Compare BoQ

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Cons → Group QS

Command ID: btnBoqCompare

License required

This command needs an active DVDAddin account (Standard or PRO). During the Trial period it is fully available.

What it does

The command matches two bills of quantities by code / key and produces a reconciliation sheet: quantity in version A, quantity in version B, absolute delta, percentage delta and a colour-coded status of Increased / Decreased / New / Removed, plus a summary block. Map a unit-price column as well and you also get the delta expressed in money.

Use it for tender BoQ versus as-built BoQ, original versus revised, or the contractor's copy versus the consultant's copy — exactly the comparisons where a manual row-by-row check tends to miss a new or dropped code.

How to use

1. Open the workbooks holding the BoQs. You need at least two sheets across one or two open workbooks, otherwise the add-in reports "Need at least 2 sheets…".
2. Click DVD Cons → QS → Compare BoQ.
3. In the Compare BoQ quantities (2 versions) window pick File A (original) and File B (new).
4. Choose the Scope:
   • Single sheet (selected above) — pick Sheet A and Sheet B in the two combo boxes;
   • Multiple sheets — tick to choose (default: all) — the window widens and shows a sheet checklist with All / None buttons.
5. Map the columns by letter; the mapping applies to both sheets (the two versions must share a layout):
   • Code / match-key column (required) — default B
   • Description column (optional) — default C
   • Unit column (optional) — default D
   • Quantity column (required) — default E
   • Unit price column (optional → adds the value delta)
6. Enter Header rows to skip (default 1).
7. Click Compare — the result sheet is generated. Click Cancel to exit.

Example

Workbook "BoQ Zone A" has sheets Tender and AsBuilt with the same layout: B = code, C = description, D = unit, E = quantity, F = unit price.

Set File A = File B = "BoQ Zone A", Scope = Single sheet, Sheet A = Tender, Sheet B = AsBuilt, map Key = B, Description = C, Unit = D, Qty = E, Unit price = F, header rows = 1, then click Compare.

Code	Qty (A)	Qty (B)	Delta	Status
AF.11110	120.0	132.5	+12.5 (+10.4%)	Increased
AE.22110	850.0	812.0	−38.0 (−4.5%)	Decreased
AK.31120	—	45.0	+45.0	New
AB.10100	260.0	—	−260.0	Removed

Notes

• Matching relies entirely on the code / key: a one-character difference shows as "Removed" in A and "New" in B, so normalise codes before running.
• Repeated codes inside the same sheet are aggregated, not compared row by row.
• One column mapping serves both versions, so the two sheets must share the same column layout; if they differ, copy one onto an intermediate sheet first.
• Selecting the exact same sheet for A and B is blocked with "Pick two DIFFERENT versions".
• The output goes to a new sheet; both source BoQ sheets are left unchanged.

Related

• Interim Payment — once the quantity delta is agreed, build the period payment table.
• Variation Register — turn the increased/new items into a priced variation register.
• AI Construction Estimate — estimate rates for codes that only appear in version B.
• Autosum — total the quantity groups quickly on the result sheet.