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OST - 16.05 Exporting Bids

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You can export Bid Packages and Takeoff Project files to share with other OST (and Quick Bid) users. Exporting a Bid is one of the easiest ways to share information with other On-Screen Takeoff users.

Bid Packages (*.OSP file) can include image files and Comments.
Takeoff files (*.OST file) contains the Bid information only (page names, takeoff, areas, Conditions) without the underlying image files.

Both export types (.ost and .osp) send every Condition and all takeoff however an OSP Bid Package provides the option to send images as well. Bid Packages are a handy way to share an entire project with another On-Screen Takeoff user.

Note

You can only export a Bid to an OSP Bid Package file if you are Licensed user. See CLS - Licensing Classic Products - Overview for more information on licensing OST.

We recommend reviewing a projects image files (in the Cover Sheet) before exporting. A few things to consider:

Minimize the number of different locations in which your files are located. It is a great idea to copy all your image files to a single folder and then re-link the Cover Sheet to those files before exporting to an OSP Bid Package.
Remove the "Image Folder" path in the Cover Sheet so that each Page's "Image File" shows its full path before exporting to OSP Bid Package.
Be sure the file path to those files and to which you are exporting does not exceed 128 characters or the recipient may have problems importing the OSP Bid Package you send them.
Convert all PDFs to TIFs, before sending an OSP Bid Package (this ensures that each Page is associated with a unique image file).
Lastly, it is a good idea to send only the Pages (and files) that the recipient really needs. Use the "Select Pages" functionality or "Only Pages with Takeoff" in the export options dialog box.

There are two methods for exporting a project, each with various options:

Send a project to another user using the Send function in the program. Sending creates an OSP file providing the ability to include the image files for the project.
Export a Bid to a file (either OSP or OST) for sending as an e-mail attachment or via other means. OST Takeoff Files can be used for importing On-Screen Takeoff quantities into some estimating programs.

In the next several articles, we're going to show you how to export bids in various ways. Pick whatever method suits your purposes.

Before we go any further, we should explain the difference between a Bid Package and a Takeoff File, so you can choose which one to use.

Exporting the Takeoff and Worksheet Tabs to CSV File

What's the Difference Between an OSP (Bid Package) and OST (Takeoff) File?