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Using the Table of Contents

This Table of Contents contains links on which you can click to help navigate the manual.

The Table of Contents is not included when a PDF of this manual is printed.

Home Screen

The Home Screen is the default e-Builder landing page. Current and actionable information is displayed about your projects each time you login or refresh the Home page.

Take a minute to identify the following on the Home Page.

  • Tabs across the top of the page that open different modules
  • The Recent Pages drop down menu located on the left side of the page
  • The Quick Start links on the left side of the page
  • Workflow in your court
  • My first 10 tasks
  • Submittal items in your court
  • Items pending approval
  • The project selection drop down
  • The Announcements area
  • The Calendar area

Workflow in your court

e-Builder determines items that are most important for you to look at or work on by pulling information from e-Builder modules for all of your projects. Those items are considered "Workflow in your court". Each time you access this module or refresh the Home page, the most current data is populated; ensuring that all information is accurate and in real time. The graphic is an example of Workflow in your court.

You can control the number of items that appear in Workflow in your court, Submittal items in your court and Items Pending Approval by using the Show drop down above each respective table.

The table for Workflow in your court displays the Project, Name, Subject, Step and Due Date.

  • To access the process or form on which your action/comment is required click on the blue link in the Name column and a popup will display with process details.
  • To go the processes/form page for that project click the blue link in the Project column.

My First 10 Tasks

The first 10 tasks which you have been assigned as a resource or manager will be listed in chronological order. If you are  a manager who receives notification when tasks reach a certain level of completion, these tasks will display in your court as well.

Use the Show option to control the number of tasks that appear in the list.

The table for My First 10 Tasks displays the Project, Task, Finish Date, Completion percentage and Manager.

Submittal Items in Your Court

This table displays submittal items. There are two filters for this table:

Filter by Action allows you to see either All in my Court, Action Required or Forwarded and No Response. The latter option displays items that have been forwarded for review on which action not yet been taken. Show allows you to determine the number of Submittal items displayed.

The table for Submittal Items in Your Court displays the Project, Title, #, Rev #, Package #, Status, Due Date and Held By information.

Items Pending Approval

This table displays cost items that are awaiting your approval.

This table displays the Project, Item Type, Item #, Approval Requested by, Date Approval Requested and Amount.

Note the link that allows you to display more items that are pending approval.

Access Delegation

Acting in a timely manner on items that are in your court is important. When you are not going to be able to monitor and take action on e-Builder for Items in your court, for example during vacations, you should delegate your authority in e-Builder.

To delegate your authority:

  1. On your e-Builder home screen, click on the arrow next to your name.

  2. Click on Setup.

  3. In the left hand column under “My Settings”, go to “Personal Information.”

  4. Click on “Access Delegation.”

  5. Steps:

    1. Grant Access

    2. Set the user and duration (Start/End Date & Times are required).

    3. Click “Grant.”

Announcements and Calendar Events

On the right side of the Home page are MIT specific announcements including contact names should you have issues with e-Builder as well as Help Desk session times and locations.

Under announcements are the calendar events occurring for today’s date created in e-Builder.  Events are created through the Calendar module in a project.  Click on the event for more information.

Navigation

Top Tabs vs Left/Project Menu

Module tabs open modules at the summary level.  The summary level typically aggregates and displays information for multiple projects. If you wish to see information for a single project you must select the project from the Project drop down menu.

Left/Project Menu options are project specific.  In other words, you must first select a project to view these options. If from here you click on one of the top tabs, you will exit the project and will need to re-select it.

Once you have opened a project you can navigate through the folders for which your role has been given permission. See the section of this manual devoted to Project Documentation for more information.

Recent Pages

Displays a list of recently used e-Builder pages.

Quick Start

This menu allows you to start any form or process instance. The default menu options contain a combination of the first ten processes/forms that you have permission to modify. The ten listed forms/processes will automatically update based on your usage. The most recently created instances will append to the top of the menu list.

First select the desired form or process type from the Quick Start menu. Then from the popup window select the corresponding project and create your instance.

If the form or process you are looking for is not displayed in the defaulted menu list, click the ‘More’ link. The ‘More’ link gives you access to the remaining instances you have permissions to modify.

Once the form/process has been created you will need to access it by first opening the project.

Project Dropdown Menu

The project dropdown menu allows you to open and switch between projects to which you have been granted access.

To quickly find your project you can start typing the project name or project number and it will narrow the list in the menu.

Search

By default the search prioritizes words from left to right unless one of the search methods listed below is used.

• Search through the custom field values and notes where applicable.

• Ignore any of the noise words listed below.

