Some CYPE apps integrated into the Open BIM workflow that have the "Bill of quantities" tab are CYPEPLUMBING, CYPELEC, CYPEHVAC or CYPEFIRE Hydraulic Systems, among others.

The "Bill of quantities" tab is used to manage the quantities and cost estimations of the installation, and displays the following:

• A top toolbar containing tools for creating and editing bills of quantities, as well as tools for managing and creating reports.
• A graphic window with its own toolbar, located on the right-hand side, where the different elements of the job can be viewed.
• A specific area for structuring the bill of quantities, on the left-hand side.

Under the "Bill of quantities" tab, in the "Project" group of the main toolbar, the general parameters of the project can be reviewed or modified.

The "General parameters" window includes the following tabs:

• Currency. Allows users to change the currency used and the position of the currency symbol (to the right or to the left).
• Decimals. Allows users to modify the number of decimals of amounts, prices and quantities/yields.
• Percentages. Allows users to add percentages for contingencies, general expenses, industrial profit, and the below budget coefficient, and to incorporate a series of user-defined taxes.

To add work sections, go to "Add work section" in the cost database being edited and enter a code and a summary. Key terms can also be entered, which can be detected by the "Search" tool.

Clicking on "Accept" will create the work section and display it in the centre of the window.

When selecting the work section created, all the data associated with it will appear in the lower part of the window. From here, the previously entered work section data can be modified.

By selecting the "Specifications" tab, users can add information about the specifications and even attach RTF or HTML files.

To add sections to the specifications, first click on the "Specifications" option in the "Project" group of the toolbar in the cost database management panel and project database.

When you click on it, a menu will appear where you can define the "Code" and "Section label". After accepting, the data will appear in the "Specifications" tab.

To add new work sections, users must go back to the "Items" root concept and repeat the above process.

However, to create work sub-sections, users must click on one of the created work sections, and so on.

To add items, users must select the work section where they wish to include an item and click on "Add item". In the pop-up window, users enter the code, the unit, the rate and the summary, and define the type.

In the case of an unjustified item without breakdown, it is specified as an "Unclassified" item.

If necessary, key terms can be associated.

When clicking on "Accept", the item is created and displayed in the previously mentioned work section.

When selecting the created item, the parameters entered can be modified in the lower panel. In the different tabs, users can also carry out the following:

• add a description;
• insert documents providing graphical information;
• inserting attached documents;
• enter specifications associated with the item;
• incorporate technical information such as physical properties, environmental data and the LER code of the waste;
• and/or associate the previously defined waste to the item.

Item with breakdown

To create an item with a breakdown, the items that it is made up of must be created beforehand.

To do this, go to the "Resources" line and click on the "Add item" button. Establish the type ("Labour", "Machinery and auxiliary resources", "Materials" or "Generated waste") and write its code, unit, price and summary. Subsequently, the key terms are associated and users click on "Accept".

Once the resources have been defined, and by clicking on an existing item, the "Add concept to the breakdown" option is selected.

Enter the concept code or search by text by clicking on the blue arrow. Define the quantity per item and click on "Accept".

Once the concepts have been added, the price of the item will appear according to the defined breakdown.

Cost databases in CSV format can be imported from the "Import CSV" option in the "Import/Export" group of the toolbar of the cost database and project database management panel.

The CSV file must contain the columns with the information for the "Code", "Type", "Unit", "Summary", "Quantity" and "Price" fields. The index of each column can be specified from the file import configuration panel. Users can also specify the character set, the index of the first line of text to be imported and the field separator.

In the same way as with FIEBDC-3 files, you can choose whether to delete the existing data from the cost database before importing or to update it.

In most of the programs that have a "Bill of quantities" tab, a cost database, and a mapping example for elements in the system have been included. It should be noted that this is just an example and that users will be able to create their own mappings and cost databases.

After creating the price database and the mapping file, you must update the estimate by clicking on the "Update the quantities" button in the "Update" group of the top toolbar.

To do this, you must select the "Delete the data of the current bill of quantities" option, activate and select the mapping and cost database created, and click accept. A pop-up window will then appear to link the items in the "Installation" tab and the work units in the cost database.

Mapping window

The pop-up window is divided into four panels:

1. "Work section structure" panel
   Displays the work section structure defined in the mapping file.
   
2. Classification panel
   Displays a table with the items modelled in the "Installation tab", with the following columns: Unit, Reference, Import, Work section code, Concept code, Concept unit (check box), Concept unit (text field), "Concept reference", "Detail line", "Factor", "Mapped to a unit price", "Unit price code" and another column which, if applicable, displays an incident icon^(*).
   
3. "Assign codes" panel
   Displays the reference cost database. The following tools are included at the top of this panel:
   • Assign. Replace the values of "Work section code" and "Item code" in the mapping file with those of the work unit selected in the cost database.
   • Work sections. Captures the work section structure from the cost database and assigns it to the mapping file.
   • Search. Allows you to locate concepts in the cost database by text, summary, code or keyword.
   • Synchronise. Activating this option allows you to locate any of the work units selected in the "Classification" panel in the price database.
   • Selection of the reference cost database. Using a drop-down list, you can select a cost database from among those available.
     
4. Incidents panel
   Displays incidents detected in the mapping file.

Mapping by code assignment

One way to map the elements of the model is by assigning codes, one by one, from the reference cost database to the mapping file. The process is as follows:

1. Assign work section structure
   Using the "Work sections" option in the "Assign codes" panel, the mapping file is automatically assigned the same work section structure as the reference price database. It is also possible to create the structure manually using the tools in the "Work section structure" panel, defining a code and a reference.

2. Assign cost database codes
   Select a work unit in the cost database and the corresponding item in the "Classification" panel, then click the "Assign" button in the "Assign codes" panel. This process must be repeated for each item you wish to link.
   
