What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4

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1 What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 BID2WIN Software, Inc. Published: August, 2006 Abstract BID2WIN 2005 Service Pack 4 includes many exciting new features that add more power and flexibility to BID2WIN, including enhancements to managing estimates using folders, estimate security, and replacing an equipment rate class in an estimate. This document provides a brief overview of all new features included in Service Pack 4.

2 The information contained in this document represents the current view of BID2WIN Software, Inc. on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because BID2WIN Software must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of BID2WIN Software, and BID2WIN Software cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This document is for informational purposes only. BID2WIN SOFTWARE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of BID2WIN Software Corporation. BID2WIN Software may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from BID2WIN Software, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. The example companies, organizations, products, people and events depicted herein are fictitious. No association with any real company, organization, product, person or event is intended or should be inferred BID2WIN Software, Incorporated. All rights reserved. BID2WIN Software, Inc., BID2WIN, and the Art of Bidding Intelligence are either registered trademarks or trademarks of BID2WIN Software Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Version 1.0

3 Contents Overview of New s...1 Open Estimate Dialog...1 Estimate Security (available in the Enterprise Edition of BID2WIN)...3 Replace Equipment Rate Class...4 BID2WIN Management Reporting...4 Miscellaneous s...4 New Standard Reports...5 Open Estimate Dialog...6 Estimate Folders...6 Customizable Columns...6 Estimate Search...7 Replace Equipment Rate Class...9

4 Overview of New s Each of the new features found in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 is briefly described below, which are organized into the following categories: Open Estimate Dialog Estimate Security (available in the Enterprise Edition of BID2WIN) Replace Equipment Rate Class BID2WIN Management Reporting Miscellaneous s New Standard Reports As always, comprehensive instructions on how to use these and any other BID2WIN feature can be found within our electronic help system, accessed by pressing F1 on your keyboard while using BID2WIN. Open Estimate Dialog Create Estimate Folders Description You may create folders and subfolders to organize your BID2WIN estimates, allowing for quick and easy estimate look-up. For more information about this new feature, see the Estimate Folders section on page 6. Choose Estimate Folder in New Estimate Wizard Each time you create a new estimate you may specify the folder where it will reside. This allows you to file your estimate into an appropriate folder at the time of creation! Move Estimate from One Folder to Another Choose Folder When Duplicating Estimates Users with appropriate permissions may move estimates from one folder to another to help maintain organized estimate directories. When duplicating an estimate, you may specify the folder in which the duplicated estimate shall reside. This allows you to specify an alternate folder location duplicated estimates, such as for re-bids or change orders. Customizable Columns The Open Estimate dialog now includes a Columns Manager which allows you to specify the order and configuration of the columns that appear when opening estimates. These preferences are saved for each BID2WIN user! For more information about this new feature, see the Customizable Columns section on page 6. New Columns To help keep meaningful information on-screen as you search your estimate list, What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 1

5 many new column choices have been added to Open Estimate dialog. Available columns now include: Addendum Number Bid As Bid Bond Percent Bid Date Bid Location Bid Number Bid Time City Completion Date Contact Created Damages Per Engineer/Architect Estimate Folder Estimate Number Estimate Title Estimate Type Estimator Job Number Liquidated Damages Number of Phases Primary Customer Project Location Project Name Project State Projected Value Status Status Changed What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 2

6 Estimate Search To help you quickly locate any estimate, BID2WIN now features a comprehensive search routine which performs a string-based search on any criteria, based on information in all visible columns. For more information about this new feature, see the Estimate Search section on page 7. Estimate Security (available in the Enterprise Edition of BID2WIN) For more information about the estimate security feature, please download the comprehensive BID2WIN Estimate Security White Paper using the following link: Specify Permissions at the Folder and Subfolder Level Description The following permissions can be configured at the folder level: Create Estimates Create Subfolders View Move Rename Folder Modify Estimates Check Out Estimates Modify Permissions Delete Specify Permissions at the Estimate Level The following permissions can be configured for specific estimates: View Move Modify Check Out Modify Permissions Delete Administrative Override for Estimate Security To ensure that critical permissions are never removed for key users, BID2WIN allows groups of users to be configured with full permissions for estimates and folders, regardless of the security settings on each estimate or folder. What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 3

7 Replace Equipment Rate Class Replace Equipment Rate Class Description You may now replace the equipment rate class used by your estimate. This allows you update your estimate s entire equipment cost basis with just a few simply clicks! For more information about this new feature, see the Replace Equipment Rate Class section on page 9. BID2WIN Management Reporting Populate the BID2WIN Data Warehouse from within the Data Warehouse Administration Tool Description You now have the ability to trigger a BID2WIN Data Warehouse population directly within the BID2WIN Data Warehouse Administration Tool, rather than manually double-clicking the population executable or relying on your scheduled tasks. Miscellaneous s Move Items from One Alternate, Phase, or Work Type to Another Copy Items from One Alternate, Phase, or Work Type to Another Description When grouping items on the Estimate Detail tab by Phase, Alternate, or Work Type, you now have the time-saving ability to move items between groupings. Simply drag and drop one or more items from one group to another. When grouping items on the Estimate Detail tab by Phase, Alternate, or Work Type, you now have the time-saving ability to copy items between groupings. Simply press and hold the CTRL key, then drag and drop one or more items from one group to another. Drag and Drop Items Between Estimates When Grouping by Alternate, Phase, or Work Type Job Cost ID Field for Trucking Components Contained within Task Templates You may now copy items from one estimate to another, even when one or both estimates are grouping items by Alternate, Phase, or Work Type. On the Task Template Detail tab in Resources, you now have the ability to enter a unique Job Cost ID for any trucking components contained within a detailed task template. What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 4

