Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Codeless Bills of Quantities

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1 ~~~~ Most user will find it easier to work from a printed copy of this file ~~~~ TUTORIAL PART 1 CODELESS BILLS INTRODUCTION The new Vector is a completely new implementation of our software for Professional Quantity Surveyors and Estimators. Existing users will have little difficulty in using the new software however the programs capability has been substantially extended and a lot of features have been improved. Existing Vector bills and libraries can be used with the new software. The new Vector has three different modes of working. It supports 1. Codeless Entry Order Bills - Are particularly suitable for those surveyors doing work that has a lot of unique content such as a historic buildings, some forms of refurbishment and those who have produced what is sometimes known as flat bills. It is also particularly suitable for those practices where the secretarial staff does lots of the data entry from surveyors notes. Many overseas quantity surveyors will find producing codeless bills as an efficient way of working because in many instances they are not well supported with large and detailed libraries that reflect the local method of measurement and working practice. 2. Traditional Coded Bills - Will often be the method of choice where the surveyor is working on projects that are well supported by the existing libraries. Codes provide clarity and structure to bills and are particularly helpful on projects where there are a number of surveyors working. On large projects and repetitive work this is likely to be a very efficient way of working. 3. Nudgal TM bills - Enable the quantity surveyor to produce coded bills with the convenience of the codeless bill. We recommend you work through this tutorial systematically from the beginning. You may find it useful to print out the file Vector6buttonsbar.pdf preferably on a colour laser or inkjet printer for quick reference to program buttons. This is also shown on the next page. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 1

2 Add Bookmark Remove Bookmark Print Direct Dimensions Print Sidecasts Export to Excel or CITE Previous Page Next Page Library Spell Check Sort Order Consolidate by Code (ON/OFF) Paste Special Select All Job Setup Report Setup Draft Mode Presentation Mode Apply (edit) Cancel (edit) Page Break Page Break (remove) Main Button Bar New Open Close Save Print Undo Redo Cut Paste Copy Direct Dimensions Sidecast Dimensions Link Sidecast Dimension Delete / Unlink Dimension Find Un-measured Item CAD Measure Carry forward mode (ON/OFF) Append Bill Item Insert Bill Item Edit Bill Item Delete Bill Item Note: In some views some of the buttons will be disabled Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 2

3 Note CAD Measurement Measurement Buttons Bars Free Area Hatch Pattern Note: In some views some of the buttons will be disabled Angled Length Angle of Degree Free Length Direct and Sidecast Measurement Copy Paste Select All Insert Dimension Append Dimension Carry Forward Dimension Cancel (edit) Apply (edit) Delete Close Dialog Synchronise Position W ith Job Item Print Drawing Print Measurement List Print Sidecast Group List Pan Zoom Window Zoom Extents Zoom All Zoom In Zoom Out Zoom Selected Quick Diameter Q uick Radius Quick Area Quick Length Preview Drawing Close Preview Import Drawing Delete Drawing Archive D rawing Import Archived Dwg Change Snap Mode Change Ortho Mode Horizontal Length Vertical Length Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 3

4 CODELESS BILLS Viewing the document Run the Vector program, click on the Open button navigate to the sample folder and open the project Example 1 - Entry Order Level 1.sbl. The project will open and will probably be displayed in draft mode which, (similar to Microsoft Word) is designed for creating the basic document quickly and efficiently. You will notice that down the left hand side the items level is displayed. The level number is used for sectioning in codeless bill and sets the default presentation of the item in all bills. Click on the Presentation Mode button and your finished bill will be displayed in print preview mode Precisely what content and how it is shown is controlled by the 'Report Options dialog'. Click on the button 'Display report options dialog' and remove the check, and ensure the option "Single page sections direct to summary" is checked and click OK, An uncosted bill of quantities will be displayed. The "Report Options dialog" will be discussed more fully later. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 4

