Compare BoQ Versions
The Comparison Matrix compares different versions of BoQs for different contractors, which allows you to see the prices for each BoQ position for each contractor. The versions to be compared must be entered in the Contractors page, which is accessible from the BoQ Card.
Contractors Page
The fields on the Contractors page are described in the following table.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | Unique identifier of the contractor. |
| Vendor No. | Indicates if a vendor exists for the contractor. |
| Vendor Name | Auto-populated if a vendor is selected. Otherwise, you can manually enter the contractor's name. |
| Version No. | Indicates the current BoQ version for the contractor. A version is automatically created if a purchase document is created. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
| Compare | Determines if the contractor is included in the price comparison. |
| Reference Contractor | Determines if the contractor is designated as the price difference calculation. |
| Hide in Matrix | Determines if this contractor should be hidden in the comparison matrix. Hidden contractors still contribute to the median, minimum, and maximum values and cannot be marked as the reference contractor. |
| Total Amount | Indicates the total amount from the lines in the BoQ Positions FastTab in the BoQ version. |
| Total Amount (Simulated) | Specifies a simulated total based on "Not Offered Price Base" replacement values. Updates through the comparison matrix, resets when matrix parameters or version change. |
| Variance in % | Specifies the percentage variance of the simulated total amount compared to the actual total amount. Updates through the comparison matrix, resets when matrix parameters or version change. |
| Purchase Quote | Indicates whether a purchase quote exists. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
| Purchase Order | Indicates whether a purchase order exists. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
The actions on the Contractors page are described in the following table.
| Menu | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Comparison Matrix | Opens the Comparison Matrix page that shows the BoQ positions, including general position information as well as quantities and units of measure. |
| Create & Assign Version | Creates a new BoQ version and assigns it to the selected contractor. | |
| Show Version | Opens the version of the related Bill of Quantities Card for the selected contractor. | |
| Purchase | Create Purchase Quote | Creates a purchase quote for a BoQ to request pricing from the selected contractor. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
| Update Purchase Quote | Updates the lines of a linked purchase quote after importing a BoQ file with pricing. For more information, see Select a winner and make an order. |
|
| Show Purchase Order | Opens an existing purchase order for the selected contractor. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
|
| Show Purchase Quote | Opens an existing purchase quote for the selected contractor. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
|
| Create Purchase Order | Creates a purchase order for a BoQ after accepting a quote from the selected contractor. For more information, see Create Purchase Documents. |
|
| Actions | Vendor Multi-Selection | Opens the Vendors page, which allows you to choose multiple vendors to add as contractors. |
The Vendor Statistics and Buy-from Vendor History FactBoxes provide additional information about the selected contractor.
Set Up Contractors
After you create the BoQ, define the contractors that you want to send the BoQ to for offers.
- Choose the
icon, enter Bills of Quantities, and then choose the related link. - Select the BoQ where you need to assign contractors.
- On the Related menu, choose the Contractors action.
- In the Code field, enter a unique code for the contractor.
- In the Vendor No. field, select a vendor if one exists for the contractor. Otherwise, leave blank.
- In the Vendor Name field, enter the contractor's name if not auto-populated by a selected vendor.
- Select the Compare check box to include the contractor in the price comparison.
- Repeat steps 1-7 for the remaining contractors. Alternatively, you can use the Vendor Multi-Selection action to add multiple vendors as contractors at once.
Assign Versions to Contractors for Comparison
After you receive the 84 files from the contractors, create a new BoQ version for each and import the file. Then you need to assign the versions to the contractors.
- On the main BoQ page, open the Contractors page.
- In the Version No. field for each contractor, select the BoQ version to be included in the price comparison.
- The Total Amount field is updated to match the amount from the imported file.
- On one of the contractor lines, select the Reference Contractor check box to be designated as the price difference calculation. In the Comparison Matrix, the other contractor's prices will be calculated with a percentage of this contractor's prices.
View the Price Comparisons
On the Contractors page, choose the Comparison Matrix action on the Home menu. You can also open the Comparison Matrix page from the main Bill of Quantities Card by choosing the Comparison Matrix action on the Home menu.
The Comparison Matrix page shows the BoQ positions, including general position information as well as quantities and units of measure. The contractors included in the comparison are separated in the following columns and the last column shows the average price of all the contractors. The Contractors FactBox shows the total amount per contractor.
For each BoQ position, each contractor shows the unit price, total price, and percentage of the reference contractor's price, which is always 100%.