   
3. Once the assignments have been completed, you must accept the pop-up window to apply the changes.

The main bill of quantities window displays the result obtained after updating the quantities. A colour code identifies the different items:

• work sections and sub work section are shown in black text;
• the items are shown in blue, if they are correctly defined (if the price of the concept has not been defined, they are shown in mustard colour, as well as the codes of the higher levels);
• and the quantity detail lines are shown in green.

The secondary bill of quantities window shows the rest of the associated information, distributed in four tabs: "Data", "Breakdown", "Waste" and "Certificates". The breakdown of items, in the "Breakdown" tab, shows the different simple concepts in green (in red if any of them does not exist in the reference database).

In the "Bill of quantities" tab, the "Visualisation" group of the main toolbar includes several useful tools for bill of quantities management:

• Columns. Activates the following columns:
  • General parameters
    Highlights the tags assigned to the quantities lines or the percentage of the quantity taken from the BIM model.
  • Environmental data
  • Waste
  • Certificates
• Rebuild tree. Facilitates the visualisation of work sections and items, and allows the following:
  • "show only the first work section level";
  • "only show work sections";
  • "show work sections and items";
  • "expand all".
• Search. Locates concepts based on text strings present in your code or summary.
• Filter. Filters the information displayed according to the tags previously assigned to the quantities lines.

The "Project database" tool, included in the "Prices" group of the top toolbar, allows users to carry out a particular configuration of the job in progress (without affecting the active cost database).

Among the possibilities it offers, the following stand out:

Price adjustment

This button allows users to modify the performance coefficients of the original cost database (labour, machinery or price).

Price increment

With this tool, the prices of the concepts contained in the database can be adjusted according to a "Factor". In addition, the application allows users to indicate the nature of the concepts ("Unclassified", "Labour", "Machinery and auxiliary resources" and "Materials") on which the operation must be applied.

Adding concepts from the cost database

This tool allows users to add items from the cost database to the rule of measurement.

The bill of quantities can be modified manually either from the "Edit" group in the top toolbar of the "Bill of quantities" tab or from the menu that appears by right-clicking on the structure in the main window.

Adding work sections

To add a new work section, click on "Add work section". To create a new sub work section, click on the header of an existing work section, enter a "Code" and a "Summary" and click "Accept". The work section will be created in the default order and will be displayed in the main bill of quantities window. The displacement tools ("Displace upwards" or "Displace downwards") can be used to relocate the new work section in the structure. The data entered can also be modified from the bill of quantities sub-window.

Adding items

To add a new item, go to the header of the work section in which it is to be included and click on the "Add item" tool. Enter a code for the concept (the blue arrow allows an existing one to be used in the project database), and define a factor and a performance.

Adding quantity detail lines

To add new quantity detail lines, users must place themselves on the item they wish to include them in and select the "Add quantity detail line" tool. In the pop-up window, then select "Quantities", so that the detail line is of this specific type, and add a comment and tags. The quantity values in the four available fields (A, B, C and D) are also filled in and renamed if necessary. By default, the program operates by multiplying the values of these four fields and ignores values equal to zero. Additionally, the unique identifier (GUID) corresponding to the element being linked can be associated to the BIM model.

If a quantity detail line of type "Partial subtotal" or "Accumulated subtotal" is added, the quantities resulting from the previous quantity detail lines shall be added partially or accumulatively, respectively. If the "Expression" type is selected, a formula may be entered which operates on the quantity detail lines below it, using the quantity values (A, B, C and D).

Other useful tools

As well as creating concepts, the other tools allow us to copy, delete or use the clipboard tools on any existing concept ("Copy", "Cut" and "Paste"). The "Copy" tool appears twice with a different icon. One of them allows users to duplicate work sections, items and breakdown concepts, and the other one works in the same way as the "CTRL+C" command, which needs "Paste" in order to appear in the bill of quantities structure.

Another useful tool is "Sort tree", which allows users to sort the bill of quantities by work sections or by items.

If there are changes to the installation, simply run "Update the quantities" again to incorporate the changes into the bill of quantities. This is also used if quantities have been added manually and you want to keep the edit.

In these cases, you must select the option "Update the current bill of quantities", activate and select the mapping and cost database, and press accept.

The "Update the quantities" menu also offers the possibility to modify the active cost database, select the items to be included in the bill of quantities (summary, breakdown, graphical information, etc.), and a shortcut to the "Price adjustment" tool, which allows you to modify the performance coefficients for labour, machinery or price.

From the "Bill of quantities" tab in each program, users can register and manage job certificates. The program allows columns displaying percentages and amounts on certificates to be activated, as well as the possibility of certifying by percentage or quantity of partial measurement, by partial amount, by percentage or quantity of measurement at origin, and by amount at origin.

Within the "Bill of quantities" tab, in the "BoQ reports" group of the main toolbar, the necessary features for generating bill of quantities reports can be found.

The generation of reports will be performed immediately; simply click on the "BoQ reports" option and activate the required reports from those available:

• Quantities
• Cost breakdown structure 
• Priced bill of quantities
• Priced bill of quantities (Table)
• Detailed priced bills of quantities 
• BoQ summary
• Specifications
• Environmental impact indicators
• Construction and demolition waste
• Certificate-to-origin
• Certificate summary

The configuration of these reports allows for the inclusion of additional data (project, location, developer, author and date), visible in the different reports to be generated.

The tool also allows users to restrict the reports to those elements that meet a filter condition by tag. For example, bills of quantities can be generated by building block, by floor and even by type of elements in the system.

Bill of quantities documents can also be exported in HTML, DOCX, PDF, RTF, and TXT formats.