8 Job Cost ID Field for Trucking Components Contained within Item Templates Specify Which Groups of Users Are Allowed to Go Mobile Warning Message When Labor or Equipment Added to Estimate with Zero Cost Estimate Shortcut On the Item Template Detail tab in Item Databases, you now have the ability to enter a unique Job Cost ID for any trucking components contained within a detailed item template. You may now specify which groups of BID2WIN users have permission to use mobile estimating; the ability to check out estimates and licenses to a laptop for access when disconnected from your BID2WIN server. BID2WIN now warns you when labor or equipment is added to your estimate with zero base cost due to a deleted or renamed rate class. This, in addition to the powerful Estimate Check Wizard, greatly reduces the risk of costly mistakes. BID2WIN now allows you to an estimate shortcut to another BID2WIN user. The shortcut points to a specific estimate within your BID2WIN database; when your recipient clicks on the shortcut, BID2WIN automatically opens that estimate 1. Redesigned Export Report Dialog The BID2WIN Export Reports dialog, used to save BID2WIN reports as PDF, Word, or Excel documents, has been redesigned for a more streamlined user experience. New Standard Reports Item Totals Summary With Category Detail Description This new report lists all the items in your estimate, along with the dollar value associated with all item-level cost categories, such as labor, equipment owned, equipment rented, etc. Subcontractor RFQ With Total Price A new version of the Subcontractor RFQ report that includes fields for both unit price and total price. Choose this report in Estimate Options, on the Reports Company Information folder. Vendor RFQ With Total Price A new version of the Vendor RFQ report that includes fields for both unit price and total price. Choose this report in Estimate Options, on the Reports Company Information folder. Work Order With Unit Cost This new version report includes the same information present on the standard Work Order report as well as unit cost information for all items and components. 1 Note that both the sender and recipient must have access to the same BID2WIN database. What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 5

9 Open Estimate Dialog Below is a quick overview of a few new features related to the Open Estimate dialog: Estimate Folders, Customizable Columns, and the Estimate Search feature. Estimate Folders The ability to create estimate folders allows for better organization, quicker estimate lookup, and as you ll see in a later section ties in nicely with the new Estimate Security feature. When you first install BID2WIN Service Pack 4, there is a single default folder called Estimates. The Estimates folder is a system folder, meaning it cannot be renamed, moved or deleted. Using the Estimates folder as the root, you now have the ability to create any number of additional folders, subfolders, and so-on. The folders you create can be chronological, they can represent specific departments, or they can contain estimates created by an individual. As seen in the example below, you can use a variety of approaches: The Open Estimate Dialog This example (Year/Division/User) is just one example of the type of folder hierarchy you can create. The important thing to keep in mind is that the structure and organization imposed by estimate folders should allow estimators to quickly and easily navigate to just the estimates they need without searching through hundreds of non-applicable estimates. As mentioned earlier, more information about all new Service Pack 4 features can be found in the BID2WIN Help System. To learn more about estimate folders for example, how to create, move, or delete them simply press F1 (or click Help) while the Open Estimate dialog is visible in BID2WIN. Customizable Columns BID2WIN Service Pack 4 includes a new Columns Manager that allows you to specify the order and configuration of the columns that appear within the Open Estimate dialog. To access the columns What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 6

10 manager, simply right-click any portion of the column-header area above your estimate list, then select Customize Columns as shown below: Accessing the Columns Manager The Columns Manager that appears is very similar to those found on the Item Listing tab or Item Pricing tabs. It allows you to specify the order and configuration of the columns that appear when opening estimates, as shown below: The Columns Manager Estimate Search The Open Estimate dialog now includes a dynamic search feature that allows you to search your estimate list for any text string. When you enter one or more characters into the search box, BID2WIN dynamically searches your current list of estimates, examining the information stored in every visible What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 7

11 column. Each time you enter a new character, the estimate list is automatically refreshed to display only those estimates where a matching string was found. In the example below, you can see that BID2WIN has instantly located two estimates based on a search criteria of NH. Again, please note that all columns are subject to the search. That s why the Rt. 101 estimate was found even though NH does not appear in the Estimate Title, it does appear in the Primary Customer field. Using The Search What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 8

12 Replace Equipment Rate Class BID2WIN Service Pack 4 now includes the ability to replace an Equipment Rate Class. This new feature is analogous to the Replace Labor Rate Class feature introduced in Service Pack 3. There are several occasions when you may need to use this new feature: You realize that you selected the wrong equipment rate class when you had originally created the estimate, and you need to correct the mistake by replacing the incorrect equipment costs throughout your estimate. You've copied an older estimate to use as a "starting point" for a new bid. You wish to update the equipment costs in your copied estimate with new rate class information from Resources. Since the time you created your current estimate, equipment information in Resources has been updated, and you wish to incorporate that new information throughout your current estimate. The Replace Equipment Rate Class feature is found on the Costing menu, as shown below: Accessing the Replace Equipment Rate Class When you replace an Equipment Rate Class, BID2WIN does the following: for all equipment components in your current estimate, BID2WIN updates base cost and burden values with the latest information from the selected rate class in Resources sets the selected rate class as the default rate class for your current estimate. This is done to ensure that new equipment that you add to your current estimate uses information from the newly selected rate class. What s New in BID2WIN Service Pack 4 9