Search Methods

• Phrase search (""): Double quotes around a word or phrase will search for an exact match to what's in the quotes.

• Exact word search (+): Placing a plus sign immediately before a single word is the equivalent of putting double quotes around that single word. By default the search will look for other forms of a search word. ex: A search of 'test' will look for test, testing, tests, etc. This will eliminate searching for those other forms.

• Terms to exclude (-): Putting a minus sign immediately before a single word will exclude that word from the search results.

• AND operator: Placing AND in all caps in between words/phrases will search for both phrases/words equally.

• OR operator: Placing OR in all caps in between words/phrases will search for either phrase/word.

• (): Parentheses can be used in conjunction with AND and OR to further specify what needs to be searched for ex: (word1 AND word2) OR word3.

Noise Words

$, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, about, after, all, also, an, and, another, any, are, as, at, be, because, been, before, being, between, both, but, by, came, can, come, could, did, do, does, each, else, for, from, get, got, had, has, have, he, her, here, him, himself, his, how, if, in, into, is, it, its, just, like, make, many, me, might, more, most, much, must, my, never, now, of, on, only, or, other, our, out, over, re, said, same, see, should, since, so, some, still, such, take, than, that, the, their, them, then, there, these, they, this, those, through, to, too, under, up, use, very, want, was, way, we, well, were, what, when, where, which, while, who, will, with, would, you, your

Search Notes

  • Search allows you to complete a key word search on any area of a project across all projects.
  • Documents search is restricted to a single project due to the number of results a key word can cause.
  • The search can be narrowed down by first selecting a project.

Project Details

All project participants have access to the Project Details page. Key information about the project, including status and target dates can be found in the Project Details. While all project participants can view information, only those with appropriate roles and permissions for the project can edit the details.

Project details should be kept up to date throughout the life of the project. The Project Manager has primary responsibility for updating this information.

To open the Project Details page:

  1. Select a project.

  2. Locate the Project Menu on the left side of the page and click the Details link.

If you are able to edit Project Details an Edit button will appear on the page.

To edit Project Details:

  1. Click on the Edit button

  2. Update the project information in the details page.

    1. Project roles cannot be updated here.

    2. To change project members, please use the 01.03 Add Resource to a Project (ADDRE) process or an Action Item form.

  3. Click the Save button.

Edit Project

The Project Details include:

  • The project name
  • The name of e-Builder Project Administrator
  • The project status
  • Address
  • Country
  • Start Date
  • Target Date
  • Description
  • Project Webcam
  • Last Modified By
  • Date Last Modified

Notes

Notes can be added to the project here

Documents

Refer to Project Documents. The Documents tab in Project Documents is not used in MIT's e-Builder implementation for required project documentation.

Project Documents

Access to project documents is limited to e-Builder users who are assigned to the project.

Access to Documentation

There are two ways to access project documentation.

If you have already opened and are working with a project, click the Documents link in the left side Project Menu.

You may access documents from the Documents tab but you will need to select the project before viewing its documents.

Document Folder Structure

A pre-defined set of folders is preconfigured for each project. All project documents go into one of the folders. You cannot change add, delete or change the name of folders. Comments or suggestions about the folder structure can be forwarded to e-Builder administrators by using the e-Builder MIT Feedback Form found in the user experience project.

Your role on the project determines which folders you view and to which folders you can add documents.

All folders indicate the access level as follows:

  • “I” for Internal (MIT users)
  • “E” for External
  • “I&E” for Internal and External.

Project Managers can view all folders.  However, if you upload documents, pay close attention into which type of folder you upload documents as the potential exists for internal documents to be accessible to external users when placed in the incorrect folder.

Upload Multiple Documents

Upload multiple documents into a folder in one step by dragging documents from the folder on your computer to the right hand side of the e-Builder screen. 

Restrictions

Dragging documents requires IE10 or higher. The ability to Create Folder has been restricted. You will be unable to upload an entire folder at one time.

Menus

The menu under folder name on the right side is for multiple documents.  You would select the checkbox to one or more documents and click on an option (Download, Send, Compare, etc.)

The menu under the file name is just for that file. 

Email In

The contents of each folder can be viewed on the right side in the area labeled Folder Content Area in image above.  The folder name appears at the top. The menu under folder name on the right side is for multiple documents.  To Delete, Move, Copy, etc. document(s), you must select the item(s) by clicking in the checkbox and clicking the desired option (Download, Send, Compare, etc.)

From the project documents page:

  1. Select the “00 – E-mail In-box (I)” folder.

  2. On the right side, click “Email Address”

  3. It will copy the email address (you may receive a prompt requesting access to do so)

  4. In your email message, paste the email address.

The project email address format is  MIT.projectnumber@docs.e-builder.net where the projectnumber is the number of the project.

