This will lock off the BOQ references so they wont change on an import or recalculation. On the summary screen select BOQ - Set Job BOQ Options - Select page 4, go to Item Numbering - select - User define numbering system and then save. If you have say 6 Bills of Quantities but only one Estimator, you don't have to price each BOQ separately and do a separate subbies comparison for each Bill of Quantities.Ĭreate a blank BOQ in Buildsoft. (the last one is important as it relies on this to separate the individual trades.) Then import into Buildsoft.
Then, make sure that each trade description has the relevant trade heading next to it and save as a CSV file. Edit out any page numbers, dates and lines that that are repeated.
If you have tried to import a Bill of Quantities into Buildsoft that you have received as a PDF file from an external 'Quantity Survey' in another format, some items seem to work, whilst other don't, and you finish up with quite a lot of extra editing.Ĭonvert the file to a CSV or Excel format. Doing it in Buildsoft using the delete function took me 15 minutes to remove only the rates without the quantities. It took all of 90 seconds to do this on a project with 60 trades. Save and then import back into Buildsoft. Once completed, open the file and delete the columns for quantities and rates. Go to 'Print' - 'Trade' - 'Trade Break-up for export' and select export to CSV file. If you want to make a template for a new project, from an existing priced template, there is a quicker way than going into each trade and deleting the quantities and pricing from it.
So what are they? Well, here are a few below. I have, over the years, discovered a few of these. So, if you're one of those Estimators that purely use the program as a big calculator, perhaps you need to take a further look at how it can help you be more successful.īuildsoft in particular has many functions that in some instances aren't necessary documented, but can save you lots of time.
Some Estimators will explore what the program has to offer and realise very quickly how it can further assist them with winning tenders. Most Estimators will learn 'what they think they need to know' to get by, and ignore the rest. So you have an Estimating Program! It might be Buildsoft, it might be something else, but whatever it is, you need to know how best to use it.
How to push the boundaries with your Estimating Software