5 Using the Previous and Next page buttons scroll through the document and you will see that collections and summaries have been created. On page 5 and 6 you will see that the higher-level headings within the Masonry section have been carried forward automatically. In this particular project a new section has been created whenever the program encountered a level 1 item (Main Heading). Click on any of the measurable items within the bill while still within presentation view. Click on the 'Switch to Draft View' button and you will be taken back to the draft bill and you will be located on the same item you clicked on in Presentation View. Adding and inserting new items into the Bill Appending items manually Either click on the Append item button, or scroll to the end of the document and press the down button to move beyond the end of the document to trigger an Append. Note the line becomes mid blue to show you're in data entry mode. Enter the following data:- STRUCTURAL CARCASSING, METAL AND 1 TIMBER 2 Structural steel framing Fabricated structural steelwork to BS 4 and BS 4848 including shop and site black bolts, holes, nuts and washers, spacers, weld fillets, splay cut and mitred ends all as Architect's drawings and in accordance with 3 Structural Steelwork Specification G10/ Columns not exceeding 40 kg/m, hollow circular 0.39 t 4 Columns kg/m 12 t 4 Steel beams not exceeding 40 kg/m 0.77 t Enter 1 into the level field and press return, and you'll be then taken to the description column. Enter your description within the description column. When your have typed "STRUCTURAL CARCASING, METAL and TIMBER" press enter to complete the description. Then either click on the Apply button and then click on the Append item button, or simple press Enter three times which will terminate entering the current item and take you on to entering the next item. The following notes will assist entering data 1. You will have noticed that in draft mode the unit and quantity columns have been reversed to the normal order used in presentation mode. This assists with data entry as a heading is simply defined as an item that has no unit of measure. The initial 0.00 shown in the quantity column will disappear when the item is committed if you don't enter a unit of measure. A heading is simply an item that has no quantity or unit of meaurement. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 5

6 2. The new item is in edit mode and not committed while the background colour is blue. 3. It is very likely until you become familiar with Vector that you will occasionally terminate entering a new item early (so the background will be white) by accidentally clicking on the tab or cursor up or down key. If you do this simply click on the Edit button which will bring the whole item up in an edit box which will allow you to enter any data missing. 4. If you wish to cancel entering a new item you will normally need to click on the cancel key twice, or press escape twice. The first escape cancels the current field edit and the second cancels creation of the new item. 5. Important note on entering descriptions: When entering text into most word processors you normally press enter to create a new line. However, as the return key is used within Vector to signify that your have finished entering data of a field data Vector can't also use it (at the same time) to designate a new line. When entering text that runs over several lines, simply keep typing and a soft carriage return will be entered automatically to wrap your text. If you need to create or force a manual new line, perhaps for entering the architects name and address simply press the F5 key to a create hard carriage returns. Enter the rest of the items and your project screen should look like the image below. Inserting items manually Cursor up a few items to the description that follows, Lintels ref R15A, 1200 mm long i.e. the item that starts Precast concrete beam/trough lintels as manufactured by Lignacite Ltd, filled with C35 grade concrete Click on the Insert Item Button or press the Insert key and enter: 4 Lintels ref R20A, 1400 mm long 1.00 Nr Appending or inserting items from the library For many projects the surveyor may find it useful to copy many of the standard library items into the project and manually enter those items that need special treatment. Using the library is discussed in more detail within the section on coded bills and therefore will not be duplicated at this point. Using the library with an entry order project is very easy using the following steps Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 6