For example, Contractor 1 is set as the Reference Contractor. The table below shows the results for all contractors.
| Position No. | Contractor 1 | Contractor 2 | Contractor 3 | Average Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05. | 11580.00 (100%) | 11280.00 (97.4%) | 11760.00 (101.6%) | 11540.00 (99.7%) |
| 05.001. | 120.00 | 1440.00 (100%) | 110.00 | 1320.00 (91.7%) | 140.00 | 1680.00 (116.7%) | 123.00 | 1480.00 (102.8%) |
| 05.002. | 120.00 | 1440.00 (100%) | 110.00 | 1320.00 (91.7%) | 140.00 | 1680.00 (116.7%) | 123.00 | 1480.00 (102.8%) |
| 05.003. | 600.00 | 5400.00 (100%) | 580.00 | 5220.00 (96.7%) | 600.00 | 5400.00 (100%) | 593.00 | 5340.00 (98.9%) |
| 05.004. | 550.00 | 3300.00 (100%) | 570.00 | 3420.00 (103.6%) | 500.00 | 3000.00 (90.9%) | 540.00 | 3240.00 (98.2%) |
If a contractor does not provide a price for a BoQ position, then the entry will be 0.00 | 0.00 | (0%).
The contractor with the best prices is shown in bold green. Based on the table above, Contractor 2 would be shown as best price.
Comparison Matrix Settings and Options
The comparison matrix includes several options that control how prices are displayed and calculated. These options can be configured both in the Administration FastTab on the Bill of Quantities Card and directly in the comparison matrix. Default values for these options are defined in the BoQ Management Setup page and are automatically applied when creating new Bill of Quantities records.
Matrix Sorting Options
The Matrix Sorting field in the Administration FastTab of the Bill of Quantities Card controls the order in which contractors appear in the comparison matrix:
- Contractor Code: Contractors are sorted alphabetically by their contractor code.
- Total Amount (Ascending): Contractors are sorted by total amount from lowest to highest.
- Total Amount (Descending): Contractors are sorted by total amount from highest to lowest.
Reference contractors are always sorted to the first position regardless of the selected sorting option.
Statistical Price Columns
The comparison matrix can display additional columns for statistical price analysis. These columns can be shown or hidden using toggle options available both in the Administration FastTab and in the comparison matrix's Settings group:
- Show Lowest Price: Displays the lowest price offered among all contractors for each position. For group-level positions, this is calculated as the sum of the lowest prices for all contained components.
- Show Average Price: Displays the average price across all contractors for each position.
- Show Median Price: Displays the median price across all contractors for each position.
Not Offered Positions
BoQ positions can be marked as Not Offered in the BoQ Positions FastTab. When a position is marked as not offered:
- Existing prices for that position are ignored in the comparison.
- Parent groups are adjusted accordingly.
- If a group is marked as not offered, all associated lower-level lines are also treated as not offered in the matrix.
The Not Offered Price Base field in the Administration FastTab determines how not offered positions are handled in price calculations:
- <Blank>: The not offered price is replaced with zero.
- Average Price: The not offered price is replaced with the average price (prefixed with "⌀").
- Lowest Price: The not offered price is replaced with the lowest price (prefixed with "🟢").
- Highest Price: The not offered price is replaced with the highest price (prefixed with "🔴").
Not offered prices are formatted in light grey. Replacement prices are added to parent groups but do not influence average or median price calculations.
Outlier Identification
The comparison matrix can identify and highlight outlier prices that deviate significantly from the reference value:
- Outlier Lower Limit Percent: Prices that are lower than the reference value by this percentage are formatted in bolded red.
- Outlier Upper Limit Percent: Prices that are higher than the reference value by this percentage are formatted in bolded red.
- Show Outliers: When enabled in the comparison matrix's Settings group, this option filters the display to show only BoQ positions with outlier values.
Hidden Contractors
Contractors can be marked as Hide in Matrix on the Contractors page. When a contractor is hidden:
- They are not displayed as columns in the comparison matrix.
- They still contribute to statistical calculations (median, minimum, and maximum values).
- They cannot be designated as the reference contractor.
Simulated Totals and Variance
The comparison matrix calculates and displays simulated totals for each contractor based on the Not Offered Price Base setting:
- Total Amount (Simulated): Shows the total amount including replacement values for not offered positions.
- Variance in %: Shows the percentage difference between the simulated total and the actual total amount.
These values are updated when the comparison matrix is opened and are reset when the Not Offered Price Base setting changes or when a contractor's version number is modified.
Note
Contractors are deleted if a Bill of Quantities with version 0 is deleted.
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