Module 42 · Core · 8 min read

From tender to a locked contract baseline

You will be able to: Describe the BOQ version states and what locking does; Explain what the award creates and why the baseline matters; State how a locked BOQ is changed.

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A BOQ version records the BOQ at a point in time. A version moves through four states: draft, submitted, accepted and locked. A new locked version supersedes the previous locked one. Locking is a decision with consequences, so it needs the permission to approve the BOQ.

StateMeaningWhat can still change
DraftBeing pricedQuantities and rates
SubmittedSent to the clientCan go back to draft, or be accepted or lost
AcceptedClient agreedCan be locked or superseded
LockedThe contract baselineOnly through a variation order

Locking copies every item into an unchangeable snapshot: code, name, quantity, unit, sell rate, unit cost, sell amount and cost amount. It marks the items as baseline-locked, so quantity and rates can no longer be edited on the item. You can compare two locked versions line by line, for example the tender BOQ and the contract BOQ after negotiation.

What the award creates

When a tender is won, Award and create the project builds the project, the breakdown, the locked bill of quantities, the baseline budget by nature (equal to the estimate cost), a draft schedule, the contract and the key-clause register from the estimate. You still need to check the start date and contract terms before pressing the button.

The Tenders screen with a won tender that has already been converted into a project.

A won tender becomes a project with its locked BOQ.

A won tender becomes a project with its locked BOQ.
What a locked baseline protectsThe tender BOQ had 1,400 m2 of blockwork at AED 78. After negotiation the client accepts 1,500 m2. You issue a new version, accept and lock it, and the compare screen shows blockwork +100 m2 and a contract value up by AED 7,800 (100 x 78). Later the client instructs additional blockwork of 120 m2 in a new area. That is not an edit of the locked BOQ; it is a variation order. The original baseline is still in the snapshot for the audit.
Watch outIf you edit an item before the lock to fix a quote error, the sell amount of the parent categories and the project value change at once. After the lock the same edit is refused with a message to use a variation order.
TipLock the BOQ the day the contract is signed, not at the first bill. An unlocked BOQ lets a quantity move without a document that explains why.

Walk it through

  1. List the four states and who would act at each in your company.
  2. Write the compare result for a changed quantity: old quantity, new quantity, rate and value difference.
  3. In the demo, open a project BOQ tab and find the versions list and the Lock button.
Open the live demo

Public demo company, sign in as admin / demoAdmin123. Data refreshes nightly.

Key takeaways
  • Draft, submitted, accepted, locked: only locked is the baseline.
  • A locked BOQ is changed only through a variation order.
  • The award builds project, BOQ, budget, schedule, contract and clauses in one go.

Check yourself

4 questions on this lesson. Not timed, not the exam, and you can try again. Score 60% or more, and read the lesson, to complete it.

1. At which BOQ state does the baseline become unchangeable except by variation order?

2. After the BOQ is locked, a sell rate can be edited directly on the item.

3. Which statements are true when a tender is won and the award is pressed?

Select all that apply.

4. A BOQ line has 1,400 m2 of blockwork at AED 78 sell rate. The client accepts 1,500 m2 in a new locked version. What is the contract value change?

Previous: Building an estimate from ratesNext: The budget: by item, by nature, in versions

Practice questions for this module · Printable study sheet