1. Can you create alternate or multiple bids in one job?
Yes. In version 4 and above of Accubid Pro and BidWinner Plus, there is a built-in feature to create alternate or multiple bid summaries in one job called Bid Summary Components. PowerBid and BidWinner do not have a built-in feature for bid summaries. However, there is a way to duplicate this procedure by creating copies of your job using the "Save As" feature and modifying those copies according to your needs.

2. Is it possible to create or customize my own specific report?
Yes. All Accubid products that are version 4 and above have user-definable "styles". These styles can be applied to your screen or to a printable report. You can customize everything from columns in the view of your screen or printout to resetting the widths of the columns back to the original sizes.

3. What kind of measuring devices can I use with the Accubid programs?
Accubid Systems has its own scaling device called the QuickScaler. The QuickScaler is now at version 3 and it is a probe-style measuring device that is directly configured through the Accubid Program. In a job, click on Takeoff at the top menu then click on Configure Probe. It is here where you select the type of scaling device and version you have, as well as the COM port that is plugged into the back of your computer. We also support the following measuring devices in our programs: Scalex, Scalemaster II, GTCO Roll-Up and Numonics Bid-Mat. All of the devices listed above work ONLY with the COM ports and will not work with a USB-Serial converter. Note: Accubid does not service any of the above measuring devices.

4. Can I copy or export parts of my job to Microsoft Excel or Project?
There is a copy and paste feature in all Accubid products that are version 4 and above. We do, however, have a direct Export to a standard file format called CSV (Comma Separated Variables). Exporting your job in whole or in part to this file format would allow you to open the information from the job in many programs. Microsoft Excel and Project are definitely among the more common programs to export to but exporting to CSV format allows you import to all programs that accept the standard format, including accounting packages. For MS Project you would need to do a sort of the extension screen and then export ONLY the extension (without Totals) to an MPX format file.

5. Why does there seem to be issues printing from Accubid programs to high end laser and ink jet printers?
There are no specific issues surrounding Accubid programs and printing. The only situation that may arise is the difference in technology from the computer to the printer to the security device that Accubid uses on the back of your computer. For example, you may upgrade to Windows Millennium and you purchase a new multi-function laser/scanner/fax/copy printer. If you have an older Accubid security device, this may interfere with the technology that the new computer and printer will use. If you run into a situation of this kind, call our Product Support Department and one of our Product Support Associates will exchange your older security device with a device that is more current with today’s technology. We now have bi-directional, USB and PC Card devices. This will eliminate any issues you may have with printing.

6. I receive an error message when loading the Accubid program stating: "A valid Security Device cannot be detected. Without a valid Security Device you can run the program in Demo Mode but you cannot save your job. Change settings or run demo".
This is a common error that is displayed when the program loads and cannot find the security device on the back of the computer’s Parallel Port. Check to see if the device is plugged in. If it is plugged in and you continue to get the message upon loading the software, there is a communication problem between the security device and the program. There can be several reasons for this especially if you purchased new hardware. Call our Product Support Department and speak to one of our Product Support Associates. They will help you determine the nature of the problem and direct you to a resolution or a replacement device.

7. What can I use to keep my database current with pricing, labor and discounts?
There are several different ways to keep your database updated. There are a couple of Pricing Services that you can subscribe to and in return receive updated pricing. Trade Service, EPIC, Harrison*, and AllPriser are four of the bigger pricing services that Accubid supports in our software. You can also have your local supply house create a price-updating file for you based on the CSV format. You can phone into our Product Support Department for more details on how to create a pricing file or to link Accubid with one of the Pricing Services. Prices and UPCs are the only things that you can update automatically with Traser, EPIC, Harrison*, and AllPriser. Labor and discounts have to be updated manually by the user for use with these services. The CSV format, however, will update Material Price, Discount, Net Price, UPC (Price Code), Manufacturer Name, Catalogue #, Reference #, Supplier Name, and Supplier Code.
Note: When you install version 5 of the Accubid software there is a need to re-establish the link with Traser. Please contact Product Support for assistance with this. Also, for Traser updates, each issue has to be executed individually through the TFW Update service because of UPC code changes. It is important to run the updates one at a time because the process is based on UPC codes and if the database does not get updated for more than one year with TFW then you may require a new db from Accubid. If this is the case, please call the Product Support Department for a new database.
* - Applies to users of Accubid Enterprise Estimating (AEE) only.

8. Can I run Accubid across our network?
Yes. All Accubid products that are version 4 and above can be used across a network for data and security. The programs themselves must be installed on every individual workstation. The Accubid Security Server Program will allow the security device to be used on one computer in your network and all workstations will look to that computer for a license to run the program. This eliminates the use of one device per station. The job and databases can be put in a central location on the network as well. As a result, all workstations will look to that location for the jobs and databases and then share them.

