Create Cost Sheet from Bid View

The system allows you to create a Cost Sheet directly from the bid view screen to accurately estimate the cost of executing the bid based on its Bill of Quantities or a linked Quotation. You can also import ready-made items from Work Item Templates or other Cost Sheets within the same bid.

Before you start, make sure of the following:

• This screen requires the “Add Cost Sheets” permission.
• Viewing the list of Work Item Templates in the import panel requires either the “View All Work Item Templates” or “View His Own (Created) Work Item Templates” permission.
• Viewing the list of other Cost Sheets in the import panel requires either the “View All Cost Sheets” or “View His Own (Created) Cost Sheets” permission.
• Activate the Construction app by navigating to Settings from the main menu and selecting Apps Manager.

Steps

1. From the main menu, click Construction.
2. Select Bids.
3. Click the Actions icon next to the required bid.
4. Select View.
5. Click the Create Cost Sheet button.

Cost Sheet Information

This screen displays a set of fields for defining the basic Cost Sheet data before proceeding to set up the Bill of Quantities:

• The Cost Sheet No. is generated automatically. If you manually delete it, the system automatically generates it again when saving, and it takes the format “id-Draft” when saved as a draft.
• Note that the Link Cost Sheet to and Client fields are pre-filled with Bid and the current bid name and code, and with the bid’s client name and code, respectively.
• Note that the Budget field appears empty on the bid view screen.
• Select a Quotation (optional) from the dropdown if you want to link the Cost Sheet to it. The list displays only Quotations created within this bid that are not already linked to another Cost Sheet.
  • When a Quotation is selected, the Duration, Start Date, End Date, Tax 1, and Tax 2 fields are automatically populated from its data, if available.
• Enter the Duration (optional, numeric), and select “Days” or “Months” (default: Months). The equivalent duration is calculated automatically (for example: 14 months = 1 yr 2 mo). The duration is also calculated automatically if you enter the Start Date and End Date instead.
• Enter the Start Date (optional). It is calculated automatically if you enter the Duration and End Date.
• Enter the End Date (optional). It is calculated automatically if you enter the Duration and Start Date, and it must be after the Start Date.
• Select Tax 1 and Tax 2 (optional) from the dropdown, which displays the taxes defined in the tax settings, in addition to the “Specify Per Work Item” option. The same tax cannot be selected in both fields.
• Enter the Description (optional) in the text area.
• Add Attachments (optional).

Bill of Quantities

• The Bill of Quantities is populated automatically: from the bid if the Cost Sheet is not linked to a Quotation, or from the Quotation itself if it is linked to one. The table consists of the same standard hierarchical levels (Main Tender, up to 3 levels of Sub Tender, and Work Item).
• From the Work Item dropdown, click “Import Work Items” to open a panel with two tabs: Work Item Templates and Cost Sheets. Select one or more items and click Import. Each imported item always has a quantity of 1, even if a different quantity had previously been entered manually for the line.
• Cost values (Unit Cost, Cost, and Main/Sub Tender cost) remain zero and appear empty, and are not actually calculated until a Work Item containing its own materials is imported. Simply selecting a Work Item manually from Inventory without importing it is not sufficient for an actual cost to appear, because the cost is primarily calculated based on the materials included in the Work Item.
• You can also enter data manually at each level:
  • For the Main Tender/Sub Tender, enter its title only (unique among items at the same level); its Cost, Subtotal, and Total are calculated automatically based on the Work Items beneath it.
  • For the Work Item, select it from Inventory and enter the Quantity and Unit. Also enter the Profit % or Total Profit or Sale Rate (entering any two fields automatically calculates the third).
  • For the Items, select the item, enter the Quantity and Unit, and specify the Consumption/Unit. The Unit Cost is populated by default from the average cost or purchase price (and can be edited), and the Cost is calculated automatically.
• To add a Main Tender, click the Main Tender button below the table. To add a Sub Tender or Work Item under a specific line, click the + icon next to it to open the available options.
• Select multiple lines to perform bulk actions (Delete, Expand Group, and Collapse Group).
• After entering the data, click Save to save the Cost Sheet with the status “Issued”, Save as Draft to save it as a draft, or Cancel to return to the bid view screen.

How the System Works

• If the current account plan does not support adding more Cost Sheets, creating a new record is blocked, and a message appears with Upgrade Now and Cancel buttons.
• A Work Item must always be the last element in the tree. If you add a Work Item under a specific item, you cannot subsequently add a new Sub Tender beside it at the same location.
• When a Main Tender is deleted, all its Sub Tenders, Work Items, and Items are deleted with it. When a Sub Tender is deleted, only its Work Items and Items are deleted with it. When a Work Item is deleted, only its Items are deleted with it. When an Item is deleted, only that line is deleted without affecting any other lines.
• You can drag any item in the tree and drop it under a different parent, as long as it remains at the same level.

Validation Rules

• When a required field is left empty, the text “Required” appears next to it.
• The title of each Main Tender or Sub Tender must be unique among items at the same level and under the same parent. When a duplicate is entered, the message “Title should be unique” appears.
• The End Date must be after the Start Date. If this condition is not met, the message “End Date should be a date after Start Date” appears.
• The same tax cannot be selected in both Tax 1 and Tax 2.
• When one or more lines are deleted, a confirmation dialog appears before the actual deletion: “You have selected one or more lines for deletion. Deleting these lines will also remove any related sub-items beneath them such as sub-tenders, work items, and items depending on the type of each selected line, are you sure you want to delete the selected lines?”
• When the Cost Sheet is successfully saved, the message “Cost Sheet Created Successfully” appears.