7 1. Navigate to the place within your project you wish the item(s) to be inserted. 2. Click on the Display Library Surface button. Find the items you want within the library. 3. Click on a copy to project, enter the quantity required or click on measure later. 4. Then click on the insert button if you want the items inserted into the Bill or click on the Append button to add the item to the end of the project. As the library sections generally start from level 1 we recommend that you use a entry order project which has the elemental sections set to level 0 as this will make it easier for you to combine both library items and manually entered items. The project 'Example 2 -- Entry Order Levels 0.sbl' is a small project that has library items and level zero headings. Editing and changing the appearance of items Where editable data exists on screen it can be easily edited by selecting the item with a single mouse click or using the cursor. Then press the Enter to put the field into edit mode and simply change the content. Occasionally you may wish to edit fields that are not visible or currently not editable. A simple example may occur where you have copied and pasted a number of items and wish to modify an item that is currently a heading making it into a measurable item. Simply select the item and then click on the Edit button this will display all fields, then modify the level number and add the appropriate unit of measure and quantity. Click on OK when done. Editing a range of Items Occasionally you may want to edit a number of items in one go. You may have copied a number of conventionally measured items from another job and want them all to have the unit type of Item with this project. Select (highlight) the items required, click on the Edit button and enter the new value. Changing an items appearance When a new item is added to the job it automatically gets the default presentation assigned to items of that level. Single click on any item with the right hand mouse button and a menu will appear, if you bring your mouse down to Presentation Style and a submenu with a list of default presentation styles is displayed. After Presentation Style is by Edit Rate Only and Edit Uncosted Show that affect how and item is displayed. For the moment don't select any menu options, click elsewhere to close the menu. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 7

8 Click on the menu View, Font List and the Font List dialog will be displayed. The program comes with a pre-defined list of styles that should not be deleted or renamed but you may change the font style, size and colour etc. For the moment we recommend you leave the default values until you are more familiar with the full range of reports. You can add and insert new font styles to the list but predefined styles will always come first. Click in the Add (Plus) button at the bottom - and 'NEW FONT 1' will be added to the list. Change the description to 'NOTE LEVEL 3', set the indent to 6, style to italic, the colour to dark blue. Click on OK to close the dialog. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 8

9 Scroll to the beginning of the GROUNDWORK section and locate the level 3 item the description that starts: "Note: For the purposes of this contract it has been assumed that the excavations for the foundations to the building and Click on this description with the right hand mouse button and select the style 'NOTE LEVEL 3' from the Presentation Style submenu and the description will be displayed in dark blue italic text. To Selecting this option stops Vector carrying forward this heading as a continued item on latter pages. Click on the item with the right had mouse button and select the option Treat Heading as Note Non standard presentation Click on a measurable item with the right hand mouse button, Select Edit Display Options. Edit Display Options None: The default ordinary bill presentation. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 9

10 Rate Only: This displays the words Rate Only in the Cost Extension Column, and the cost extension is not included in the bill. This is a useful feature to use where the client want to obtain the cost of a posible alternative specification. Included: The word Included is printed in the Cost Extension Column. Excluded: The word Excluded is printed in the Cost Extension Column. }: The curly brace } is printed in the Cost Extension Column. Uncosted Show - select this rule from the right hand mouse menu where you have an item that you wish to show the cost on an uncosted bill. Often used for Provisional Sum items. Undo and redo Every command within the job and measuring part of Vector has undo and redo capability so at any stage you can undo or redo your work. Vector will remember an unlimited number of previous steps subject to memory and hardware restraints. When you click on the Save button the project is saved and the history list is also cleared to free up memory. This version of Vector has a more sophisticated autosave than previous versions so we recommend you leave this to look after your data from power, computer or software mishaps. When you're satisfied with a project at a particular point in time and you are happy to clear the history list, then click on the Save button Please note the library does not currently support undo and redo, although items added to your project from the library can be undone. Moving items within your project with drag and drop Highlight a group of items you want to move with your left hand mouse button. The item or items will be highlighted with a dark blue background. With the left hand mouse button click on and hold down the left hand mouse button and the selected group of items will become highlighted with a mid blue background. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 10

11 While still holding your left hand mouse button down drag the mouse cursor to the point you want the items moved and placed after. While you're dragging the mouse cursor the item under the cursor will have a dark blue background if you are in a legitimate point to drop. Release the left hand mouse cursor and the selected items will be dropped at the new location. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 11