If it is not, please contact the MIT e-Builder Administrator.

Sending Documents

Within the documents module you have the ability to send the document to users or nonusers of e-Builder from within the folder.

From the project documents page:

  1. Select the document or documents you want to send.

  2. Click the Send link (top link if multiple documents, link under document name for just that one)

  3. You will have an option of

    1. Fax:  Sends to a fax machine anything that can be converted to a PDF

    2. Email: Send the native file or a PDF to any valid email address

      1. As Attachments – will physically attach the document to the email

      2. As Link – will provide a link to the document in e-Builder.  They do not have to be an e-Builder user to access.  This is recommended if sending large files that may be rejected by the recipient’s IT. 

    3. Notify:  Use inform another e-Builder user that the file is in the folder.  They will be provided a link to that folder and will be required to login.

  4. In your email message, paste the email address. 

Check Out versus Download

A document that has been checked out by a user is temporary locked by that user.  Another user will not have the ability to upload a new version of the document until that document has been checked back in.  This helps prevent multiple people updating different versions of the same document.

A document that has been checked out will have a check mark in over the document icon next to the document name.  If you hover over that icon it will list the person’s name who checked out a document.  To check the document back in, a new file with the same name can be uploaded to the folder by the user that checked out the document and it will automatically check the file back in.

Download is used when you do not need to make any updates and would like to review or distribute the file outside of e-Builder.

From time to time it may be necessary to review information about projects to which you are not assigned. To do so you should use View Only rights.

View Only Mode: Access Documents from Other Projects

All Program Managers, PMs, and PCs have been granted “View Only” rights so that information and documents about projects to which a user is not assigned can be viewed and downloaded. For example, an e-Builder user may wish to review project documents related to work done on a building as part of a prior project.

View only is a mode which you must enable. When finished you must disable the view only mode and return to using your login account.

To use View Only mode:

    1. Open e-Builder.

    2. In the top right corner, click on the arrow by your name.

    3. Click on “View Only”

    4. To exit from View Only mode, go back to the top right and click on your own name.

All project documentation should be added to/stored in e-Builder. When internal or external participants are uploading files into the system, they are required to specify a folder in the document structure, which ensures that all files within the system are stored in a central location.

The advantages of using the e-Builder documents module are:

  • All project members are able to access the most up-to-date files from any location, at any time.
  • The Documents module makes it easy to share documents via email, fax or through notification.
  • Collaboration is enhanced as team members are able to work on files collectively, check files in and out of the system, and redline documents while maintaining document version control.

Forms

Forms are used to have a ball-in-court communication.  The initiator selects and submits a form and sends it to another e-Builder user.  That person becomes responsible for responding.  They need to either complete the form and send it back or they have the ability to send it to others for additional comments or information.  Each send makes a new person responsible to complete the item until the initiator or a role with permissions marks it complete. 

Creating a Form

Select a Project:

  1. Click on Forms in the left-hand column

  2. Click on Fill Out Form on the right side of the screen.

    • Note:  You will only be able to fill out forms you have access to.

  3. Select a Form.

  4. Fill out the details of the form and select the recipient.  Recipients must be e-Builder users.

    • Note:  All fields with a red asterisks are required before sending.

    • Click the documents, processes or forms tab to attach supporting documentation.

  1. Click “Post Form”

Replying to a Form

To find forms created related to a project:

  1. In the Filter Forms:  Select Forms In My Court” , “Opened” and

    ‘All Workflow and Static Forms” and click filter

  2. Select a Form in the grid.

  3. Fill out the details of the form click Reply.  This will allow to send the form back to the originator and add comments.

  4. Click “Reply” again.

    Note:  You can also forward the form to another user if additional review or action is needed.

     

Closing a Form

From in the Project Form Page:

  1. In the Filter Forms:  Select Forms In My Court” , “Opened” and

    ‘All Workflow and Static Forms” and click filter

  2. Select a Form in the grid.

  3. Review the details, if everything looks complete, click “Close Form”.


Processes

e-Builder Processes route information based on defined business rules. Processes improve communication and enhance collaboration among members of the project team. Forms in e-Builder are completed by project participants. When a form is submitted it is moved to the next step in the process for review or action by the appropriate actor. The MIT Facilities e-Builder team and steering committee has defined forms and workflow for MIT-specific processes. Some processes are integrated with the cost module. This allows the status of a cost item, such as an invoice, to be updated as approvals are received providing full and consistent visibility. Using e-Builder effectively requires users to complete workflow in their court accurately and in a timely manner so that processes are constantly moving information through the workflows.

