Subcontractor Comparison Manual

6.
SUBCONTRACTOR COMPARISON
MANUAL
Copyright © 2014-2019 by Exactal Technologies Pty Ltd
All rights reserved.
This document may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written authority of
Exactal Technologies Pty Ltd.
SUBCONTRACTOR COMPARISON MANUAL
Contents
1 Subcontractor Comparison 5
1.1 Subcontractors
............................................................................................................................................
Database 5
1.2 Generating
............................................................................................................................................
a Subcontractor Workbook 6
1.3 Assigning
............................................................................................................................................
Subcontractors 8
1.4 Entering
............................................................................................................................................
Subcontractor Quote Values 9
1.5 Filling
............................................................................................................................................
Quote Values 10
1.6 Adjusting
............................................................................................................................................
Subcontractor Quote Values 12
1.7 Subcontractor
............................................................................................................................................
Status Settings 12
1.8 Editing
............................................................................................................................................
the Estimate Cells 13
1.9 Adding
............................................................................................................................................
Addendum Items 13
1.10 Notes
............................................................................................................................................ 14
1.11 Selecting
............................................................................................................................................
the Preferred Subcontractor 14
1.12 Allowances
............................................................................................................................................
Columns 15
1.13 Incomplete
............................................................................................................................................
Item Check 16
1.14 Subcontractor
............................................................................................................................................
Reports 17
1.15 Generating
............................................................................................................................................
a Standard Workbook 18
1.16 Reverting
............................................................................................................................................
a Sorted Workbook back to Source Format 19
2 Quotes using CostX® Viewer 20
2.1 The
............................................................................................................................................
CostX® Viewer 20
2.2 Exporting
............................................................................................................................................
workbooks as an EXF Quote File – Overview 21
2.3 Exporting
............................................................................................................................................
Subcontractor Comparison Workbooks to Tender EXF 21
2.4 Export
............................................................................................................................................
Options 22
2.5 Exporting
............................................................................................................................................
Normal Workbooks to Tender EXF 22
2.6 Entering
............................................................................................................................................
Quotes using CostX® Viewer 23
2.7 Importing
............................................................................................................................................
Quotes into CostX® 24
Import..................................................................................................................................
Quote EXQ Files to a Subcontractor Comparison Workbook 24
Import..................................................................................................................................
Quote EXQ Files to a Normal Workbook 25
2.8 Workbook
............................................................................................................................................
Verification 26
3 Further Information 27
3.1 Additional
............................................................................................................................................
Reading 27
3.2 Free
............................................................................................................................................
Training Videos 28
3.3 Process
............................................................................................................................................
Flow Charts 29
4 www.exa cta l .com Copyri ght © Exa cta l Technol ogi es Pty Ltd, 2014-2019 (NOT TO BE REPRODUCED)
SUBCONTRACTOR COMPARISON MANUAL Subcontractor Comparison
1 Subcontractor Comparison
(Not available in CostX® Takeoff versions)
The Subcontractor Comparison workbook in CostX® is designed to be generated from a two-level Trade
based workbook. The primary intent of this feature is to allow quoted or alternate prices from various
Trades and Suppliers to be entered and compared back to the user’s initial estimate.
The Subcontractor Comparison feature consists of two main parts: a pre-formatted Subcontractor
Comparison Workbook; and a suite of default Subcontractor Comparison report templates. The process of
this feature has a specific workflow to follow and is outlined in the sub-sections below.
1.1 Subcontractors Database

A useful component of this feature is the ability to maintain a Subcontractor database categorized to suit
the user’s Trade based workbooks. Those subcontractors will then be available for selection each time a
Subcontractor Comparison workbook is created that includes their trade, without having to type them in
each time.
The Subcontractors database is maintained under the Costing > Subcontractors area within System
Administration (see below).
§ Use the “Insert” button to enter the Subcontractor’s details. Note it is important to nominate the Trades
to match the Trade Summary workbook and then to the relevant subcontractors. A mandatory short
name of the subcontractor (max of 5 letters) also has to be included for use in named column headers
during the workbook generation process.
An alternative option is to import all of the subcontractor’s details from an Excel® CSV file that has the
information populated in the following order:
Name, Trade, Short Name, Code, Contact Name, Contact Position, Email, Phone, Mobile, Fax, Postal
Address, Street Address, Licence, Certification No; Public Liability, Workers Comp; Notes.
For subcontractors who engage in multiple trades the Name and alternative Trade should be entered on a
new line.
§ Click on the drop-down portion of the Import button to import Subcontractors from CSV. The CSV file
can be updated and re-imported to easily maintain the database in CostX®.
§ Direct access to the Subcontractors database is also provided from the Subcontractors Workbook ribbon
menu. Here it gives the choice between accessing the entire Subcontractors list or, if a subcontractor
value cell is selected, the details of the Current Subcontractor.
1.2 Generating a Subcontractor Workbook

