Merge Cost Items

You can merge selected cost items together in the CBS, which helps to simplify the structure of an estimate.

Merging cost items in the CBS can make the arrangement of an estimate more manageable, reduce the amount of excess details, and improve efficiency when preparing to transition the estimate for project execution. The level of detail needed in the estimate phase might not be needed in the budgeting and project execution phase of the estimate. Merging cost items lets you transform the structure of the estimate for the purposes of conforming it for budgeting and tracking progress.

You can merge cost items by selecting the parent cost item to merge other cost items into it. In case of a merge conflict, such as attempting to merge two cost items with different tag values, the tag value of the parent cost item is used. The Merge Cost Items action is enabled only for superior cost items that contain terminal cost items. To merge cost items from different locations in the CBS, first move them under a single superior cost item, then click Merge Cost Items in the Actions menu.

The Cost Item Merge Dialog dialog box is designed and functions much like the Cost Item record form. When merging cost items, the superior and subordinate cost items become the source of the merge operation.

The CBS code located at the top left of the window is the new CBS code after the merge is executed.

After you merge cost items, all subordinate cost items quantities, costs, productivity rates and crew compositions are combined into a single parent cost item.

You can add details of the merge changes to the Notes section of the merged cost item. The option to add these notes can be found in the top right section of the Cost Item Merge dialog box.