Starting a Process

A Process is applicable within the context of a project. Therefore, to start a Process you must first select and be working within a project.

Follow these steps to start a Process:

  1. Select a Project.

  2. In the Project menu in the left hand column select Processes. Alternatively, you can select Processes from the top menu and then select the project you wish to work within.

  3. Click on Start Process on the right side. This will open a page with a list of the processes you may start based on your role and project permissions.

  4. Select a Process.

  5. Fill in the process details.

  6. Click the documents, processes or forms tab to attach any supporting documentation needed.

  7. Click “Submit" to route the workflow to the next step.

Spawned Processes

To spawn a process means to allow the current process to start another process when the workflow enters that step. When the parent process spawns another process the workflow stays in the spawn step until the child (or spawned) process completes the start step. For example, a process for Potential Change Orders could spawn a Change Order Request process.

Process Name & Number

Allows you to always see what process you are in and the number instance it is on the project. 

Taking Action on a Process

You are required to take action when a process in the structured workflow reaches a step for which you are listed as an actor.

From the Project Process Page:

  1. To see processes that are in your court use these settings in Filter Processes:

    Click Processed in My Court in the radio button group.
    Check Open for Type of Process.
    Choose All Statuses from the Status dropdown menu

    Select a Process in the table.

  2. Fill in the details on the process and attach any supporting documentation

  3. At the top of the page, there will be an Action drop down, select your action and click the button to move the workflow to the next step.

Allows you to always see what process you are in and the number instance it is on the project. 

Process Page Actions

Processes open in a separate browser window on your desktop. Other e-Builder windows remain open in the background.

Once you have reviewed the item in your court, click on one of the buttons to initiate the appropriate action. You will see only actions that apply to the process given the designed workflow and your role.

FieldDescription

Accept/Decline

The option to accept or decline to act on a process step is only available if there are multiple actors on the step and this option is configured in the account settings.

If you click Decline, the process step will no longer appear in your court.

Workflow Override

This button displays only for administrators and users with manage workflow permissions. Click this button to override the step and move the process instance to another step in the process.

All Fields View

This button displays for administrators and user with manage workflow permissions only. Click this button to view a list of all data fields and their values for the process

Help

Click this link to view instructions for the process written by the process creator. If a data field has a question mark icon displayed to the right of the field name then hover over it for additional help content for that field.

Show History

Click this link to open the routing history page and view an audit trail of the process.

Show Workflow Diagram

Click this link to view the workflow diagram. The current step will be highlighted.

Current Actors

Click this link to view current actors on the process steps.

Take Action

Click the drop-down arrow to the left of this field to select an action to take, and then click this button to take the action. Taking action will move the process to the next step in the workflow. See Action Dropdown below

Check Spelling

Click this button to check the spelling of data fields on this page.

Submit

Click this button to complete the start step when initiating a process.

Forward

This button only display if the step has been configured for flexible routing by your account administrator. Click this button to forward the process to another user on the project.

Reply

This button only display if the step has been configured for flexible routing by your account administrator. Click this button to reply to the user on the project that forwarded the process to you.

Print

Click this button to print the process step. Based the settings for this step, this button may or may not appear.

Copy

This button displays for processes that are already in progress. Click this button to duplicate the process instance. This capability allows you to carry over existing, reusable information, reducing data entry efforts. Once a process instance is copied, data entry fields are copied as well, such as custom fields, data fields, company and contact information and reason codes. If this is a cost process, all cost data is also carried over with the exception of line items and dynamic line items.

Delegate

Click this button to delegate the current step to another user on the project.

Save

Click this button to Save the current filled out data and return to it at a later time.

Delete Draft

This button displays only for account administrators, the process initiator and users with the permissions to access draft processes. Click to delete the draft.

Cancel

Click this button to cancel the current action. All unsaved data will be lost.

Details Tab

The Details tab list all data fields for the process

Comments Tab

Click the Comments tab to view a list of comments added to the process in chronological order. Date and time stamps are included. If a document or process is attached it also can be referenced here. From here you can also add and request comments. 

Attached Documents Tab

Click the Attached Documents tab to download and view a list of documents attached to the process. From here you can also attach documents as a reference or supporting evidence, such as a sketch, plan, specification, or budget.

Attached Processes Tab

Click the Attached Processes tab to view a list of documents attached to the process. From here you can also attach documents as reference or supporting evidence, such as a Request for Information to a Potential Change Order.

Attached Forms Tab

This tab will only display if the Forms module is enabled on your account. Click the Attached Forms tab to view a list of forms attached to the process. You can also attach forms as reference or supporting evidence.