The Subcontractor Comparison workflow process begins by selecting the appropriate two-level Trade based
workbook. Any information below the 2nd level Cost sheets in the workbook will be shown as totals at
Level 2 once the Subcontractor Workbook is generated. Rate and Quantity sub-sheet information at Level 2
of the Trade Workbook will still be available in the Subcontractor Comparison workbook If this workbook
has been generated by coding to sort a tender document into subcontract packages, it can later be reverted
back to the original format (see Reverting a sorted Workbook back to source format).
§ Whilst in the Trade estimate workbook, click on the drop-down portion of the Add button in the
Workbooks ribbon and select Generate Subcontractor Workbook...
A Workbook Properties box will open with a naming option for the new workbook which adds the words
“Subcontractor Comparison” to the name of the source workbook. This name can be left as is or amended at
this point, but cannot be the same as the source workbook.
Options also exist to prefill the ‘Preferred’column with pricing from the Trade estimate workbook, or to
leave it blank initially.
It is also possible to specify that a Single Preferred subcontractor will be selected for each trade or, if not
ticked, that each package may be ‘split’on an item-by-item basis. In a network environment, the ability for
ticking or unticking the Single Preferred check box can be enabled or disabled for each user within the User
Properties in CostX® Server Administration.
If ticked, Generate Cell Names automatically creates cell names for key data (subcontractors names, quote
values, etc.) across the Subcontractor Workbook for referencing in other workbooks, or for use in
Excel®/CostXL®.
By default all trades from Level 1 of the source workbook will be selected for inclusion in the Subcontractor
Workbook, however these can be deselected if required.
The naming of the three allowance columns in the Subcontractor Workbook can be entered and will appear
as the respective column headings.
1.3 Assigning Subcontractors

Once the Subcontractors Comparison Workbook is generated, all of the subcontractors that are associated
with the relevant trades in the Subcontractors database, and have been set to Include by default, will
automatically be added to this new workbook ready for their quoted prices to be entered.
The automated assignment of a subcontractor to the trades has enhanced logic when matching workbook
trade titles with the subcontractor listed trades in the System Administration database. This logic ensures
better matches more often, as it handles differences such as singular and plural, ‘&’versus ‘and’amongst
other things. For example, a subcontractor which is set to be assigned to “Excavation and Earthwork” by
default, would automatically match to “Excavation & Earthworks” as well.
§ Additional subcontractors can be assigned to a specific trade in the Subcontractor Workbook by

selecting any cell on that row of the workbook and clicking on the Trade Properties button.
§ The Trade Properties window will open in which any subcontractor associated with that trade but not
set to Include by default can be assigned by checking the Use box.
§ New subcontractors can also be established by clicking on the Add button. CostX® then gives the option
to save the new subcontractor back into the Subcontractors database in System Administration.
1.4 Entering Subcontractor Quote Values

There are a number of methods for entering a subcontractor’s submitted prices into the Subcontractor
Comparison Workbook.
§ Prices can be manually entered for each of the subcontractors in their respective columns at Level 2 of
the workbook. Rates and text can be copied and pasted into multiple cells. Type prices into the Rate
column and the Total column is filled out automatically by multiplying by the quantity column.
Alternatively, type values directly into the total column and the rate is automatically calculated and
filled in. Each cell that needs to have data entered is identified by an orange corner tag, which
disappears when the data is entered. Remaining tags indicate cells that still need to have data entered.
§ Importing subcontractor data from an excel file is easily done by copy-and-pasting the values into the
appropriate corresponding columns within the workbook.
§ Importing an EXQ Quote file from a Subcontractor (refer to Importing Quotes into CostX®).
Entering Quote Values from Excel Export/Import
If the subcontractor prefers to use Excel, trade packages can be easily selected and exported to Excel from
both a standard workbook and a Subcontractor Comparison Workbook. The generated spreadsheets are
formatted to allow rates to be entered and totals to be automatically calculated by multiplying the rate of
each item by the quantity.
§ Click on the Export to Excel button in the Current Trade section of the Subcontractors ribbon to
commence the export.
§ As well as being able to amend the selection of trades to Include there are also options to choose
whether to include estimate rates and totals in the export.
1.5 Filling Quote Values