12 If you want to paste to the beginning of the job drag the cursor so it is over the title at the very top of the job i.e. over 'Description. If you make a mistake simply click on Undo. Cut, Copy and Paste Items can be duplicated by using Copy and Paste. Or moved with Cut and Paste. The items will be inserted immediately after the current item when you do the paste. Your may open multiple instances of Vector with different jobs. When two or more jobs are open you can copy and paste between them in the same way as you can within a project. Limited editing in Presentation View Draft View has been designed to be the place where the bulk of your bill is created, and all editing tools are available. Limited editing is possible when in Presentation View, so if you spot a spelling error in a description, or an incorrect rate, you can make an immediate change. Vector will immediately update the bill adjusting both the layout, cost extension, collections and summary. However, you cannot add or delete new items, drag and drop etc. In other words editing is intended for last minute minor adjustments. Adjusting Section and Page Breaks You will have noticed that whenever a level 1 item has been added to the project it automatically triggers a new section, with the software automatically creating the collection and summary presentation. (Some projects may be set up so that sections start with a level 0, these will normally be elemental projects) Paging is otherwise automatic. Occasionally you may wish to add a hard page break within a section. Adding a page break is always done from Presentation View, Click on the Presentation View button, page through your bill until you get to the point you Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 12

13 wish to add a page break, click on the item you want moved to the next page. Then click on the page break button and Vector will insert a page break moving the item to the start of the new page carrying forward where applicable higher level headings. Against the item that has been moved the page break symbol will be shown (temporarily replacing it necessary the a,b,c..) in the left-hand column so you know this is a hard page break. The hard page breaks symbol is only shown on screen, the printed or exported view has this symbol stripped out and replaced where appropriate with the item reference. Hard page breaks can be removed by clicking on the page break symbol, and then clicking on the Delete Hard Page Break button. Note: you may ask why page breaks are always handled in Presentation View, in contrast to Microsoft Word, which handles it in Draft View. Microsoft Word has a one to one relationship, i.e. one draft mode to one presentation mode. Vector has a single Draft View, to potentially many Presentation Modes. Although this although this sample project is very simple, more advanced users could quite easily set up a bill that can be presented in SMM7, Element, Trade Order, and as a Cost Plan and the hard page breaks would need to be different from each of these different Views, and this is the reason why the hard page break belongs to the Presentation not to the Draft. Printing and exporting data Both printing and exporting data is done from Presentation View. Printing Click on the Switch to Presentation View button. Your bill will be displayed with the current report settings. To change the look and content of the bill Click on the Display Report Options button. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 13

14 As this is codeless entry order project, you should select Standard Bill (Entry order, Break on Level 1) for the report if it's not already selected. The options you will change most often are on the top line:- Costed: When checked the bill is printed with rates and cost extension, when unchecked an uncosted tender document is produced. Colour Print: If checked prints document in colour, otherwise black & white. Single page sections direct to summary: When checked, short sections of less than one page have the caption at the bottom of the page changed from To Collection to To Summary and the one page collection is omitted. Set the other options as required and then click on OK to close the dialog. Click on the Print button and the Print dialog will be displayed. If you want a different printer than the current default click on the Select Printer Setup button and select the correct alternative. Select the scope of document you wish to print (complete document, the current page or the page range). Click on OK to print. Exporting your document While still in presentation mode click on the be displayed. Export Report button. The Export dialog will Set the options:- Select Export to Excel. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 14

15 Select New Workbook Change the worksheet name to Bill 3 Set cell locking to partial Check formatted Check page break preview mode Having made your selections click on OK. A progress dialog will be displayed and shortly the Excel bill of quantities will be displayed. The worksheet created is a complete working bill of quantities with all formula, text and formatting collections and summaries included. By selecting an existing workbook and exporting your Bills to different worksheets you can create a complete bid document within the framework of a single workbook. Note: the formatted output has been created for European A4 and will look correct provided the default paper size on your current printer is also set to A4. However if the default printer paper size is the US Letter Excel will add additional page breaks when the page length reaches 11 inches resulting in a messed up presentation. If you find this happening check the default paper size in your printer settings. Overseas users wishing to use US Letter sized paper Click on the Display report options dialog button. On the Reports Options dialog click on the Advance button. Make a note of the current layout then click on the drop down list and then select the Letter version of the same layout, which you will find towards the end of the list. Vector 7 Tutorial Part 1 Page 15