Importing Information from Bids

With AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction in conjunction with AASHTOWare Project Bids, agencies can distribute proposal bid item information and receive item bids and DBE information from vendors electronically, using either columnar files or a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) file.

Bids enables bidders to enter their bid information and submit it to the highway agency in electronic form. Your agency can then import the information into Preconstruction for bid analysis using either columnar files or a single JSON file that contains both the bid data and the DBE commitment data. If your agency imports using JSON, you may modify the base JSON file to export additional Project Bids data into specified Preconstruction fields. You can update these Preconstruction tables with Bids data:

• Bid

• BidSection

• BidTime

• DBECommitment

• DBECommitmentSummary

• DBECommitmentWorkItem

• DBECommitmentWorkType

• DBEGoodFaithEffort

• DBEGoodFaithEffortWorkType

• ProposalVendor

 

When a proposal contains fixed-price items, vendors are able to exclude those items from the bid they submit to your agency. Even if a vendor excludes fixed-price items from their bid, you can import a bid file to Preconstruction without generating errors or warnings. If the fixed-price item is:

• Part of an optional group, where vendors bid one or the other, and the vendor is not bidding that optional group, then vendors entering information into Bids can opt not to bid a fixed price item.

• Part of a normal item list or alternate, where vendors bid both but only the low is calculated, the fix price item will always be a part of the bid. In this case, the vendor must match the bid unit price and extended amount for each fixed-price item to the unit price and extended amount in the Proposal or the system will generate an error message.

For more information about configuring the columnar or JSON files and adding additional data fields, see the GEN and LOAD Component Configuration Guide, which is included in the AASHTOWare Project Bids 2.0 installation zip file. If your agency licenses AASHTOWare Project Bids, ask your End User Designee or Shipping Designee for access to this document.

• Note: You cannot import a bid file for a proposal that contains fractional lump sum items whose unit prices or quantities are invalid. For more information about fractional lump sum items, see Working with Lump Sum Items.

• Note: To import DBE information, make sure that:

• The APPRFLAG parameter in your load.cfg file is set to N or is blank. If it is set to Y, Civil Rights & Labor will require a value in the Approved Date field, which Bids does not currently capture.

• You have already entered the Proposal Vendor parent record in AASHTOWare Project Preconstruction.

Importing Bid and DBE Commitment Data using JSON

Follow these steps to import bid item information or DBE information for the proposal from Project Bids using a single JSON file:

1. From any page in the system, select Import File from the Actions menu on the Menu Bar. You can also begin this import on the Bid Letting Overview component, by selecting Import from Bids from the Actions menu on the Bid Letting Overview component header.
   
   The system displays the Import component.

2. Click the Select File button.
   
   The system opens a Choose File to Upload window.

3. In the Choose File to Upload window, navigate to the file you want to import, select it, and click the Open button.
   
   The system closes the window and validates the selected file. The validated file name is displayed in the Import component.

4. The system enables you to import both bid data and DBE commitment data from AASHTOWare Project Bids in a single JSON file.
   
   To import only bid data, remove the check from the Import DBE Data field.
   
   To import only DBE commitment data, ensure that the parent bid record already exists in Preconstruction. Then, remove the check from the Import Bid Data field.

5. Click the Import button on the component header to begin the import.
   
   When the import is complete, the system displays a message on the component header indicating that the import was successful and the process history ID. If errors occur during the import process, the system:

• • Displays an error message below the component header.

  • Creates the ImportBidsData.log file, which contains any errors that occurred during the import process. 

To view the log file from any page in the system, select Open Process History from the Actions menu on the Menu bar. In the Process History Overview component, locate the process and click the link in the Output Files field (see Viewing Process History).

Importing Bid and DBE Commitment Data using Columnar Files

Follow these steps to import bid item information or DBE information for the proposal from Project Bids using columnar files:

1. From any page in the system, select Import File from the Actions menu on the Menu Bar. You can also begin this import on the Bid Letting Overview component, by selecting Import from Bids from the Actions menu on the Bid Letting Overview component header.
   
   The system displays the Import component.

2. Click the Select File button.
   
   The system opens a Choose File to Upload window.

3. In the Choose File to Upload window, navigate to the file you want to import, select it, and click the Open button.
   
   The system closes the window and validates the selected file. The validated file name is displayed in the Import component.

4. If you are importing DBE information, click the Select DBE File button.
   
   The system opens a Choose File to Upload window.

5. In the Choose File to Upload window, navigate to the DBE file you want to import, select it, and click the Open button.
   
   The system closes the window, validates the selected file, and displays the file name in the Import component.

6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to select all the files you need to import.

7. Click the Import button on the component header to begin the import.
   
   When the import is complete, the system displays a message on the component header indicating that the import was successful and the process history ID. If errors occur during the import process, the system:

• • Displays an error message below the component header.

  • Creates the Bids_Import.log file, which contains any errors that occurred during the import process. If errors occur during the import process, the system displays an error message below the component header.

To view the log file from any page in the system, select Open Process History from the Actions menu on the Menu bar. In the Process History Overview component, locate the process and click the link in the Output Files field (see Viewing Process History).

Related topics:

Executing an Import

Viewing Process History

Managing Bid Lettings