Max Tier Feature
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The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) tab is where you review, refine, and finalize the cost WBS that GovDash Pricer synthesizes from your solicitation documents. The WBS is the structural backbone of your estimate. Every labor category, ODC, and BOE line you build later is organized under a work package defined here, and the work packages also give the AI shared context for downstream extraction and assignment.
When a new opportunity is initialized, Pricer reads through the full solicitation package, identifies the task areas described in the statement of work, and breaks them down into a hierarchy of work packages. Each package captures a description, an output or deliverable, an Acceptable Quality Level, and the elements of cost (labor categories and ODCs) that apply to it. Your job in this tab is to confirm the structure reflects the work, adjust nodes where the synthesis didn't quite land, and capture the basis-of-estimate metadata that supports each work package.
Spending a few minutes here pays off later. The WBS structure determines which header rows appear in the Basis of Estimate, which work packages your labor and ODC assignments roll into, and ultimately how defensible the cost build looks when you walk a reviewer through it.
What You Use This Tab For
Use the Work Breakdown Structure tab to:
Review the synthesized WBS hierarchy against your solicitation
Add, delete, or exclude individual work packages
Assign WBS item numbers and edit descriptions, deliverables, and scope boundaries
Navigate directly to linked labor categories and ODC items
Fill in Basis of Estimate metadata including inclusions, exclusions, estimating method, and confidence
Verify which solicitation passages each node was built from
Page Controls
In addition to the standard Pricer controls in the top right of the screen, the WBS tab includes two tab-specific actions for verification and rebuilding.
View Coverage
Opens the Coverage Document, a full-screen view that maps each WBS node back to the specific passages in the solicitation it was synthesized from. If a node is selected when you open the modal, it opens focused on that node's coverage.
This is the fastest way to verify the WBS accurately reflects your statement of work before you start filling in cost data. It's also useful during internal review, since it lets you trace any work package back to source language a reviewer or compliance team can see for themselves.
Regenerate
Triggers a full WBS rebuild in the background. A confirmation dialog appears before the action is committed.
Use this when the underlying solicitation documents have changed materially or when the original synthesis missed enough of the structure that point edits would take longer than starting over.
Important
Regenerating permanently replaces all work packages, task area assignments, labor category mappings, BOE readiness flags, and validation results. This action cannot be undone, so prefer targeted edits when only a few nodes need adjustment.
The WBS Tree Panel
The left side of the tab displays the full WBS hierarchy as a collapsible, searchable tree. This is the primary navigation surface for the tab; selecting any node loads its details on the right. The hierarchy can extend beyond two levels when the solicitation supports it, so don't assume what you see at first is the full depth. Expand parent nodes to see what sits underneath.
Navigating the Tree
Each node shows its WBS item number, title, a short description excerpt, and badge counts for linked task areas, labor categories, line items, and ODC items. Nodes with children have an expand and collapse chevron, and clicking any row selects that node and loads its full details in the Node Details panel.
When the tree contains 24 or more nodes, all parent nodes start collapsed by default to keep the panel readable. Use the Expand all and Collapse all controls in the panel header to manage visibility across the full hierarchy.
The search bar at the top of the panel filters the tree by WBS number, title, or description text. Matching nodes stay visible along with all of their ancestors, so you keep the structural context while you narrow in.
Excluded Nodes
GovDash Pricer automatically flags nodes that are unlikely to require pricing using an AI relevance filter. These appear dimmed at reduced opacity with a "Not priced" badge. A yellow warning banner at the top of the tree shows the count of excluded nodes and prompts you to review them before moving on.
Reviewing excluded nodes early is worth the time. The filter is generally conservative, but it occasionally flags something you do want to price (or misses something you don't). Common things the filter correctly excludes include applicable-documents lists, glossaries and definitions, FAR / DFARS clause references, and other structural sections that get picked up during synthesis but don't carry work to price. If you spot something that was flagged in error, use the Restore to Pricing button to bring it back in. If you need to exclude a node, click the Exclude from Pricing button.
Node Actions
Selecting a node reveals action buttons to the right of the selected row. The available actions depend on the node's current state:
Exclude from pricing — Marks the node as user-excluded so it will be skipped in the cost estimate. Use this when a node is in scope structurally but doesn't carry cost (for example, a contract clause or boilerplate section that was picked up during synthesis).