Various fill options exist within the Subcontractor Comparison Workbook to ‘plug’ gaps in the detail
provided in the subcontractor’s quote.
§ Click on the Fill button in the Subcontractors ribbon to open the fill options.
Fill to Lump Sum
The Fill to Lump Sum option is available when the subcontractor Name or Total column is selected at Level 1
of the Subcontractor Workbook and enables entry of ‘Fill Amount’, ‘Final Total’ and ‘Status’. If you have
already entered some values against the items on Level 2 of the Subcontractor Workbook, the total of these
will be shown in the ‘Current Total’and ‘Final Total’rows.
§ Enter a value in the ‘Fill Amount’. The ‘Final Total’will automatically update to show the total of the
‘Current Amount’ and ‘Fill Amount’. The ‘Fill Amount’ is allocated to each item on Level 2 of the
workbook pro-rata to the initial estimate item value. Any items previously filled are left unaltered and
the remaining empty item cells are filled accordingly.
Fill from Estimate
Fill from Estimate will bring across the values from the estimate to the selected subcontractor’s column.
§ Click Fill From Estimate at Level 1 of the Subcontractor Workbook to fill all items for the selected
subcontractor with the estimate value.
§ Click Fill From Estimate at Level 2 of the Subcontractor Workbook to fill only the selected item(s) for
that subcontractor with the estimate value.
Fill from Another Subcontractor
The Fill button drop-down menu is automatically populated with a list of the alternative subcontractors
associated with the selected trade.
§ Click Fill From (Another Subcontractor) at Level 1 of the Subcontractor Workbook to fill all items for the
selected subcontractor with the values from the alternative subcontractor.
§ Click Fill From (Another Subcontractor) at Level 2 of the Subcontractor Workbook to fill only the
selected item(s) for that subcontractor with the alternative subcontractor’s value.
Fill with Text
In the Workbooks section of the CostX® Options it is possible to enter up to four separate user-defined fill
text alternatives. These are then available on the Fill button drop-down menu and, if selected, will enter
the predefined text into the selected cell(s) of the Subcontractor Workbook.
1.6 Adjusting Subcontractor Quote Values

Within the Subcontractors Workbook it is possible to select a single item value, or range of values (other
than the original estimate values), at any level of the workbook and adjust them positively or negatively by
a specified amount or percentage.
§ Click on the Adjust Values button and enter an Amount or Percentage in the relevant field. Whichever
field is completed the alternative field value, and the Final Total, will calculate and display accordingly.
1.7 Subcontractor Status Settings

CostX® automatically displays one of four source status indication colours for all prices in a Subcontractor
Comparison Workbook, identifying how the figure was entered: Quote, Plug, Estimate, and Other.
The status colours flow through automatically to the Preferred and Lowest columns, and up to the top level
of the workbook and can be shown in subcontractor reports. Coloured bar charts are shown where multiple
statuses contribute to the overall total.
§ Select a value, or range of values, at Level 2 of the workbook and click on the appropriate Status button
in the Subcontractor ribbon to override the automatic status setting, if required.
1.8 Editing the Estimate Cells

By default, the original estimate section within a Subcontractor Workbook is locked. It is, however, possible
to unlock the estimate cells to amend descriptions, quantities, rates and other details.
Click on the Lock Estimate button in the Subcontractor ribbon to set the estimate cells to locked or
unlocked. (In a network environment this feature can be enabled or disabled for each user within the User
Properties in CostX® Server Administration.)
1.9 Adding Addendum Items

Irrespective of whether or not the estimate cells remain locked, it is possible to enter additional items in
the pink cells beneath the original estimate cells at Level 2 of the workbook.
§ Click on the first pink cell under the estimate items at Level 2 of the workbook and enter the necessary
addendum information. As soon as the first entry has been made additional pink rows open beneath,
allowing further entries.
§ If a number of items are to be copied-and-pasted in from another application such as Excel, say, then it
is possible to insert and open up sufficient rows to receive the data using the Rows button on the
Workbooks ribbon.
1.10 Notes
As in the standard workbooks, Subcontractor Workbooks provide a notes system where any editable cell
can have a note attached, similar to comments in Excel. Cells with notes attached have a red indicator in the
corner to make them easy to identify.
§ Click on Add Note in the Subcontractor or Workbooks ribbon to add a new note
§ Once a cell containing a note is selected, the Add Note button changes to Edit Note.
§ The Notes summary can be turned on and off via the View Notes button in the ribbon. Selecting each
note in the summary view highlights which cell the note is attributed to.
1.11 Selecting the Preferred Subcontractor

