Four cost groups should remain visible.
- Product costs: approved goods, supplier terms and recorded changes.
- Project service fee: the agreed design, purchasing and coordination work.
- Logistics costs: packing, handling and international movement under the confirmed scope.
- Other hard costs: duties, taxes, insurance, testing, local delivery or local professionals where applicable.
Unknown is a valid status.
An early project can show which cost group is not yet known, what information is missing and when that amount can be responsibly confirmed. A temporary allowance should not be presented as a final quotation.
Changes need a visible reason and approval.
A supplier substitution, product revision, packing change or destination requirement should identify what changed, why the cost changed and who approved it. Unified purchasing should create one view of the project—not one unexplained number.