Adding a Reference Item

In AASHTOWare Project, items represent the smallest unit of work within an agency project on which a bid can be made. You can define groups of items to represent alternate design possibilities, and you can divide the quantity of work for an item across multiple categories within a project.

An item can consist of biddable work (for example, Bituminous Asphalt, Guard Rail, or Structure Excavation) or can be designated as non-biddable work, meaning the proposal vendors do not see or bid on the item but it is included as part of the total cost (for example, Quality Incentives, Contract Revisions, or Force Accounts).

To create a new reference item on the Item Overview component, select Add from the Actions menu on the component header.

You must enter information in these fields:

It is not required, but you can enter information in these fields to record additional information about the reference item:

Short Description
Supplemental Description Required
Common Unit of Measure
Lump Sum
Bid as Lump Sum
Price
Pay Plan Quantity
Automatically Paid Percentage of Schedule
Percentage of Schedule Item
Exempt from Retainage
Parametric
Grouping Code
Item Type
Item Classification
Contract Classification
Combine with Like Items
Major Item
Non-Bid
Bid Requirement Code
Conversion Factor to Common Units
DBE Interest Required
DBE Percent to Apply
Record Source
Obsolete Date
Administrative
Exempt from MAA
Change Order Approval Required
Specialty item
Preliminary Engineering
Design Build
Prequalification Work Type
Note: You cannot add a reference item with the same values for Reference Item ID and Spec Book as an existing item.
Note: If you are adding a parametric item that you intend to use in a transition profile, use the same unit system as the detail items to which the parametric item will be transitioned. Parametric items are used for long-range estimation. Parametric items represent a group of similar detail items that are generally used for a certain type of work. For more information, see Maintaining a Transition Profile.

When you are finished adding information, save the new reference item to the system by clicking the Save button. The system displays a message to confirm that your changes were saved in the database.

Note: After you have added the new item, an Obsolete Date can be recorded for it on the Item Summary component if that information is known.

When you finish entering the information for the current row, you can add another reference item by selecting Add New from the Actions menu on the component header. The system automatically saves the current item and clears all fields. Follow the same steps to continue adding as many reference items as required.

To add a new item that is similar to the current item you just added, you can save the time it would take to enter all the item detail information by creating a copy of the current item and assigning it either a new Reference Item ID or a new Spec Book. Then you can make any changes required in the new row. To add a new item by copying the current item, select Copy from the Actions menu on the component header. For more information, see Copying a Reference Item.