Attached To Tab

Click the Attached To tab to view a list of processes that this process is attached to.

Action Dropdown

If you are an actor on a step and are responsible for completing the task you will see this drop down with the actions you may take.  Use the Show Workflow Diagram button if you wish to see the next process step.

History

Clicking on the Show History link displays all of the actions on this process; what steps it has gone through; who took action on those steps; the date/time and field values that have been changed and by whom.

Current Actor

The user(s) currently responsible for reviewing this step and taking action.

Current Step and Show Workflow Diagram

Click Show Workflow Diagram to display the entire process in a new window.  The current step will be outlined in blue.

Comments & Attachments

Click on the comments tab to add a comment or see comments from others.  In addition, any documents, another form or another process can be attached in the following tabs.

Schedules

Schedules provide a mechanism for tracking project tasks, durations, milestones and resources.

Actors and Responsibilities

WhoEvent
e-B adminWhen a new project is created in e-Builder the e-Builder admin applies an MIT-specific template to the project schedule. The template helps ensure consistency at the highest task level across all projects in the e-Builder portfolio.
Schedule Mangers

In e-Builder the schedule manager has responsibility for changes to the schedule. MIT Facilities projects normally assign the Project Manager as the Schedule Manger. If a different arrangement is desired please contact the e-Builder administrator.

Project Resources (participants)Update the schedule for tasks to which they are assigned.

Opening a Project Schedule

Open the schedule from within a  project by clicking the Schedule link in the left-side Project menu or click on the Schedule tab to open the module and select a project using the Project drop down menu.

The Schedule Details page appears.

Schedule Details Page

Project Details

Click the Update Schedule button to change:

  • Start Date
  • Hours per Day
  • Hours per Week
  • Days per Month
  • Manager Role
  • Manager User
  • Auto Calculate the percentage complete
  • Work Day Start Time
  • Work Day End Time
  • Work Week Days

Click the Save Button to save any changes.

Updating a Schedule

The MIT-specific schedule template establishes tasks for Design, Procurement Services, Construction, Commissioning and Turnover and Occupancy under which the project manager may add sub-tasks. Note that Design has established subtasks for Scoping, SD, DD and CD.

Click on the Pencil icon to update schedule rows. The icon changes to a disc and an "X"  to allow users to save or cancel a change.

Updating Tasks

Click on the task in the Task Name column to edit a task.

After you click on the task name the following page appears.

Click the Update button to edit the task details.

Adding Subtasks

Project managers should not alter the schedule template by adding new high level tasks or changing the names of the tasks in the template. Project managers may add subtasks to any of the template items.

Click the Add Task button to add a (sub)task. The Add Task page appears.

To ensure you add a subtask ensure that the Add as a subtask of radio button is selected and that you choose the task under which you wish to create the sub-task..

 

Other options include Master Task, Task Name, Type, Description, Draft, Milestone, Resource, Manager, Constraint Type, Constraint Date, Duration, Approval Required for Date Changes and Approval Required for % Complete Changes.

You will also be able to set Predecessors, Lag and Link Type

Note that Draft status means that the item(s) will not be visible to others. For the schedule to be visible to others it must be activated.

Activate the Schedule

By design, when a PM begins to work in a schedule it is viewable only to the Schedule Manager (the Project Manager) and the e-Builder administrator. This allows the Project Manager to develop the schedule and choose when to make it available to the rest of the project team.

When you wish to make the schedule available to others you must activate it.

To make the entire schedule viewable, select all tasks with check box located in the grey table header.  Choose Activate from the Actions dropdown menu that is next to the Add Task button.

You may also make parts of the schedule active by selecting only that item. For example, you may wish to have the design schedule be active, but not Procurement or Construction.

Save the Baseline

Save the Baseline

Once you have activated the schedule, select all the tasks again, click the Action button and select Save Baseline. You may also save snapshots as necessary.

After a schedule has been activated any date adjustments to the schedule are treated as actual dates and can be compared to the baseline.

Export and Import from MS Project

There are a number of reasons you may want to import or export from or to MS Project.

For example, you may wish to export in order to print a GANT chart, which is only possible in e-Builder if you use the Reports module.

You can Import or Export using the appropriate choice on the Actions menu below the Project Dropdown.

Bidding

e-Builder Bidding Module

Project Managers, and others who start and administer bids, use both the (04.00) MIT Bidding Process and the e-Builder Bidding Module to begin and manage bids.

