Skip to main content
Knowledge Center

Appia® | Project items and item sections

In this article:

Related resources:

Things to know

You can add or import items to a project when it is in the New phase as long as there are no bids for the project. Any changes to the item table while a project is under construction must be done through a change order, though if needed, you can add them to the project as unattached items.

If an item can have a supplemental description, you will not see the field unless a description has been entered. Items can have different fund sources or can be split between fund packages.  

When a project is under construction, you will see a bar graph for each item displaying the quantity that has been placed and paid in the project. The slide menu next to the line number helps you access an item’s material associations, stockpile, and history. All items must be complete and balanced before you can make the final payment for a project.

mceclip1.png

  1. With your project open, select Items in the Sidebar menu. The Appia service displays the Items page.

Manage item sections

You can add or change a section when the project is new. You can add a section when the project is under construction.

  • To add a section to an under construction project, click Add Section.
  • A section is already available for a new project. Click Add Section if you need to add more sections. 

mceclip3.png

  1. To change the section name and description in a new project or in a new section in an under construction project, click Actions in the Section title row and choose Edit. The Appia service displays the Change Section window.

  2. Change the section number by entering a new number. Each section number must be unique. When you save the changes, the Appia service will move the section to its numeric place on the Items page. This field is required.

  3. Enter or change a description for the section. This field is required.

  4. Click Change.

The Appia service updates the section information and displays the Items list.

Good to know | Item sections

If you are using the Bid Express integration to send your item list to Bid Express: 

  • If your item list is broken into sections, Bid Express will import each section as its own item list component.
  • Bid Express will title each item list component according to its section description, so we recommend renaming each item section in Appia (go to Actions > Edit and enter a new description).
  • If you haven't named your item sections in Appia, they will all be titled "Description" and you'll be prompted to rename them in Bid Express.

To delete a section, click Actions in the Section title row and choose Delete. Click OK in the delete confirmation window. The Appia service deletes the section and all of its items.

You cannot delete a section of an under construction projects if the section has items. Delete these items using a change order. 

Add item

  • Any item changes while a project is under construction must be done through unattached items and change orders.
  • Items can be added to a new project the Appia service by importing or through the reference list. If you are using both methods, you must add the reference items before importing any items.

mceclip4.png

  1. Click Add Items for the section to which you want to add the items. The Appia service opens the Add Items to Section window.
  2. If necessary, use the Search field to locate an item using the item’s ID, unit, or description. Click the three lines under the Search field to use more than one search option. Click Search.
  3. Select item you wish to add to the section. 
  4. Once the items have been selected, click Add Items to add the items to the section.
  5. Click Save.

The Appia software will return you to the Items page. Make sure the section is expanded on the Items page so you can view your items. Repeat the process for another section if necessary. Once items are added to your project, you can assign the quantities and item prices. 

Import item list

Enter any manual items first. You can’t edit the bid item list in the New phase once bids have been imported. To import bids for award or analysis, go here.

  1. Click Import Items from the Project Overview page or select Items in the Sidebar menu and click Import from the Items header.  

  2. Click Browse or click Choose File (depending on your browser).

  3. Navigate to and select the .csv or .xlsx file that contains the items.

  4. Click Open.

  5. Select the check box if you want to restrict the items being imported to those in the reference list.

  6. Click Upload File. The Appia service displays a small sample of the items in the file and the names of the fields in the item details.  

  7. Assign each column of the file to its matching field in the Appia service. Once you assign a column to a field, the Appia service replaces the column name with the field name. Only the Item ID, Description, and Unit columns are required. If you restrict the import to items in the reference list, you do not need to assign a Description column.

  8. If needed, specify a default description.

  9. If there are rows in the import file that are not part of an item, select those rows in the Select number of rows to skip field.

  10. If you want your current Items list to be overwritten, select the check box in the Options section that asks Clear project items before import? This will replace any items that are in both the current item list and the imported item file (according to the Item ID). Items that are in the current list but not in the file will remain unchanged, and items that are in the file but not in the current list will be added.

