Before you begin Bid File Maintenance we recommend reading Bid File Multipliers to become familiar with the terminology used in this article and common uses cases for defining multipliers.
Types of Bid Files
Two types of Bid File items exist based on the Distributors Maintenance Type.
Auto: used for electronically integrated Distributors. These will display in black text. Item Number, Pack Size and Price are controlled by the Distributor via the integration. The description is a free text field that can be edited in Decision Logic and will display on your Order Guide.
Manual: used for non-electronic Distributors. These will display in red text. all fields can be edited. Price updates are a manual requirement.
View Items
Navigate to Maintenance > Product > Bid Files
- Select the Distributor you want to view items for from the distributor drop-down list
- If no dc items exist for the distributor the category dropdown will be blank.
- For Bulk Import and Mapping of 20 or more items, you may request a bid file import template from helpdesk@decisionlogic.co to import items.
- DC Item # that exist will appear listed by Category and DC Item #.
- Category references the Cogs Accounting Category based on the Account or Ingredient selected in the bid file item detail.
Show Multipliers
- To see existing Bid File Multipliers select Show Multipliers. This view can be helpful for seeing how existing items are defined to guide you on how to map ingredients and define Multipliers for replacement products as your item numbers change.
- DC Item # that need Multipliers defined, will display as blank in the Recipe Muplitplier and Inventory Multiplier (RMX and IMX) columns.
- Recipe Multiplier (RMX) can be left blank for items that do not go in a recipe and will report as Actual only in Theoretical vs Actual reporting.
- For more examples on how to set Multipliers see Bid File Multipliers
Download
- Select Download to export a Distributor Bid File to excel
Adding a new bid file item
For Electronic Distributors: You may need to add bid file items manually to electronic distributors to account for unassigned items when using EBR Exception Based Receiving
For Manual Distributors: add a new bid file item any time you get a new product. It is best practice to map new products to existing ingredients. You do not need a new ingredient every time a new item number is added to a bid file or if a pack size changes. Instead, map the new dc item # to an existing ingredient. This will ensure the new dc item # is tracked and depleted from ingredients tied to existing recipes.
- Select Add Item
- Define the following fields
Item #: This is a required field and should be filled out with the distribution center’s unique item identifier number
- DC Item numbers that inventoried items must be mapped to an Ingredient with Inventory Multiplier (IMX) and Price greater than zero. Add the item # to the Order Guide.
- DC Item numbers that are non-inventoried purchases do not need to be mapped to an ingredient. Instead, map those to an Acct Category and put on the Order Guide.
Ingredient
Map Item # to Ingredient
Recipe and Inventory Measure will appear once an ingredient is selected. This will help define what Multipliers should be applied.
Description: Enter Description from the Order Guide or Invoice
Mfg: Optional. This field is not referenced in Decision Logic on any other reports.
Brand: Optional
Pk/Sz: indicate the package quantity and size the item is shipped in. This will display on the Order Guide and is helpful for defining Multipliers.
Inventory Multiplier (IMX): the total number of inventoried units based on price
Recipe Multiplier (RMX): the total number of recipe units it takes to equal one inventory unit of measure.
Shrink: applying shrink to bid file item in decimal format will shrink raw product immediately when received. We recommend not applying shrink to bid file items, but instead to visualize product level of shrink in IvA and COGS reporting build-out Prepped Items indicating different levels of yield to reflect the stages of shrink.
- Price: can be entered as Case Price or Each Price depending on your Pk/SZ and Inventory Measure.
- see Case and Each Price settings for Broken / Split cases below.
Margin: Optional
Freight: Optional. Not used.
When finished with item setup select Save
Add item to order guide.
Splits or Broken Cases
This is only needed if you are ordering this item electronically from Decision Logic, or creating fake Orders for manual distributors via Enter Order. If you are not placing orders from Decision Logic for this item you can skip this setting. If the Distributor is US Foods please see Bid File Maintenance#USFoodsBrokenCaseBidFiles
Here you may indicate whether this item can be ordered in broken cases by checking the Broken Case Box to enable Order By Options.
Electronic Distributors control this setting, therefore, it may not be available on all items. Contact your distributor to request they enable this setting in the Electronic Bid File they send Decision Logic if needed.
If this box is not checked then the default is a case price.
Price: enter the cost of the item per case price for this item
Catch Weight Items
Some items, such as meats, can be sold by average weight or “catchweight.” The item costs more if it weighs more. If you decide to make this item a catchweight, you must enter the average weight here and change the price field to the per-pound price. The total price field will then display the per pound price multiplied by the average weight.
- Electronic Bid Files catch weight settings are controlled by your distributor.
- For Inventory by the LB set Catch Weight to 1 and Inventory Multiplier (IMX) to 1.
- The price will update to the LB price on Electronic Bid Files when Catch Weight is changed to 1 or manually changed to the per lb price for manual bids.
Catch Weight Items Receive by LB or Case
- For catch weight items you may choose to define a Receive Method either by LB or Case.
- Setting a Catch Weight item to Receive Method: Case will set the Quantity (QTY) on the E-Invoice to blank
- When using EBR Exception Based Receiving users will need to enter the correct Case Quantity (QTY) for catch weight items set to receive by case.
US Foods Broken Case Bid Files
If you are ordering from US Foods, they require that Broken Case bid files be set up to order by the Both so that it will clear the broken case flag on their end.
If they are only set to order by each, or only set to order by the case, then US Foods does not fulfill the order for that item.
If set to Each and the ordered quantity is >= the number of each (EA) in 1 Case, then the item will be dropped by USF.
When you set the case to order by Both then you will also need to set the case break multiplier, see below for those instructions.
Order by Both
To set up an item to be ordered by Case, Each or Both:
- Select a DC item # to open the detail
- Select an Order By option.
- Order by Each
- When ordering by Each make sure to set the Inv Multiplier (IMX) = 1
- Order by Case
- If set to Both, make sure that the Recipe Multiplier (RMX) and Inventory Multiplier (IMX) are representative of a case of product,
- set the Case Break Multiplier field to be the same as the Inventory Mx for most items
- For items that are inventory by the pound (LB) reference the pack size (Pk/SZ) to know how to define the Case Break Multiplier
Example A:
Example B:
- Item is Inventory by LB
- Inventory Multiplier (IMX) is 20 lbs per case
- Pack size (PK/SZ) is 4-5 lb
- Order by Both
- Case Break Multiplier would be 5 as 5/20 lbs = 4 packs (pks)
Note: stores cannot choose a case and an each on the same order
Archive or Un-archive
Please note: archiving a Bid File Item will remove it from all Order Guides. This item will no longer be used in any Supply Chain Reporting or other reporting that reference bid file item.
- Select View All to view any existing archived items in orange.
- Select a DC Item # to open the detail
- Check or un-check the Archived box to archive or un-archive an item.
- Archiving a DC Item # will remove it from all Order Guides. You will need to add the item back to the Order Guide
- after un-archiving any DC item #.
- Select View Active to return to a filtered item list excluding archived items.
Different Pack Sizes Ordered Within the same week
Decision Logic cannot accurately calculate different sized pack sizes of a product when they are both ordered (and the order is posted as received) within the same week when ALL of the following are true:
- They are both mapped to the same ingredient
- They have different Recipe Multiplier (RMX)
- They have different Inventory Multiplier (IMX)
If both pack sizes are ordered within the same week, then the ending inventory value will not be accurate.
If the items are ordered within different weeks, then we can calculate the ending inventory correctly.
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For additional questions or assistance, please submit a support ticket by visiting the Decision Logic Help Center.