The  04.00 Bidding process controls workflow for review and approval for bidder lists and bid documents. The Bidding module is where the bid is assembled, released for viewing and submission by contractors/vendors. The Bidding module support tabulation of bids, and the award, and allows for communication to selected and not selected bidders.

Learn more about the 04.00 Bidding Process by clicking here.

Continue reading this page to learn more about the Bidding module.

Key Concepts

Projects

A project is a planned set of interrelated tasks to be completed within a certain period of time and within certain cost or other constraints.

In e-Builder, projects refer to the projects for which you are identified as a participant. Each "real world" project is associated with a project in e-Builder. If you are working on the "real world" version of the project you can be added to the project in e-Builder.

Contact

To invite a potential bidder to bid on a project that bidder must be created as a contact in e-Builder. Each invited contact must have a fax and/or email address.

A contact is different than a standard e-Builder user. An e-Builder user is someone that has been added to the e-Builder system as a participant on one or more projects.  A contact has a record containing contact information and is associated with an e-Builder Company. These contacts do not have access to all of the information about a project; only the project bid information that the contact is invited to. For every contact that is invited to bid there will be a historical record of their participation in the contact details.

Company

Each e-Builder contact is associated with an e-Builder company. There can be more than one contact associated with a company, but only one company can be associated with a contact. Each contact can be an invited bidder and there can be more than one contact associated with a company that has been invited to bid. For every contact associated with a company that is invited to bid on a project there will be a historical record of their participation in the company details. 

Adding a Company/Contact

Process 01.01 Add New Company/Contact (NCOMP) can be used to request that a new company and/or contact be added to the MIT e-Builder System. A new company or contact can also be added as part of using the 4.0 Bidding process.

Access the Bidding Module

There are two ways to access the bidding module.

  1. Use the top (black) navigation tabs if you are not already working in a project. Then select your project.
  2. Click the Bidding link from the left hand side Project menu when you are already working with a project.

Add Bid Packages - Bid Package Details

To add a bid package:

  1. Click Add Bid Packages.
    The Add Bid Package Details page appears with the Project and Project Number displayed at the top of the page. Required fields are designate with an asterisk.



  2. Complete the fields required for this bid package. Only fields with an asterisk are required, however you will likely complete most of the available fields for each bid.

    FieldDescription
    Bid Package NameEnter the name of the Bidding Package. The name identifies the bid package to invited bidders and should be suitable for that purpose.
    Bid Package DescriptionA description of the bid that is seen by invited bidders in the bidding portal.
    Pre-Bid Meeting Date TimeThe date and time for the pre-bid meeting or site walk.
    Pre-Bid Meeting LocationThe location of the pre-bid meeting or gathering point if the meeting includes a site walk.
    Required to attend pre-bid meeting.Check the box if you are requiring attendance at the pre-bid meeting in order to accept bids from potential bidders.
    Bidding ContactThis field defaults to the project manager as assigned in e-Builder.
    Bid Start Date/TimeThe time that the bid will be visible to invited bidders in the e-Builder bidders portal.
    Bid Due Date/TimeThe date and time that bids are due.
    Bid Time ZoneThe time zone for the above time related items.
    Tentative Award DateThe expected date that the award will be announced.
    Tentative Work Start DateNo explanation required.
    Tentative Work Finish DateNo explanation required.
    Allow Bids After Due DateUse this option to allow bids to be submitted after the due date has been reached. Bidders are not notified that bids will be accepted after the due date, but they will be able to submit for the period of time you specify after the due date without contacting you to make arrangements to accept the bid.
    Bid Sq FtNo explanation required.
    Bid Instructions DocumentUse the Bid Instructions Document that is provided to you.
    Allow Electronic Bid SubmissionAlways enable this option as MIT Facilities wishes to accept only electronic bid submissions.
    Bid Documents FolderThe folder into which bid documents are placed. These are documents intended to aid bidders. All documents in the Bid Documents folder will be accessible to all bidders.
    Bid Response Supporting Documentation FolderThe folder into which supporting documentation from bidders will be placed. The actual bidder provided documents will be placed into a system generated sub-folder within the folder specified. This will separate documents by bidder for easier review.
    Supporting Documentation RequiredCheck the checkbox to require the bidder to include at least one supporting document at the time they submit their bid.
    Bid Submission Custom FieldsNot used
    Allow Public BidsDo not check this box. MIT Facilities does not anticipate using public bids.
    Bid Award to CommitmentWhen a bid is awarded a purchase order/commitment will be generated. When released, this will start the 04.04 Issue PO process.
    Include Bid Response AttachmentsCheck this box to include such attachments.
    Bid Item Custom Field 1You may create a custom field to which the bidder will need to respond as part of the bid response.
    Bid Item Custom Field 2Same as above.
    Bid Item Custom Field 3Same as above.

