Importing a Pay-Item Schedule
This article explains how to import a pay-item schedule in Stimaro — bringing a DOT or AASHTOWare schedule into your bid as rows to price, so you don't retype every line by hand.
What the import does
The Bid toolbar Import button (its tooltip reads Import a DOT / AASHTOWare pay-item schedule (CSV/Excel)) opens the Import Pay Items dialog: "Bring a DOT / AASHTOWare pay-item schedule (CSV or Excel) into the bid as items to price."
The import creates one bid row per schedule line, carrying that line's item number, description, unit, and quantity. The rows come in unpriced — the schedule tells you what to bid on and how much of it, but not what it costs, so each new row waits for you to add cost.
Step 1: Choose the file
The dialog notes where the file comes from: "Choose the pay-item schedule exported from AASHTOWare Project Bids (Tools → Export) or downloaded from the letting site." Click Choose file… and pick it. The file can be CSV or Excel, and multi-sheet workbooks are supported.
Step 2: Map the columns
Once the file is loaded, the dialog shows the sheet name and its row count. For a multi-sheet workbook, a Sheet picker lets you choose which sheet to import.
Map your file's columns to the four fields Stimaro needs. Required fields are marked with *:
| Field | Required? | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
Item number | Required | The pay-item number for each line. |
Description | Optional | The line's description. |
Unit (U/M) | Required | The unit of measure. |
Quantity | Required | The bid quantity. |
Any columns you don't map are listed under Not imported: so you can see what's being left behind, and a Preview shows sample rows as they'll come in. The Import button stays disabled until you've mapped item number, unit, and quantity.
Step 3: Review the result
After the import runs, the dialog reports what happened with an Imported tile and a Skipped tile. If any lines came in with issues, an expandable "N rows need a look" warnings list lets you review them. Click Done to close.
After importing: price the rows
The imported rows are placeholders for scope and quantity — they still need cost. Price them the way you price any bid item: link an item sheet to a row to build the cost up from resources, or enter a write-in cost for lines you're pricing directly. See Linking item sheets to a bid and Write-in line items.