OST - 03.10 Duplicating Bids Within the Same Database

Sometimes, an existing Bid is close enough to what you need in a new project that it can be used as a template of sorts for a new project.  Duplicating a Bid creates an exact copy of the original - only the Bid No. is changed.  Duplicating Bids is very handy if a company bids a lot of similar type jobs where just the takeoff Quantity information changes.  Duplicating is literally a two-click process.

To duplicate an existing Bid,

• On the Bids Tab, select the bid (or bids) you want to duplicate.
• Right-click on the Bid and select Duplicate, or click the Duplicate button on the Main Toolbar , or simply press "CTRL" + "D" on your keyboard.
• Click Yes in the Duplicate Bid dialog - the duplicated Bid will appear in the Bids list with the same name as the original Bid.

Open the Cover Sheet of the duplicate copy and change the name and any other necessary information and add / replace images as appropriate.

Tips for Duplicates

• Use a duplicate copy of a Bid to perform "What If" scenarios without affecting the original Bid. Especially handy for bids that are interactively connected to Quick Bid Estimating - you can run numerous pricing scenarios.
• You can duplicate multiple Bids in the same database - just hold down <Ctrl> or <Shift> key and click on the Bids to duplicate, then click the duplicate button. 
• Duplicate projects are pointed to the same set of plans as the original. 
• Some clients create a template project that has the Cover Sheet, Page Folders, Bid Preferences, Areas, Typical Areas, etc. filled out, including Bid layers, Annotation, Conditions, etc., that they then duplicate when they need to create a new project. You can even create multiple "template" projects for the various types of projects you work on.
• If you are using On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid interactively, when you duplicate a project in OST, you are prompted to duplicate the Quick Bid side of the project - we suggest you do this because the duplicated Quick Bid job retains the pricing from the original - a huge timesaver! If you want to start with fresh, blank Quick Bid pricing, select "No" and then set the bid to "Price Using Quick Bid" - a new project is created in Quick Bid with no pricing.

Copying and Pasting Bids from One Database to Another

Deleting and Restoring Bids