Access Bid Package Details Page for Existing Bids

To access the Bid Details Page for existing bids:

  1. Open the Bidding Module
  2. The Bid Packages list page appears.
  3. Select the Bid Package from the Bid Packages list. The Bid Package Details page appears.

The Bid Package Details page is a central location in the Bidding module There are multiple tabs on the page from which you are able to manage the entire bid process. The tabs appear after the Bid Package Details are saved or when you access an existing bid package for editing/further development.

The tabs are:

TabFunction
Bidding DetailsDisplays a page containing the bid package details.
Bid ScopeDisplays a page on which you define the scope of the bid.
Potential BiddersDisplays a page of designated potential bidders. For MIT Facilities projects the bidders entered should be those approved in the 04.0 Bidding Process.
Invited BiddersDisplays a page of the Invited Bidders, their status with respect to the bid ...
Bid DocumentsDisplays a page on which documents related to the bid are designated to be included in the bid portal where they are viewed by bidders.
Questions/ResponsesProvides a mechanism for receiving questions from bidders and for responding to one or all bidders with an answer.
Bid TabulationDisplays a page containing the bids and provides the project manager with tools to tabulate the bids.
Permissions 
Bid HistoryA time-stamped history of steps and actions on this bid package.

Working with the Bid Scope

The Bid Scope Tab opens the page in which you define the scope of your bid for potential bidders. By defining a Bid Scope you require bidders to complete standard information that you define and in the order you choose.

The next several sections describe how best to work with Bid Scope.

Import Bid Scope

Not used by MIT Facilities at this time.

Apply Bid Scope Template

The Apply Template button provides access to two MIT-specific bid templates and to all of your past project bid packages which can be used as templates. When you are preparing a bid that is similar to one you released for a past project this feature is particularly useful.

A

When you click on the Apply Template button the following menu appears.

Choosing the Bid Scope Template radio button allows users to choose either a Full or Level 1 (fewer lines) template from the Bid Scope Template drop down.

Choosing Project Bid Package causes two drop down menus to be populated, one for past projects and another for bid packages associated with those projects.

Create Sections

Not used by MIT Facilities at this time.

Add Items to Sections

Not used by MIT Facilities at this time.

Add Formula

Not used by MIT Facilities at this time.

Add Additional Information

The additional information feature allows you to capture and track pertinent data about potential bidders to help you make the best and most informed decision. You can choose to add questions that you require potential bidders to answer, include relevant data that potential bidders cannot see, use the data for bid tabulation or all of the above.

Individual additional information records can be added one at a time, or you can add records that have been used in different projects. Instructions for both methods are provided below.

Add Additional Information Records from a Project

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Additional Information tab.
  3. Click Add from Project. The Add Additional Information window appears.
  4. Click the Project drop down to select the project from which to copy the additional information records.
  5. Select a bid package from the list of results.
  6. Select the check box next to the records you wish to add.
  7. Click Add.
  8. Click Close.

Add New Additional Information Records

  1. From the Bid Details page, click on the Bid Scope tab.
  2. Click on the Additional Information tab.
  3. In the Prompt/Question field enter the prompt or the question.
  4. Select all the check boxes that apply.
    • Bidder Entry - Allow the prompt question to be visible for bidders to fill out.
    • Required - Select this check box to make the prompt/question a required field for the bidder to fill out.
    • Include in Bid Tabulation - Select this check box to include the prompt/question in the bid tabulation. The facilitate comparing bidders based on additional information.
  5. Click Save.

Add Addenda

When there is a change to the bid scope, adding an addendum is a fast and easy way to get the information to all parties at once. When bidders log in to the bidding portal, they will able to view and acknowledge that they have seen all addenda items.

An addendum can only be added after an invitation to bid has been sent.

Addenda notifications are sent to all invited bidders whether or not they have responded to the invitation to bid.

If the bidder has already submitted their bid after the addendum was issued the bidder will notification requiring them to resubmit their bid and acknowledge the addendum.

To add an addendum:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Bid Scope tab.
  3. Click the Addenda tab.
  4. Click Add Addendum. The Add Addendum for Bid Package popup window displays.
  5. Enter all required information.
  6. Click Save.

Export the Bid Scope to Excel

You may export the Bid Scope to Excel to share the estimates with those who may not have access in e-Builder.

To export the Bid Scope:

  1. Go to the Bid Details page.
  2. Click the Bid Scope Tab.
  3. Click the Export to Excel icon.
  4. Follow the operating system instructions.

