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OST - 03.12 What are Alternates and Change Orders?

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Alternates and Change Orders are 'child Bids' - they are added after the original Bid is created to account for changes in design or options requested by the builder/owner.

Alternates are usually pre-contract options for a project that are priced separately from the Base Bid but are included in the estimate before the estimate is accepted by the end customer. The owner can accept or reject any of the proposed alternates. Accepted alternates add or deduct takeoff quantity from the Base Bid. Alternates are priced during the bidding (pre-contract) stage of a project.
Change Orders are changes in the scope of work for the Base Bid (and accepted Alternates), typically after the contract has been signed. Change Orders are typically priced after a project’s Base Bid has been awarded. Approved Change Order pricing is tracked separately from the base Bid pricing. A Change Order typically is a change to the original contract.

Caution

Alternates and Change Orders share image files, Bid Areas, and Typical Areas (if used) with the Base Bid. All Plan Organization (except for adding Overlays) is done in the Base Bid's Cover Sheet. If you delete a Page from the Base Bid, you are deleting it (and any takeoff or annotations made on that Page) for all Child Bids.

Notes about Child Bids

When creating Change Orders and Alternates, limit the length of the "No." field to 25 characters or less.
After you create Conditions, draw your takeoff and are satisfied with the results, generated for the Alternate or Change Order, you can return to its Cover Sheet and click the Accepted box. When a child bid is accepted, its results are added to or subtracted from the Base Bid Condition Results (the base Bid's takeoff values do not change, you see the cumulative results in your estimating program, Quick Bid, for example).
As indicated above, Child Bids share their Pages (Plans) with the Base Bid. Deleting a page from the Base Bid's Cover Sheet deletes all takeoff on that page whether the takeoff exists in the Base Bid, Alternate, or Change Order. You will be prompted to confirm but remember, this is permanent and cannot be undone.
If you've used Typical Groups in your Base Bid, when you create an Alternate or Change Order, the Typical Groups, the Typical Group Frames, and the Typical Group Markers, are copied over from the Base Bid. There is no takeoff within the Typical Group Frame, but the markers are brought over to make your life a little easier. To make additions or subtractions from the Base Bid's Typical takeoff, just account for the variance in the Child Bid's Typical Group Frame and the rest is done for you. See Related articles for more information on Typical Groups.

Deleting and Restoring Bids

Creating and Accepting Alternates and Change Orders