Once pricing has been entered, you can select the subcontractor for that item as “preferred” (regardless of
whether the price is the lowest). The pricing for that subcontractor is transferred into the Pref. Total
column of the workbook.
§ To select a subcontractor as preferred, click on a cell with their name or total in it, then click the Make
Preferred button in the Preferred Subcontractor section of the ribbon. If this is done at Level 1 of the
workbook all of the selected subcontractors pricing will be transferred into the Pref. Total column. If it
is done at Level 2 then, if the Single Preferred setting for that trade is ‘on’then all of the pricing will be
transferred to the Pref. Total column or, if the Single Preferred setting for that trade is ‘off’, just the
pricing for the selected item(s) will be transferred to the Pref. total column.
§ The Preferred selection can be cleared by use of the “Clear” button in the Preferred Subcontractor
section of the ribbon.
The preferred subcontractor cells can be highlighted with background shading in addition to the bold and
underline of the text to make them stand out more, if needed.
§ Use the Highlighting button in the Workbooks ribbon to turn on/off the Highlight Preferred
Subcontractor Cells option.
1.12 Allowances Columns

The three Allowances columns in the Subcontractor Workbooks are able to be named to suit the
requirements of the project at hand within the workbook properties. As noted previously the column
names can be entered at the time of generation of the Subcontractor Workbook.
§ Select the Column Name tab within the Workbook Properties of the Subcontractor Workbook to enter
or amend the names of the Allowances columns.
§ The Allowances columns can be populated at Summary level 1 or at Detail level 2 by using the Fill
options specific for these columns which are available from the same Fill button as used for the filling
the subcontractor prices. When entered at level 1 the values are automatically spread pro-rata across
the underlying level 2 items. At level 2 the values are entered against each individual line item and in
addition to the Fill options may also be entered manually as lump sums, or formulas such as =M1*5%.
§ Fill to lump sum - fills as per previously described with the fill functions in the Filling Quote Values
section.
§ Fill from Preferred - fills the selected cell with a value derived from a percentage of the relative
Preferred Subcontractor total.
§ Fill with Percentage Formula - is similar to the above function however this option enters the formula
instead of the derived value. e.g. =M5*0.1. This allows the user to add or make adjustments to the
formula.
§ Once populated the values can be adjusted using the Adjust Values button outlined previously.
Values entered in the Allowances columns are reflected in the Pref. inc Allow column, the total of which is
reflected in the Subcontractor Comparison Workbook Total.
1.13 Incomplete Item Check

Within the Subcontractor Comparison Workbook you can check whether values have been entered against
all of the item cells in the subcontractors’columns.
§ Click the Incomplete Item Check button located in the Subcontractors ribbon to action this feature.
§ A dialogue box will show a list of items which don’t have values entered into the corresponding cells.
Double-clicking each listed item will take you to the item in the workbook, allowing any incomplete
items to be quickly identified and completed.
§ A checkbox exists to optionally include cells containing text and error values in the Incomplete Items
list, thereby identifying cells that have been filled with text such as ‘excluded’.
1.14 Subcontractor Reports

A range of pre-installed Subcontractor Reports are provided with CostX® giving different levels of detail
and analysis from the information contained in the Subcontractor Workbook. The shading and Status colour
information from the workbook is transferable on to the report outputs. All of these System Report
templates are created within the CostX® custom report writer and, whilst System Report templates can’t be
edited, they can be copied and renamed to a user’s preference. Once copied, the newly named reports can
be edited and modified as required to produce the desired output via the report writer’s unlimited editing
abilities. Refer to the CostX Custom Reports Guide for further information.
1.15 Generating a Standard Workbook

When the subcontractor comparison exercise is complete and a tender price has been determined you can
convert it back into a standard workbook with a Trade Summary layout, priced using all of the selected
preferred subcontract prices.
§ With the completed Subcontractor Comparison workbook open, click the Add dropdown menu on the
Subcontractors ribbon and select Generate Standard Workbook from Subcontractor Comparison.
§ In the Workbook Properties enter a new Name for the generated workbook.
Use the drop-down Total menu to select an option whether to merge the Allowances values into the
preferred rates and totals, or keep them in separate columns.
Use the Show Preferred Name check box to select whether to write the preferred subcontractor name
to the rightmost column or not.
Use the drop-down Rate Subsheets menu to select an option whether to replace rate subsheets with
lump sum preferred rates, or retain the rate breakdowns and distribute the preferred rate from the
subcontractor comparison across the rate breakdowns pro-rata to give the required totals.
The workbook generated is a standard workbook which can be edited in the normal way. Additional data
has already been inserted into it including the names of the selected subcontractors against their pricing.
1.16 Reverting a Sorted Workbook back to Source Format

