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Appia® Knowledge Center

Item list and sections setup

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Appia projects must have project items before you can advance them to construction. There are two ways to add items to a project in the new phase:

  • Add items from a reference data collection
  • Import items from a CSV or XSLX file

Good to know

  • If you selected "I'm not going to analyze or award bids" during project setup, then both methods for adding items can be used, but only in this order: first add reference data items, then use the import method.
  • If you selected "I'm going to import bids for analysis and award" during project setup, your Items tab will be labeled Bid Items, and items can only be added using the import method.

Click to expand the following sections and learn more.

Add items from reference data

Adding project items from reference data ensures the consistency of item IDs, descriptions, and any materials or worksheet associations. Items can be added from your own reference data collection or from a shared collection.

Add from reference data

Follow these steps to add project items using reference data.

  1. With your New project open, select the Items tab.
  2. Click Edit.
  3. Click Add Items. The item selection panel will appear.
  4. Use the Collection drop-down menu to select the reference data collection you want to use.
    • Your business's reference data collection will be the default selection.
  5. Click to select each item that you want to add to the project.
    • You'll enter item quantities after the items have been selected and added. Clicking an item more than once adds a separate entry for the item for each click.
    • Use the search bar to find items by name, or click to expand the advanced search options.
  6. When you're finished, click Add Items.

new-project-select-collection.png

It can be helpful to organize project items using item sections. See manage item sections to learn more.

Import items

Item lists can be imported to a new project from either a CSV or XSLX file. If you plan to use reference data items as well as imported items, remember to enter reference data items first.

See import bids for analysis and award if you have opted to analyze bids within the service.

Import items

Follow these steps to add project items using the import method.

1. Select a .csv or .xlsx file for upload

  • From the project's Overview page, click Import Items. Or, go to the Items tab and select Actions > Import.
  • Click Choose File. Your device's file browser will appear.
  • Select the .csv or .xlsx file you want to upload. Click Open.

2. Restrict import to reference items?

Opting to restrict import to reference items will limit the import only to items that match both the item list file and items found in the selected reference data collection.

  • Select or clear the Restrict import to reference items? checkbox to choose your preference.
  • If you are restricting the import, use the drop-down menu to select which collection to restrict the import to.

3. Click Upload File

4. Assign columns to their matching fields

  • Use the drop-down menu above each data column in your item list to assign its matching Appia field.
  • The Item ID, Description, and Unit fields are required.
  • Items restricted to reference data only need the Item ID and Unit assigned.

5. Make optional selections

  • Skip rows: If there are rows in the import file that are not part of an item, like column headings, use the Select number of rows to skip drop-down menu to specify how many rows Appia should ignore when completing the import.
  • Overwrite current items:
    • Selecting Clear project items before import? will replace any items that match between the current item list and the imported item file (according to the Item ID).
    • Leaving the Clear project items before import? checkbox blank means that any items in the current list will remain unchanged, even if there is a duplicate item in the import file.

6. Click Import

  • Once all the columns and options are assigned, click Import.

assign-columns-import.png

Import errors

  • Message: Item does not exist in the reference data
    • This means you selected "Restrict import to reference items" and one or more of the items in the file do not match the reference data collection you selected. Double check the collection or try importing again without restricting to reference items.
    • If you're using a shared reference data collection and receive this or a similar error, contact the owner of the shared collection to make sure item information is up to date.

Edit item details

Once your items have been added to the project, you can add or edit:

  • Quantity
  • Unit price
  • Supplemental description
  • Line number
Edit item details

Follow these steps to edit item details after adding them to a new project.

  1. From your project's Items tab, click Edit.
  2. Enter or update item information.
  3. When you're finished, click Save.

edit-items-boxed.png

Good to know

  • If you're importing bids for analysis and award: once a bid has been imported, the items in the item list can't be changed, but you can update the item list's quantities and unit prices or a bid's unit prices.
  • Items are automatically assigned to the default fund source and package.
  • You can change an item's line number, but it has to be a unique number not used anywhere else.
  • If the item is marked as a lump sum, the Appia service enters a quantity of 1 for the item and does not display a unit price on the project Items page (for more information, contact your system administrator). The quantity of an item with a lump sum unit that is not marked as a lump sum in the reference list can be changed.
  • Any item that needs a supplemental description must have the supplemental description option selected in the item reference list (for more information, contact your system administrator).
  • If you add an item from the reference data item list that includes adjustment factors, those factors will be visible from the item's Edit page once the project is under construction.

Manage item sections

Item sections can help with organizing project items and let you quickly assign funding to a group of items.

Add and edit item sections

Your item list will contain a single section by default. You can add more sections and edit their descriptions.

Add a new section

To add a new section to your item list:

  1. From your project's Items tab, click Edit.
  2. Click Add Section.

A new section will appear with a default section number and description. See the following instructions for editing the section details.

edit-section.png

Edit a section number or description

You can retitle an item section and edit its description.

  1. From your project's Items tab, click Edit.
  2. Find the section you want to retitle. Click to expand the Actions menu.
  3. Click Edit. The Change Section window will appear.
  4. In the Section field, enter a new section number if needed.
    • Once you save the changes, the service will automatically reorder the sections into numerical order.
  5. In the Description field, enter a brief summary or title for the group of items.
  6. When you're finished, click Change.
  7. If you are finished making changes to the items, click Save.

To delete a section, click Actions in the Section title row and choose Delete. Click OK in the delete confirmation window. The Appia service deletes the section and all of its items.

 

Good to know | Item sections

If you're using the Bid Express integration to send your item list to Bid Express:

  • If your item list is broken into sections, Bid Express will import each section as its own item list component.
  • Bid Express will title each item list component according to its section description, so we recommend renaming each item section in Appia.
  • If you haven't named your item sections in Appia, they will all be titled "Description" and you'll be prompted to rename them in Bid Express.

Delete items

You can delete an item from a section in a new project as long as the project has no bids. Items in an under construction project must be deleted through a change order.

Delete items

Here's how to delete project items.

  1. From your project's Items tab, click Edit.
  2. Find the item you want to delete.
  3. Click the X for that item to remove it.
  4. In the confirmation window, click OK.
  5. When you're finished, click Save.

delete-boxed.png

Export an item list

You can export your item list as a .csv file during any phase of the project. With the Appia and Bid Express integration, you can send items directly to Bid Express for use in solicitation builds without having to download and re-upload the file.

Export item list

There are two ways to export an item list during the new phase of a project.

Export to CSV file

When you export your item list to a .csv (comma separated values) file, it can be opened with any spreadsheet software.

  1. From the project's Items tab, click to expand the Actions menu.
  2. Select Export CSV.
  3. Depending on your browser's download settings, you may have to select a location to save the file.

Send to Bid Express

Send your item list directly to Bid Express without downloading any files.

  1. From the project's Items tab, click to expand the Actions menu.
  2. Select Send to Bid Express.
  3. From the confirmation modal, click Send.
  4. You can find the item list ready for use when building a solicitation in Bid Express.