Include in cost estimate — Overrides the AI relevance filter exclusion and brings the node back into pricing.
Restore to pricing — Removes a user-applied exclusion.
Add child node — Reveals an inline text input so you can create a new node beneath the selected one.
Delete node — Available on leaf nodes. Opens a confirmation dialog before permanent deletion.
Adding a child node is the most common manual adjustment. If a synthesized work package bundles several distinct activities (for example, "Fabrication, Integration, Assembly, and Installation" as a single node), breaking it into children lets you assign labor categories and ODCs to the specific component they belong to, which makes the cost build more defensible.
Adding Nodes Manually
An Add Root Node button sits at the bottom of the tree panel. Click it to reveal an inline text input, type a name, and press Enter to create a new top-level node. Use this when you need to add scope that wasn't captured during synthesis.
The Node Details Panel
Selecting any node loads its full details in the right-side panel. The panel can be collapsed to a narrow sidebar by clicking the fold icon in the top-right corner. Click the vertical "Node Details" label to reopen it.
Task Area Links
This section shows the solicitation task areas the node was synthesized from. Each task area shows its number, title, and a description excerpt. The links exist so you can always trace a work package back to the language in the solicitation that drove it.
View in Document — Opens the Coverage Document Modal focused on this node's coverage.
If no task areas are linked, the section shows "None linked." This is normal for nodes you added manually.
Description, Deliverable, and AQL
Three editable fields store the narrative content for each work package. Click any field to edit, then click away or press Enter to save.
Description — A narrative description of the work in this node.
Output / Deliverable — The specific output produced by this work package.
AQL — The Acceptable Quality Level used to evaluate deliverable quality. AQL matters beyond documentation; it's used by Pricer when inferring whether certain materials or ODCs are implied by the work (see the ODCs & Materials tab for detail).
Cost Elements
This section shows which labor categories and ODC or material items are currently assigned to the selected node. Clicking a labor category navigates to the Labor Categories tab; clicking an ODC row navigates to the ODCs & Materials tab.
Cost elements are managed from their respective tabs, not directly from the WBS panel. The Cost Elements section is for visibility and navigation; use it to confirm what is already linked and to jump into the tab where assignments are maintained.
BOE Readiness
The BOE Readiness section is collapsed by default and contains the full set of basis-of-estimate metadata for the selected node. All fields save automatically on blur or Enter. This is where you capture the scope reasoning that backs up the cost, separate from the cost dollars themselves.
Top metrics include:
Cost Entry Ready — A switch that marks the node as fully ready for cost entry. Turning this on adds a green Ready badge to the node header. Only nodes marked ready are included when the Basis of Estimate tab syncs managed line items, so this switch is the practical gate between scope review and pricing.
Estimating Method — A dropdown with options for Bottoms Up, Level of Effort, Analogy, Parametric, Vendor Quote, and Unknown.
Confidence — A 0 to 100 confidence score for the estimate.
Editable lists let you capture additional detail for the Basis of Estimate. These fields are also used by Pricer during initial generation to define the scope boundary, and they will feed cost narrative generation in future updates:
Inclusions and Exclusions — Define the scope boundary explicitly. Move items between lists using the Move button when something belongs in the other column.
Cost Elements — The types of cost included for this node (for example, LABOR, ODC, MATERIAL).
Estimating Assumptions — Key assumptions underlying the cost calculation. These travel with the node and are worth being explicit about; a reviewer reading the BOE later will rely on them.
Four narrative text fields round out the section: Basis of Estimate, Method Rationale, Scope Boundary, and Review Flags. These accept longer-form prose where the structured fields above don't capture enough detail.
How This Tab Connects to the Rest of Pricer
The Work Breakdown Structure is the structural foundation of your cost estimate. Every other Pricer tab references the work packages defined here.
The Basis of Estimate tab reads this structure when it syncs managed line items. Only nodes marked as Cost Entry Ready in the BOE Readiness section are included, so verify readiness here before working in the BOE tab.
The Labor Categories and ODCs & Materials tabs let you assign items to work packages. Once linked, those assignments appear in the Cost Elements section of the relevant node on this tab and roll into that node's total on the BOE.
The Coverage Document Modal helps you trace nodes back to solicitation text, which supports compliance verification and structural review. Use it before regenerating or restructuring, since both actions can affect downstream assignments.