If an original source workbook is created/received and then coded and sorted to produce the Trade Package
based workbook from which the Subcontractor Workbook was then generated, it is possible to unsort the
standard workbook derived from the preferred subcontractor pricing back into its original order.
For example, a client Bill/Schedule of Quantities may be received in SMM BoQ format and coding applied to
tag the BoQ items into Trade Package format. Using the Generate Workbook Grouped by Code functionality
in CostX® a Trade package based workbook may be created, from which the Subcontractor Comparison
Workbook is then generated. Having completed the comparison exercise a standard workbook is generated
based on the preferred subcontractor pricing. It is then possible to unsort this workbook to revert it to the
order in which it first arrived.
§ With the standard workbook based on preferred subcontractor pricing open, click on the Add dropdown
menu in the Workbooks ribbon and select Generate a Workbook not in Code Groups…
§ A new Name will be required for the new workbook which, when generated, is returned to its original
format but with the detail of the prices, allowances (if kept separate) and preferred subcontractor
included. This workbook may be used with any of your normal report templates to print a Bill of
Quantities to be sent back to the client.
SUBCONTRACTOR COMPARISON MANUAL Quotes using CostX® Viewer
2 Quotes using CostX® Viewer

2.1 The CostX® Viewer
The CostX® Viewer is a free, read-only version of CostX®. The Viewer makes it easy to freely share CostX®
projects with anyone, all they have to do is download the free Viewer from the Exactal website.
Project files prepared in CostX® are exported in an EXF (Exactal Exchange File) format, either as unlocked
files that can be imported to the full version of CostX® or as read-only files for use with the CostX® Viewer.
Depending on the export settings applied, these exported files contain the drawing files, quantity
measurements and workbooks complete with detailed cost breakdowns and building revisions. EXF files
opened in the CostX® Viewer are read-only. The files can be freely navigated and all live-links between
drawings, measurements and workbooks items are active, but the file cannot be edited or marked up in any
way although workbook content can be copied and pasted using right-click menu options into Excel®,
Word® or an active CostX® workbook.
The CostX Viewer® Quoting feature is different. This feature enables a CostX® user to export a workbook
(eg. a tender document) or subcontractor package workbook as a Tender EXF file. This can not only be
opened in the CostX® Viewer, but rates, prices and notes can be entered into the workbook in the Viewer
to create a Quote EXQ file. The priced Quote EXQ file can then be returned electronically to the issuer and
easily imported back into CostX®.
Obtaining the CostX® Viewer
The free CostX® Viewer can be downloaded from http://www.exactal.com/en/products/costx-viewer
It will install a shortcut icon on your desktop and will also load some additional files into your Program
Files, including two sample EXF files.
When the tender issuer receives the EXQ file, they can import it back into CostX® to produce a workbook
containing the quote pricing.
2.2 Exporting workbooks as an EXF Quote File – Overview

There are two ways to export a workbook from CostX® to a Tender EXF for Quoting purposes – either from a
Subcontractor Comparison Workbook under the Subcontractors Ribbon, or from a normal workbook
exported from the Workbooks list under the Workbooks Ribbon.
If exported from a Subcontractor Comparison workbook that has already been created, when the Quote file
is returned it will be automatically entered against the relevant Subcontractor in the Subcontractor
Comparison spreadsheet. The Subcontractor Spreadsheet is already locked because it was locked by default
at the time it was created, but the Quote details will be added during the import process.
If exported from a normal workbook, when the Quote file is returned it will be imported back into CostX®
as a new Workbook alongside the original. The original gets locked at the time of export and must be
retained so that the system can run validation checks against the new workbook when it is imported. If this
method is used to obtain Subcontract quotes, the Quote pricing in the new workbook can later be copied
and pasted or manually transcribed into a Subcontractor Comparison spreadsheet.
2.3 Exporting Subcontractor Comparison Workbooks to Tender EXF

With the Subcontractor Comparison workbook open at level 1, click the Export Tender button in the Current
Trade group of the Subcontractors ribbon.
A dialog providing the export options will appear. All trades available for export will be listed with the
currently selected trade ticked by default. A separate Tender EXF file will be required for each Quote so
only tick the specific trade or combination of trades required for each individual subcontract package.
Select the required options (see below for more details) and click OK.
Select a location for saving the EXF file, name the file with an appropriate name and click Save.
2.4 Export Options