9. Can I copy and paste takeoffs from one job to another?
Accubid Pro, ChangeOrder and ChangeOrder Pro are the only programs that allow you to copy and paste items from one job to another. This is because the Job Merge option is also available for these products. With Job Merge, you can take all the takeoffs for as many jobs as you wish and merge them into one common job.

10. Can I open or export information from the Accubid Estimating programs to the Accubid ChangeOrder program?
This is a common misconception between the two products. Yes, the change orders you have will relate to a job that you bid on with Accubid’s Estimating program line. However, you can copy takeoffs from the Audit Trail in one of our estimating programs and paste it in to the Audit Trail in a change notice but cannot open a job from your estimating program in the ChangeOrder program. They are two separate programs for two separate instances. Estimating and change orders are two different aspects of the industry and change orders can be quite involved. Therefore, we have separated it into two different products so as to not take away from one or the other.

11. Can I enter my own items and assemblies in the database?
Yes. You can create your own items and give them your desired properties. An example of these properties could be to give it a price, labor value, UPC (if one exists for this item), specify units of price and measure, etc. You can group items together to create your own assemblies and give them your desired properties as well. The database has a capacity of 2,000,000 records and each item, assembly, and category represents one record.

12. Does Accubid have Imperial and Metric databases and what Industries does your database support?
We have databases for metric and imperial units of measure which are contained on the version 5 software CD for installation. We also have databases for Electrical, Mechanical and Structured Cabling/VDV industries.

13. Why do my job(s) say "Job In use" and highlighted red?
There are three possible reasons for this. The first reason could be that you share your jobs on the network and someone is accessing a job from their system, which then shows on your schedule screen as “Job In Use”. Once this person exits from the job it will no longer show as in use. A second scenario can be that your jobs are on the network and you no longer have access to them. Talk to your local system administrator if you find this to be the case. The third reason can happen for one or all of your jobs at one time. It is possible that at some point, your job(s) have become corrupt and not legible by the program. Therefore, it will mark it red and say "Job In Use".

14. What are the system requirements for your program?
Our programs require:

15. Why is my Extension screen blank after I took off all my items?
This is a very common question especially among power users. The biggest reason why this happens is because there was a typical takeoff that was created and items were taken off in that typical. Typicals are multipliers and so you must specify a count to multiply by. If no count was specified, the program will assume the count is zero. Anything multiplied by zero is zero, therefore, nothing will appear. A user may inadvertently create a typical. This is because the typical button is directly beside the breakdown button and one can accidentally click on typical as opposed to the breakdown button (e.g. System or Drawing).

16. What kind of editing can I do in your Notes and Quote screens?
The Notes and Quote screens do not have word processing capabilities. They are simple text editing screens and only have field codes to allow you to input information automatically. Refer to your User Guide for these field codes.

17. How can I delete takeoffs permanently?
All Accubid programs are designed to never permanently delete takeoffs from your Audit Trail. The program will change your takeoff to say, “deleted item” and mark it red. You can at any point undelete it if you require that item or assembly in the job. It allows you to have that security in your takeoffs knowing that you can recover what you deleted. You can remove the deleted items/assemblies from your current takeoff list by moving them to a breakdown that you:
• Never use
• Create specifically for the deleted items
You can use the Change Breakdown option in the Takeoff Menu to put the deleted takeoffs in to one of these breakdowns listed above.

18. Which accounting packages can I export my T&M Billing jobs into?
Time & Material Billing Version 5 has direct exporting capabilities to: Peachtree, Timberline, AccPac, and Quickbooks. We also have a Job Costing Converter that will allow you to export to CSV from Accubid Pro and then convert the file to proper format for Timberline or Forefront.

19. How can I log overtime in the Accubid programs?
There are several ways to log in overtime in all of our programs. Some of the more commonly used scenarios are to create an item in the database called overtime and include it in your takeoffs. Another would be to add it as a percentage in the Labor Adjustment field in the breakdown view. As well, you can include it in your rate for your laborers or add a labor item and include it in separately in the labor screen.
Note: Please see the March 2002 Extensions newsletter which has an article in the Trainer's Corner section called "Dealing with Overtime".

20. How can I see in my Extension what breakdowns certain items are in?
The Extension can be modified to show you different views and sections of the items. You can sort the Extension by breakdown to display a breakdown of items by where they were taken off and the totals for that breakdown. As well, you can add a filter to include or remove certain criteria to search for items.