  11. If you do not allow the existing data to be overwritten, any items that are in the current list, regardless of whether they are also in the imported item file (according to the Item ID), will remain unchanged. Items that are only in the imported item file will be added to the current list.

  12. Once all the columns and options are assigned, click Import. 

The Appia service displays the Items tab of the Bid Items page with the number of items that have been imported successfully and any errors that may have occurred.

Import Errors

An import might fail if the "Restrict to reference data items" option is selected and the items don't match anything in the reference data

If the CSV import fails or partially fails, a message will appear letting you know which rows of the CSV contain an error. 

Note | If there are more than three lines with errors you will need to scroll within the error message to see them all.  

Item details

Things to know

  • If you are importing bids for analysis and award, you can’t change the item list once a bid has been imported. However, you can update a bid's unit prices.

  • You can edit the quantity and the unit price of an item in a project in the New phase. Items cannot be added to a new project once bids have been imported. 

  • Items added to a project are assigned to the default fund source and package.

  • You can change the line number the Appia service assigned to the item. The line number must be one that is not already in use.

  • If the lump sum option is selected in the item reference list or when the item is imported, the Appia service enters a quantity of 1 for the item and does not display a unit price on the project Items page (for more information, contact your system administrator). The quantity of an item with a lump sum unit that is not marked as a lump sum in the reference list can be changed.

  • Any item that needs a supplemental description must have the supplemental description option selected in the item reference list (for more information, contact your system administrator).

  • If you add an item from the reference data item list that includes adjustment factors, those factors will be visible from the item’s Edit page once the project is under construction.

Edit project item details 

  1. Click Edit. The Appia service displays the Edit Items page. 

  2. Add the quantity for the item in the Quantity field or change the quantity that is incorrect. You can enter quantities of zero or greater. If an item has been assigned to more than one fund package, you may have to update the quantity distribution.

  3. Add the price for the item in the Unit Price field or change the price that is incorrect.

  4. If the item displays a field for Supplemental Description, click in the field to add or change the description.

  5. If needed, change the item’s line number. The item will be moved to its new numbered position after the changes are saved.

  6. Continue adding or updating quantities, prices, and supplemental descriptions to the items.  

  7. Click Save at the top of the page or Save Project Items at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Update item unit price

You can change the unit price in the engineer’s estimate or contractor bids without deleting any bids for projects that are analyzing and awarding bids.

  1. Select the project from the My Projects page if the list is not displayed. Click Bid Items in the Sidebar menu.

  2. Click the Bids tab.

  3. Select the engineer’s estimate or the contractor.

  4. Click Edit.

  5. Change the unit price.

  6. Click Save.

The Appia service returns you to the items list and displays the bid with the changed unit price.

Export item list

With the Appia and Bid Express integration, you can send item lists directly to Bid Express. If your item list is broken into sections, the integration will import each section to Bid Express as its own item list component.

You can export a project’s entire item list, including the sections, into a .CSV file. This can happen in any phase of the project. You can also export the item list into an Automap file when the project is under construction.

  1. On the My Projects page, select the project.
  2. Click Items or Bid Items on the Sidebar menu. The Appia service displays the Items list for the project.
  3. For a project that is new, click Export.  For a project under construction, click Actions from the Items header and select Export CSV or Export Automap.
  4. Depending on your operating system, you can click Open or Save, or click the file to open it.

If you click Open, the exported item list displays the list including the section names and numbers. If you click Save, a dialogue box will inform you that the download has completed.

Delete item

You can delete an item from a section in a new project as long as the project has no bids. Items in an under construction project must be deleted through a change order.

You can delete unattached items in under construction projects that have not had any item postings.

New project item

  1. Click Items or Bid Items in the Sidebar menu. The Appia service displays the Items page.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Locate the item you want to delete.

  4. Click the X for that item.

  5. Click OK in the delete confirmation window.

The Appia service deletes the item and displays a successful delete message. 

Unattached item

  1. Click Items or Bid Items in the Sidebar menu. The Appia service displays the Items page.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Locate the item you want to delete.

  4. Click the slide menu for that item and select Delete.

  5. Click OK in the delete confirmation window.

The Appia service deletes the item and displays a successful delete message.