The Include Trades section of the dialog allows the workbook sections (all the rows from level 1 of the
workbook e.g. Trades) to be selected for inclusion in the exported tender EXF.
The Restrictions section allows the created EXF to be optionally password protected and also includes a
CostX® Viewer Only option. If this option is unticked, Subcontractors using CostX® will be able to import
the Tender EXF file into their CostX® database to complete the quote using the full power of CostX®
including take-off and rate libraries. If this option is ticked, then the exported Tender EXF file will only be
able to be opened in CostX® Viewer to complete the quote.
In the Include section, the Drawings option controls the volume of drawings and dimension groups that are
included in the exported Tender EXF.
The Quantities option is ticked by default. If deselected, the export will not include any dimensions or
dimension groups. The quantity column and unit column in the workbook will be cleared. Any cells
containing formulas that reference dimension groups or the building GFA will be converted to numbers.
If the Drawings option is set as “None’, but the Quantities option is ticked, the Qty and Unit columns in the
workbook are kept but live links are changed to numbers and the Dimension Groups and Dimensions are
removed from the export.
The Quantity Breakdowns option is available if the Quantities option is ticked. Un-ticking this will cause any
quantity breakdowns to be converted into numbers. Un-ticking Quantities automatically un-ticks and
disables Quantity Breakdowns. By default, this option is ticked.
There is also a User Columns tab so that some of the user columns can be included if desired. By default, all
user columns are un-ticked.
2.5 Exporting Normal Workbooks to Tender EXF

To export a normal workbook rather than individual trades from a Subcontractor Comparison workbook,
firstly select the required workbook.
Then select the Export drop-down menu in the Workbooks section of the Workbooks Ribbon, and select
Export Workbook to Tender EXF…
A dialog providing the export options will appear. All trades available for export will be listed with the
currently selected trade ticked by default. A separate Tender EXF file will be required for each Quote so
only tick the specific trade or combination of trades required for each individual subcontract package.
Select the required options (See above for more details) and click OK.
At this point the workbook will be automatically locked and must not be changed. This prevents accidental
changes / mismatches when the quotes are returned and verified against the source workbook. If further
work is required to the workbook, copy the locked source workbook and make the changes to the copy.
Select a location for saving the EXF file, name the file with an appropriate name and click Save.
Export Notes:
In addition to the options described above, the following changes will be made to the exported EXF. The
source workbook will not be affected.
§ Any cells containing live links to anything apart from Dimension Groups or containing references to a Calc
sheet are converted to their resulting values.
§ All Calc sheets and rate subsheets are removed.
§ The rate, subtotal, factor, and total columns of cost sheets will be cleared, unless the subtotal is a
XSUMTOT() drilldown, in which case the factor column will be cleared and the total formula reset to the
standard formula (the product of the factor and the subtotal column). If the factor is cleared or the total
column formulas changed anywhere in the workbook, a warning will be shown advising of the changes.
§ If rows are hidden, a warning message will be shown when exporting, advising that hidden rows will be
unhidden. The hidden rows will be visible in the exported workbook.
§ If a user column contains a formula that references the rate, subtotal, factor, or total columns of a cost
sheet then the formula will be converted to resulting values.
§ If a user column is not selected for inclusion, data from that column is removed on all levels.
§ Any cells with formulas that refer to values in columns that will be cleared by the export will be converted
to their resulting value.
2.6 Entering Quotes using CostX® Viewer

Refer to the CostX® Viewer and Quote Guide manual. This document is installed with the Viewer (refer to
The CostX® Viewer) or a PDF copy obtainable from Exactal should be provided to subcontractors who will
be using the CostX® Viewer to submit tenders/Quotes.
2.7 Importing Quotes into CostX®

