Build Your Own Component – Bid Express®

For Bid Express owner-agencies

In this article:

modify the build your own element
group the build your own element
build your own selection list
delete build your own elements

The Build Your Own feature allows you to create a component unique to your agency. You can group fields together into sections or create lists with different answers for the vendor to choose. You can format the paragraph component using the buttons at the top of the field. Rest your mouse cursor over each button to see its function.

Be careful if you're creating a new build your own component. It's a good idea to contact customer support before getting started.

Both the Bid Bond and Envelope components use the Build Your Own slider to create customized fields. The first field in the envelope component can be used to sort bids once the deadline has passed.

On the Our Solicitations tab, click the solicitation to get to the solicitation details if it is not already open.
Scroll through the Component slider to find the custom Build Your Own components. Click the component and drag it to the area of the solicitation where you would like it to appear. The Bid Express service adds it as part of the solicitation.
Click Edit to display the Build Your Own slider.

There are several types of elements that can be added to your solicitation:

Element Name	Type of Vendor Input
Check Box	Vendor can select the check box.
Currency Input	Vendor will enter currency amounts.
Duplicable Group Fields	No vendor input. Elements are kept together to allow for grouping related information into sections. The vendor has the ability to duplicate this field up to 20 times for additional input, for a total of 21 entries. If you think the vendor may need to input more than 21 entries, create a second duplicate group field.
Group Fields	No vendor input. Elements are kept together to allow for grouping related information into sections.
Label	No vendor input. This field is used by the owner-agency to label information.
Link	NO vendor input. Vendor will click link to open the designated web page.
Multiline Text Input	Vendor will enter text.
Number Input	Vendor will enter numbers. Only numbers are allowed in this field. Use the Phone Number field to require the vendor to enter a phone number.
Paragraph	No vendor input. This allows you to create a paragraph or multiple lines of text for informational or other purposes.
Percentage Input	Vendor will enter numbers for a percentage.
Phone Number	Vendor will enter a phone number. If this field is required, vendor must enter ten digits. Use the auto-populate selection to have the Bid Express service use the phone number previously entered by the vendor.
Selection List	Vendor will choose among the selections you create.
Text Input	Vendor will enter one line of text. Use the auto-populate selection to have the Bid Express service use the contact information previously entered by the vendor.

Most fields can be further edited to change the label, size, requirements, and other settings to fit your needs.

Modify the build your own element

With your solicitation open, click Edit in the Build Your Own component to display the Build Your Own slider.
Rest your cursor on an element's label.
Click the Settings wheel located next to the red X. The paragraph component does not have a settings wheel.
The Build Your Own component expands to allow you to enter additional information. For a paragraph, click directly into the field to enter your information. You can format the paragraph using the icons at the top of the field.
Rest your mouse cursor over each icon to see its function. Use the auto-populate selection for the Phone Number and Text Input components to have the Bid Express service use the phone number and contact information previously entered by the vendor.
Enter the name of the element in the Label field. You may not be able to change the name of information-only elements.
Select whether the element is required. Some elements may not have the Required option.
Some elements may require additional information. For example, you can decide if the amount a vendor enters in a Currency field should be included in the bid total or you can set the number of decimals allowed in a Number field.
Adjust the size of the element if necessary. Width indicates the element can expand horizontally, while the row height indicates the element can expand vertically. Enter the value for the desired height or width.
Click the X in the Settings window when you are finished.
Click Save in the upper right corner of the Build Your Own component to save your form.
When you are finished, click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return
to the solicitation.

Group elements

The Group Fields element allows an owner-agency to keep fields together to group related information. There is no text input required from the vendor for the group itself, but there may be for the fields in the group. This is for formatting only.

If the vendor may need to enter the information in the fields more than one time, like for filling out subcontractor information, you can group the fields and include the ability for the vendor to duplicate the group by using the Duplicable Group Field function. The vendor can duplicate the field up to 20 times.

Group fields

With your solicitation open, click Edit in the Build Your Own component to display the Build Your Own slider.
Select Group Fields or Duplicable Group Fields from the Build Your Own slider and drag it to the Build Your Own component window.
Click the Settings wheel located next to the X.
Change the name of the field and press Enter in the title window to save the new title and close the Settings wheel.
Click any element in the Build Your Own slider and drag it to the Group Fields section. Once an element has been dragged to the group, you cannot change its location. You cannot create another group inside the original element, but you can add more than one group to the Build Your Own component.
Click Save in the Build Your Own title bar when all elements have been added to the group.
When you are finished with the Build Your Own component, click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return to the main solicitation.

If you used the Duplicable Group Fields, the vendor will see a green plus sign for the grouping in the solicitation.

Delete the group or a group element

When you delete a group, you also delete every field in that group.

To delete one element in the group, rest your cursor on the element and click the X.
To delete the entire group, rest your cursor anywhere in the group field and click the X.
Click OK in the delete confirmation window or click Cancel to return to the group fields without deleting it.

When you are finished, click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return to the main solicitation.

Selection List

When the owner-agency builds a selection list for the Build Your Own component, you must give the vendor listed choices.

Create the list

With your solicitation open, click Edit in the Build Your Own component to display the Build Your Own slider.
Select Selection List from the Build Your Own slider and drag it to the Build Your Own component window.
Rest your cursor on the field label and click the Settings wheel next to the red X.
Change the name of the field.
Enter the options for the list. Press the Enter key after every entry.
Set the width for the field.
Select the appropriate Required and Fixed options and enter any additional text for the field if necessary.
Click the X in the Settings window when you are finished.
When you are finished entering the choices, click Save in the Build Your Own title bar.
Click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return to the main solicitation.

In order to see the list, you must select the Settings wheel again.

Edit the list

Rest your cursor on the field label and click the Settings wheel next to the red X.
Change the incorrect rows or delete the rows you no longer wish to include.
When you are finished, click Save in the Build Your Own title bar.
Click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return to the main solicitation.

Delete an element

The owner-agency can delete elements as part of your Build Your Own component. The Bid Express service will not ask you to confirm your deletion, and it will become effective once you save the component.

With your solicitation open, click Edit in the Build Your Own component to display the Build Your Own slider.
Rest your cursor on the element label.
Click the red X next to the Settings wheel.
Click Save to save the changes.

When you are finished, click the solicitation number in the navigation trail to return to the main solicitation.