💰Budgets and BOQs
Estimation of BoQ Budget based on association of resources applied via Cost Recipes. Serves as the baseline for Cost Control
1. Budgets and BOQs
This section describes the functionality of the Tendering and Budgeting module.
1.1 Creating and editing the budget
In this screen, some fields may be filled by data from a list (already registered in system tables). Examples of such fields are Country, City, Type of company, etc. To fill these fields, click on the arrow or the search tooltip and select the desired value. The user can also type a value for the field, but attention must be paid to fill the field with the exact value as the one stored in the Master Data.
Once the required data is entered, the user must always remember to Save.
Some fields are mandatory in order to save the budget. These are: Company, Branch, Project Code, Budget Code, and Budget Type.
The field “Budget Type” can be filled with the following values:
BOQ Budget
Cost Budget
Primavera Budget
To display the entire list of entries in the budget, the user has to click on Budget Analysis.
Video – Screen: Budget creation and editing screen
1.2 Importing the BoQ with Annotations
After saving the budget with the required fields, the screen will then show the following extra tabs/options.
The user will have to select Import Budget Actions and then Import Budget from Excel – Annotations.
The user will have to select or drag and drop the formatted Excel file into the pop-up window above and click Upload.
Once 100% uploaded, the file can then be viewed in the system and the next stage of the tendering process can start in the Budget Analysis.
Video – Screen: Import Budget from Excel (Annotations)
2 Budget Analysis
This is the main budget analysis screen for all 3 budgets (BOQ, Primavera, Cost).
The screen is part of a “grid view” that allows the user to fully customise the layouts according to his needs.
Details provided in Notes:
Video – Screen: Budget Analysis main grid
2.1 Adding costs to the BoQ lines
From this screen, the user will be able to assign costs to each BoQ line analytically using 5 categories:
General Expenses
Materials
Labor
Plant
SubContractor
To add analytical items to the afore mentioned categories, the user must click on the triple dots shown at the beginning of each BoQ line to add to each one respectively.
The user can fill these cost amounts either by providing a single value (e.g lump sum) or by providing a “Resource Analysis” by pressing the previously mentioned method to add items analytically. The summary of each category is as follows:
Video – Screen: Adding costs to BoQ lines (triple dots & categories)
Cost Category
Fields displayed
Materials
Item Code
Total Quantity
Unit Price
Labor
Employee Code OR
Specialty Code
Hours or Days
Cost of Hours or Days
Plant
Machinery Code OR
Machinery Type Code
Hours or Km
Cost of Hours or Km
SubContractor
Supplier Code OR
Supplier Description
Quantity
Cost
General Expenses
Item Code
Total Quantity
Unit Price
An example of one of the browse screens for materials:
On the screen the user is able to browse item codes/descriptions and add them manually to the BoQ line, while also assigning the amounts required and their cost.
To add analytical items the user must click on the “+” sign at the top right of the screen and then select from the item list the required item.
Once on the item screen, the desired item can be searched using the search bar at the top right of the screen.
Then the user will then be able to add Quantity, Price, as well as Waste Percentages for each of the analytical items chosen.
Video – Screen: Resource analysis & item browse screen
Notes:
As with any other Grid View, the Budget Analysis has a large number of columns (fields) available. The user can customize his experience by selecting the desired columns using the column chooser available on any grid screen as well as rearranging the columns by simply dragging and dropping them where desired.
If the user wants to assign the same value to multiple sub-levels of a budget line, he can simply add the value in the top level and then right click on that value. This will result in a popup option of “Assign Value to Below Levels”, thus, all the sub-levels of that particular level will have the same value. The value of each sub-level can of course be changed individually after this procedure.
Costs must be entered only in the lowest sub-levels in the Budget. To calculate the subtotal for every upper level, the “Recalculate Budget” button can be clicked.
The user must not forget to save before exiting the “Budget Analysis” Grid View.
2.2 Grouping using Cost codes, Divisions, and Packages:
The user is able to group the BoQ lines in various ways; cost codes, divisions, and packages.
To assign any of the pre-existing Packages, Divisions or Cost Codes the user must simply click on the search tooltip on the respective column as follows:
Then, the following pop-up menu should appear:
Divisions and packages are found in “Set up” main menu where the user can create as many of them as they see fit or needed.
Cost codes will all be imported from the user’s Masterfile to be used in the system.
All these can be assigned easily to each of the BoQ lines one by one, or be following the same consensus of right clicking on an upper level and choosing the option to apply them to all the lower levels. Reference: Notes:
However, cost codes play a more important role later down the process when the budget vs cost analysis takes place. Therefore, it is crucial for all the BoQ lines to have a cost code associated with them.
Video – Screen: Grouping by cost codes, divisions, and packages
2.3 Templates
Templates are cost recipes that can be prepared in advance in order to “Autofill” analytical items in BoQ lines which are the same no matter the project. To create a template, the user must navigate the menu > Budget > Templates.
The user will then be presented with the list of the existing templates with the ability to add a new one by click on the “+” button at the top left of the screen.
Similar to the Budget analysis in the BoQ, the user will click on the triple dot at the beginning of every line respectively and choose which of the categories (Materials, Subcontractor, Labor, Plant, General Expenses) he would like to select items for.
Once in the analytical screen, the user will then be able to add and allocate items similar to the BoQ as well. Shown in 2.1.
Once the Template is ready, it can now be applied to any BoQ line. It is also possible to apply it to the upper levels and copy it down to all the lower levels same as the Packages, Divisions, and Cost Codes as shown in the Notes:
Then the user will see that all the analytical items pre-assigned to the Template will be automatically assigned to all of the respective categories of selected BoQ lines.
Video – Screen: Templates creation and application
2.4 Adding Profit, Risk, Overhead, and Discount then applying them for Selling Prices
After a budget has been fully analyzed and the final Total cost Amount has been calculated, the User has the ability to insert different percentages to calculate the selling prices:
Overhead
Risk
Profit
Discount
Each one of these has a separate column for them to applied separately. The user is able to insert these values per line if need be. To insert simply click on the desired column/row field and input the number manually.
However, there is a more practical solution, by which the values can be applied to all the lower level BoQ lines by simply right clicking on the upper levels and applying the option. Notes:
For example, if level 3 has 10% profit and the copy option is applied, all level 4 and 5 have a 10% profit applied to their costs and so on.
Once all our correct values have been input by the user. The user is the able to go to the Calculations drop down menu at the top toolbar, and select Calculate Selling Values.
This will then create a new column with the Selling prices calculated from the % risk, profit, overhead and discount.
Video – Screen: Applying profit, risk, overhead, discount & calculate selling values
2.5 Exporting to excel
Once the budget is complete, it can be exported to an excel file. In order to do so, the user must click on the button, at the top right of the screen, then select export all data or selected rows depending on your desired outcome:
By clicking on either the user is then told to select a download location for the excel file to be used at his disposal.
Video – Screen
3 Complementary Features
3.1 Creating Divisions and Packages
As previously mentioned, these can be accessed through the “Set up” Menu:
From here, the user can choose to add/edit either Packages or Divisions, which can then be used in Budgets.
Creating a new Package or Division is done by clicking on the “+” button on the top left of the screen and then filling in the details manually in the respective columns on the grid.
Editing is done by directly clicking inside the grid and typing the changes.
When an entry is created or edited, the “Save” button must be clicked to save the changes.
Once in the packages or divisions page, the user will be able to add as many of them as needed. A package/division code will be required, and a description.
Video – Screen: Creating and editing Divisions and Packages (Set up menu)
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