Import Quote EXQ Files to a Subcontractor Comparison Workbook
When the Quote EXQ file is received, save it into the job folder in your system.
§ In the Subcontractor Comparison workbook, add the Subcontractor into the Trade Properties for the
relevant trade if they are not already in the spreadsheet (see Assigning Subcontractors). At level 1 of
the spreadsheet, select the SC Name or SC Total cell for the specific Subcontractor.
§ Click the Import Trade button in the Current Trade group of the Subcontractors ribbon.
§ A browser window will open. Select the Quote EXQ file and click Open.
§ A Confirmation window will open. If the details are correct click OK.
§ The Quote details will be automatically entered into the spreadsheet. Any Notes can be viewed by
clicking the Notes button on the ribbon.
Import Quote EXQ Files to a Normal Workbook
The EXQ file can only be imported into CostX® as a new workbook, but it must be imported into the original
source building and the unchanged original source workbook must still be in the building, as it is used for
verification. See Workbook Verification for more details.
To import an EXQ file, open the original source workbook. Then open the drop-down menu under the Add
Button on the Workbooks Ribbon and select Import Quote from EXQ…
A file open dialog will be displayed. Select the EXQ file and click Open. A Confirm Tender Quote
Information to Load box will open. If required, you can change the suggested name for the new workbook,
otherwise simply click OK.
The new workbook will contain data from the original workbook, except for the rate and subtotal columns
which will contain data from the quote. The factor column will be blank for all rows, and the total will be
the product of the factor and the subtotal column (the default Total column formula).
Any Notes can be viewed by clicking the View Notes button on the ribbon.
2.8 Workbook Verification

When importing the EXQ back into CostX®
When the EXQ is imported, the data in the EXQ will be checked against the data in the workbook in the
code, description, quantity, and unit columns. If the data in any of these columns has been changed:
· The values from the EXQ will not be imported, instead the rate and/or total will be set to the #N/A error
value. If the error is on the level below, then when that item gets the #N/A the subtotal above will also
get it and so on up the levels of the workbook.
· A warning message will be displayed stating that the workbook has changed since the tender was
exported, and listing the rows that have changed.
When loading the EXQ back to CostX® Viewer to continue quoting the tender EXF
When the EXQ is imported, the EXQ will be checked against the EXF to ensure they match. If they do not
match an error message will be displayed stating that the workbook and quote do not match and the quote
cannot be loaded.
If the workbook structure has changed (eg. a Subsheet has been added in the subtotal column) an error
message will be displayed stating that the workbook structure has changed and the EXQ cannot be
imported.
SUBCONTRACTOR COMPARISON MANUAL Further Information
3 Further Information
3.1 Additional Reading
These documents are available under the CostX installation directory (the default path is C:\Program
Files\Exactal\CostX\Doc).
The CostX® Introductory manual is essential reading for all users of CostX® products.
The CostX® Advanced manual is essential reading for all serious users of CostX®
products.
Digital Drawing File Optimisation aims to provide general tips and guidance to
Designers for the more common drawing file formats on how the files may be
arranged and optimized to improve team communication, and specifically to assist in
the quantities measurement and estimating activities. It is not intended to be a
mandatory requirement for using each file format within CostX®, but rather to reflect
some of the more common optimizations which are of benefit.
The Custom Reports Guide provides a guide for how to use the CostX® Custom Report
Builder to create fully customized report output from CostX®.
The Viewer and Quote Guide provides guidance to users of the CostX® Viewer for
viewing EXF files exported form CostX® and for Quoting with the CostX® Viewer.
NOTE: In addition to training manuals, CostX® contains very comprehensive Help Files. They are easily
accessed at any time whilst you are working in CostX® by using the F1 key, or clicking the help icon which is
in the top right hand corner of the screen.
3.2 Free Training Videos

The Exactal Website www.exactal.com contains a series of training and demonstration videos, as well as
other useful resources.
Demonstration videos
Training videos
3.3 Process Flow Charts

