To add a new part to the library

Parts are added to the library within the Parts Tool.

1. Click the Add button.
2. The Part Editor will appear with no data present. Begin by selecting the category with which you want to classify the part from the Category List.
3. Type a part description into the Part Description Box.
4. Click here for details on how to use the Cost Formula Info when defining a part. Then follow these steps:
   
   I. Select whether you want the part to be calculated as a company amount or a sub contractor cost.
   
   II. Select the appropriate unit type. Recall that "Hours" type parts are strictly labor costs and do not require any material costs but rather just an Hourly Labor Rate (HLR). "Dollars" type parts take on the exact dollar value of the quantity entered for the part in the Project Manager (such as for budgets, miscellaneous costs, or allowances). The other part types incorporate a material cost AND/OR an associated labor cost for installation.
   
   III. Enter the data required to define the type of part you have selected.
   

   The information defined in the Cost Formula Info section of the Part Editor determines how a part's costs are determined.

   The program allows for 12 different types of parts: the six different part unit types defined as either a company amount or a sub contractor cost.

   Depending on how you classify the part, there will be different values available to define the part. The unit types shown here are an example, and may differ depending on the version of the program or database you have loaded. Regardless, the cost formulas are identical relative to the placement of the six different part unit types presented in the Part Editor. Costs are always determined from a single value that you enter within the Project Manager. This value that you enter identifies the quantity for the part you want to be included in the project, and is indicated in the tables below by the variable Qty. The cost of the part is calculated as follows:

   

   The costs are broken down into three different categories for data analysis: Material, Labor, and Sub Cont. The distribution of the total cost shown in the previous table into these three different categories is performed as follows:

   

   If you want to use the program for scheduling purpose, you may enter Rough-In and Finish hours for some Sub Contractor type parts. These values, however, are not used to generate costs and are available merely to assist you allocate time resources for sub contractors. This data may be observed in the Project Manager, Summary mode. You may choose to use material multipliers other than 1.0 for custom applications or if you want to define your company markup using this strategy. Refer to the section To use the Global Material Markup Editor by clicking here for more information.

   This allows you to simultaneously edit the material multiplier for all parts in the category selected from the Category List of the Parts Tool.

   The material multiplier variable gives you the flexibility to define markups in such a way that they are hidden in the itemized table format accessible in the Project Manager when using the View Table button. If your company will likely be presenting customers with the itemized breakdown of project cost information then you may want to define markups this way. For example, a markup of 50% may be accomplished by using a material multiplier of 1.5. You may then also use the HLR Editor to define marked-up hourly labor rates.

   Other companies may want the itemized table format to reflect what they expect to be actual costs for production or internal reference. In this case the material multipliers should remain at 1.0, and the project markup can be assigned within the Project Manager. This will adjust the project cost to the desired amount for display in the proposals.
   

   1. Select from the Category List the part category for which you want to change all of the material multipliers. If you want to change the material multiplier for all of the parts in the library, select "All Categories."
   2. Type the desired material multiplier into the field.
   3. Click the Change button.
   4. The program will prompt you with the question "Are you sure you want to change the material multiplier for all displayed parts?" Click Yes.

   

5. If you want to define text associated with the part for display in the project specifications section of the proposals, then enter text into the Preliminary Part Text Box, Formal Part Text Box, and/or Subcontractor Part Text Box. Try using the Auto Text buttons "P, Q, U, D" to simplify the entry. The text associated with each of the buttons is as follows:
   
   P = "Provide and install " - this is the default text, but may be edited with the Options Tool, under Preferences/Miscellaneous.
   
   Q = "[qty]" - this text takes on the actual numeric value of the quantity of this part included in the project when the proposal is generated.
   
   U = "units of " - this inserts the plural text of the unit type of the part, followed by the word "of".
   
   D = "part description" - this inserts the part's description.
   
6. Select the appropriate settings in the Part Ranking Info section.
7. If you want to define an image and caption to be associated with the part under the Image Gallery outro boilerplate heading, then you may do so in the Part Image Info section.
8. Click the Save button. The new information will be saved and you will be returned to the Parts Tool screen.