Working with Potential Bidders

The Potential Bidders tab allows the project manager to add bidders who were approved as part of the 4.0 Bidders process to the project. Using this page provides an area in which you can stage your bidding list.

You may add potential bidders from Contacts or Add Bidders from other projects.

Add Bidders from Contacts

You can invite e-builder contacts to your bidders list and only those contacts that have at least an email address or fax defined can be added, otherwise they will not appear on the Contacts filter.

To add Bidders from contacts:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Potential Bidders tab.
  3. Click Add. The Lookup Contacts popup window displays.
  4. Click Filter to see a full list of bidders, or use the filtering options to find contractors/vendors. Only bidders who were approved through the 4.0 Bidding process should be added here.
  5. Select the checkbox next to the contact you wish to add.
  6. Click Insert Selected.

Add Bidders from Project

You are able to add bidders from other projects. Doing so may save you time and resources. Note that only bidders from the approved bidder list as determined by the 4.0 Bidding process should be used regardless of the method you choose to add them to this project.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Potential Bidders tab.
  3. Click Add from Project. The Add Potential Bidders from Project page displays.
  4. Enter all required fields.
  5. Click Filter. A list of bidders that meet the filter criteria displays on the bottom portion of the page.
  6. Click the checkbox next to the contact you wish to add.
  7. Click Add.

Invite Potential Bidders

You invite bidders from the Potential Bidders page.

Select one or more bidders and click the Invite button.

In the subsequent page you should enter an invitation message. When finished click Send.

As a result of the Send step, invitations are sent and the selected bidder records are moved to the Invited Bidders tab.

Working with Invited Bidders

The Invited Bidders tab displays a list of all who have been invited to bid on the project. Those with appropriate permissions can access functionality to:

  • Switch Views
  • Re-Invite Bidders
  • Print Invited Bidders List
  • Invite Additional Bidders
  • Export Invited Bidders List to Excel
  • Update Bid Status
  • Award/Revoke/Delete Bidder

Re-Invite Bidders

To re-invite bidders:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Select the checkbox next to the bidder(s) you wish to re-invite.
  4. Click Re-Invite.Invite Bidder page appears.
    The
  5. Click Send.

Print Invited Bidders List

To print the invited bidders list:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click Print.

Invite Additional Bidders

With the appropriate approval you can add Bidders to a bid after it has been begun. To add more bidders:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click Invite.
  4. You may enter a message and Add/Remove additional contacts.
  5. Click Send.

Export Invited Bidders List to Excel

Exporting the Bidders List is useful for bid analysis purposes.

To export the Invited Bidders List to Excel:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  • Click the Export icon located directly above the Invited Bidders table toward the far right of the page.

Update Bid Status

e-Builder will automatically update the Status of the bid for each bidder based on their interaction with the Bidder's portal. However, the project manager can also manually adjust the status.

There are three Status settings.

StatusDefinition
PendingAll bids are set to this status at the time the invitation is sent and prior to any response from the bidder.
Will BidWhen the system automatically sets the status to Will Bid that indicates that the bid has been opened and that the bidder has set the status to Will Bid indicating an intention to bid on the project.
Will Not BidWhen the system automatically sets the status to Will Not Bid that indicates that the bid has been opened and that the bidder has set the status to Will Not Bid indicating that no bid will be submitted on the project.

If you wish to manually set the status:

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab .
  3. In the Invited Bidders table click the drop down in the status column corresponding to the bidder for whom you wish to manually set a status.
  4. Choose the Status.

Other Bidder Options

Other Bidder Options are set by clicking on the Bidder Options icon which is located in the Invited Bidders table to the right of the Status drop down menu.

Click the Bidder Options icon to:

  • Re-Invite
  • Revoke
  • Award
  • Delete
OptionDefinition
Re-InviteSelect this option to resend an invitation to bid.
RevokeSelect this option to remove the bidder from participating in the bid but keep them in the invited bidders list for historical purposes.
DeleteSelect this option to remove the bidder entirely from the bid. No history will be retained. A bid manager will likely only use this option for bidders invited in error.

Working with Bid Documents

The Bid Documents tab displays all folders and files to which the invited bidders will have access. As part of creating and editing the Bid Details you must select a Bid Documents folder.

The Bid Documents folder is mapped to the e-Builder documents repository. Any files, sub-folders and the files within the sub-folders are visible/accessible to your invited bidders.

This page helps the Bid/Project Manager validate that the Bid Documents folder is set up properly and that no files meant for internal only consumption are included in the folder.

The following actions can be taken from the Bid Documents tab:

  • View/Download Bidding Documents
  • Display History of Invited Bidders

 

  

 

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