates, each with its official source and the date it took effect, so a number is never without where it came from.

How is this different from the SawaAfrik app?

A workbook is a file you fill in yourself. Inside a free SawaAfrik workspace the same shape fills from your real records, invoices, payroll and expenses flow in once and appear everywhere, deadlines remind you before they are due, and statutory figures are computed with their source and date. The workbook is the start; the app is when you stop retyping.

SawaAfrik

Operations template

Bill of materials: free Excel workbook

The bill of materials is a free, multi-sheet Excel workbook for a Kenyan business: the inputs and standard cost to make one unit.

You price a product without knowing what it truly costs to make one unit.

Free download

Excel workbook, no sign-in.

Download .xlsx Or start a free workspace

What is in the workbook

Start here

What the workbook is for, how to fill it, and the colour key.

Bill of materials

The register: the right columns, dropdowns, and live totals. Type in the gold cells.

Dashboard

Your numbers added up as you go, with a simple bar view.

Lists

The dropdown options, so your data stays tidy and consistent.

Settings

The reporting currency, and where figures come from.

Next step

How SawaAfrik does this automatically from your real records.

The columns it includes

ProductComponent/InputQuantity per UnitUnitUnit Cost KESStandard Cost KESSupplierLead Time DaysNotes

How to use it

1Download the workbook and open the "Bill of materials" sheet.
2Fill one row per entry. Type only in the gold cells; the white cells and the totals work themselves out.
3Where a cell has a dropdown, pick from the list instead of typing.
4Watch the totals row and the Dashboard add up your money columns automatically.
5When you outgrow the file, bring it into SawaAfrik, where it fills from your real records and the tax figures are computed for you.

Questions

What is a bill of materials for?: It lists every input and its standard cost to make one unit, so your selling price is built on real cost, not a guess. Change an input cost and your standard cost moves with it.
Is the bill of materials free?: Yes. Download the bill of materials as a ready-to-use Excel workbook, with no sign-in and no payment. It is yours to keep and edit.
What is inside the bill of materials workbook?: Six sheets: a Start Here guide, the Bill of materials register (Product, Component/Input, Quantity per Unit, Unit, Unit Cost KES, Standard Cost KES, and more), a Dashboard that adds everything up, a Lists sheet for the dropdowns, a Settings sheet, and a Next step sheet. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets or WPS, with no macros.
Does it work in Google Sheets and on my phone?: Yes. The workbook opens in Excel, Google Sheets or WPS. There are no macros, so it works on a phone or a laptop. Keep your own copy before you share it.
Does the bill of materials calculate my totals?: Yes. The money columns total automatically on the register and on the Dashboard. Statutory figures like PAYE, VAT, NSSF and SHA are deliberately not typed into the sheet. SawaAfrik computes those from the current KRA rates, each with its official source and the date it took effect, so a number is never without where it came from.
How is this different from the SawaAfrik app?: A workbook is a file you fill in yourself. Inside a free SawaAfrik workspace the same shape fills from your real records, invoices, payroll and expenses flow in once and appear everywhere, deadlines remind you before they are due, and statutory figures are computed with their source and date. The workbook is the start; the app is when you stop retyping.

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