The Process Flow Charts provide a single page, at-a-glance diagram of the steps to follow to undertake the
most common CostX® activities.
CostX® Process Flowcharts
1. Getting Started
1-1 Opening CostX® and Default View When CostX® is Opened
1-2 Overview of the User Interface
1-3 Creating a New Project
1-4 Creating a New Building
2. Drawings and Measurement
2-1 Adding, Calibrating and Manipulating Drawings
2-2 Adjusting Drawing Layers
2-3 Comparing Drawings
2-4 Creating a New Dimension Group
2-5 Taking Area Measurements
2-6 Taking Area Measurements (Polyline)
2-7 Taking Length Measurements
2-8 Taking Count Measurements
2-9 Copying and Editing Dimensions
3. Workbooks (not available in Takeoff versions) and Template Files
3-1 Workbook Navigation
3-2 Dragging and Dropping Dimension Groups into a Workbook
3-3 Creating a Rate Library and Dragging and Dropping Rates into a Workbook
3-4 Recalculating a Workbook
3-5 Importing CostX® Template and Library Files
3-6 Creating a New Building Based On a Template File
4. Reports (not available in Takeoff versions)
4-1 Exporting Dimensions to Excel
4-2 Printing Workbook Sheets to Report
4-3 Generating CostX Reports
5. Working with 3D Building Information Models (not available in 2D versions)
5-1 Adding a 3D Building Information Model
5-2 3D Model Manipulation Tools and Adjusting Views of 3D Models
5-3 Creating a Dimension Group and Object Measurement from 3D Models
5-4 Importing Dimensions from 3D Building Information Model Properties
5-5 Importing Dimensions using a Model Map from 3D Building Information Model Properties
6. Revisioning with 2D Drawings (not available in 2D versions)
6-1 Revisioning Process Overview for 2D Drawings
6-2 Creating a new Building Revision and reviewing a previous Building Revision
6-3 Promoting a 2D Drawing & Offsetting Position and Rotation of Drawings
6-4 Comparing a 2D Drawing to another Revision
6-5 Revising 2D dimensions & other Revisioning Tools
6-6 Accepting 2D dimensions
6-7 Deleting & Restoring 2D Dimensions and Drawings
6-8 Promoting, Deleting and Restoring workbooks
6-9 Generating a Comparison Report
7. Subcontractor Comparison (not available in Takeoff versions)
7-1 Generating a Subcontractor Workbook
7-2 Assign Subcontractors
7-3 Single Preferred
7-4 Fill Current Subcontractor From Estimate
7-5 Fill Current Subcontractor to Lump Sum
7-6 Use Current Subcontractor or Estimate as Preferred Subcontractor
7-7 Make Current Subcontractor Preferred Subcontractor
7-8 Clear Preferred Subcontractor
7-9 Freeze, Hide and Unhide Columns
7-10 Generating a Standard Workbook from a Subcontractor Workbook
8. Coding (not available in Takeoff versions)
8-1 Creating a Code Library
8-2 Coding a Workbook
8-3 Generating a Workbook Grouped by Code
9. Workbooks (not available in Takeoff versions)
9-1 Creating and Importing Dimension groups from a CSV File
9-2 Creating and Using Zones
9-3 Generating a Workbook from Dimension Groups
9-4 Creating and Importing a CSV Rate Library
9-5 Creating a Composite Rate Library Item
9-6 Phraseologies

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1.1 Subcontractors Database

1.2 Generating a Subcontractor Workbook

1.3 Assigning Subcontractors

§ Additional subcontractors can be assigned to a specific trade in the Subcontractor Workbook by

1.4 Entering Subcontractor Quote Values

Entering Quote Values from Excel Export/Import

1.5 Filling Quote Values

Fill to Lump Sum

Fill from Estimate

Fill from Another Subcontractor

Fill with Text

1.6 Adjusting Subcontractor Quote Values

1.7 Subcontractor Status Settings

1.8 Editing the Estimate Cells

1.9 Adding Addendum Items

1.11 Selecting the Preferred Subcontractor

1.12 Allowances Columns

1.13 Incomplete Item Check

1.14 Subcontractor Reports

1.15 Generating a Standard Workbook

1.16 Reverting a Sorted Workbook back to Source Format

2 Quotes using CostX® Viewer

Obtaining the CostX® Viewer

The free CostX® Viewer can be downloaded from http://www.exactal.com/en/products/costx-viewer

2.2 Exporting workbooks as an EXF Quote File – Overview

2.3 Exporting Subcontractor Comparison Workbooks to Tender EXF

2.4 Export Options

2.5 Exporting Normal Workbooks to Tender EXF

2.6 Entering Quotes using CostX® Viewer

2.7 Importing Quotes into CostX®

Import Quote EXQ Files to a Normal Workbook

2.8 Workbook Verification

3.2 Free Training Videos

3.3 Process Flow Charts

CostX® Process Flowcharts

1-1 Opening CostX® and Default View When CostX® is Opened

1-2 Overview of the User Interface

1-3 Creating a New Project

1-4 Creating a New Building

2. Drawings and Measurement

2-1 Adding, Calibrating and Manipulating Drawings

2-2 Adjusting Drawing Layers

2-3 Comparing Drawings

2-4 Creating a New Dimension Group

2-5 Taking Area Measurements

2-6 Taking Area Measurements (Polyline)

2-7 Taking Length Measurements

2-8 Taking Count Measurements

2-9 Copying and Editing Dimensions

3. Workbooks (not available in Takeoff versions) and Template Files

3-1 Workbook Navigation

3-2 Dragging and Dropping Dimension Groups into a Workbook

3-4 Recalculating a Workbook

3-5 Importing CostX® Template and Library Files

3-6 Creating a New Building Based On a Template File

4. Reports (not available in Takeoff versions)