Help Index




2501 North Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110-1189		Ph: 717/234-3255 Fax: 717/234-3316

	Click on a question to view the answer.


1:		How do I find a project when I know the Project Number?
		To find a project when you know the Project Number, click on "My Deskpad" at the top of the COOL homepage or any other page. On the left hand side you will notice a box named "Project Quick Search". In the "Project ID" field in this box enter the year followed by a hyphen and the 4 digit number for the project you wish to find. For example 2004-9342.

2:		How do I find a list of new projects since a specific date?
		Choose "My Deskpad" from any page and then select "My New Active Projects". You can enter any date you wish to receive a list of all new projects since the date entered. This feature will automatically "clock" the last time it was used and will by default show all projects since that date and time.

3:		How do I subscribe to projects to receive e-mail updates on Addenda, Extensions, etc.?
		From any listing of projects, just click the "Track W/E-Mail" box and you will be instantaneously subscribed to that project. You will notice that the project name will immediately turn red, identifying this project as one that you are tracking.

4:		How do I save CSI codes and/or descriptions so the COOL service will notify me when new projects arrive that match my criteria?
		After conducting any search from the "Search for Projects" screen you can save the search as a "Filter". It is important that you name the Filter something appropriate that will indicate the parameters of the search to you. Once a filter or multiple filters have been saved, your nightly e-mail update will notify you of any new projects that match your saved filters.

5:		How do I know which projects I am tracking?
		From the "My Deskpad" page select "Tracked Projects" or "Filters List" and you will be presented with a complete listing of all your saved filters as well as all tracked projects segregated by category (Active, Low Bidders, Etc.).

6:		What are Private Projects?
		Private Projects is a forthcoming service provided by the Mid Atlantic BX. General Contractors, Owners, Architects, Developers, Etc. will be able to control access to any given project they provide to the Exchange. We will scan and document all of the pertinent information and they will have the ability to send electronic bid invitations with a specific access code for that project only. Members and Non-Members will have the ability to view that one project as long as they are provided with the access code. This feature will enable all privately bid and negotiated projects to be available through the Exchange's COOL website, but only to selected bidders.

7:		What are projects in Pre-Bid Stage?
		Pre-Bid is a forthcoming service provided by the Mid Atlantic BX. In early 2005 the Exchange will begin tracking projects that are not yet out for bid. This will enable many Member firms to have their products specified as well as provide numerous other advantages to all Member firms.

8:		How do I view blueprints?
		To view blueprints you must first download AND install the FREE MaxView Viewer software. Just click on the MaxView link on the login screen or any other page. Upon entering the MaxView website you should select "Registration" and complete the requested information. You will then be advanced to a page where you should select to download the MaxView software. It is advisable to download "to your desktop", that will provide an easy to use icon when the download is complete. Then just double click the icon and answer affirmative for all questions to complete the install process. Always select the "Free Reader" option for the first 30 days as the software will revert to this version after the initial trial period. The FREE Viewer will enable you to view, print, and utilize other basic tools.

9:		How can I get help with MaxView?
		Whenever the MaxView software is in use you can choose "Help" at the end of the top menu bar. Click on "Help" and then "Using MaxView". This will open a complete tutorial from which you can select the appropriate topic.

10:		How do I remove a tracked project so I stop receiving e-mail updates?
		If you click on "My Deskpad" at the top of any of our web pages you will see on the right hand side a link for "Tracked Projects". Just click on this link and you will see a list of all projects you are tracking. Just click the delete button next to any project you no longer wish to receive updates for.

11:		How do I go "Back" after clicking on a link from my "PopUp Monthly Bid Calendar"?
		As a "PopUp" the regular "Back" button is disabled on these screens. You can still go "Back" by right clicking and selecting back or pressing the Alt key in combination with the left arrow key.

12:		What is "Checking on Availability", "Will be Available", "Not Available", and "On Line Only"?
		"Checking On Availability" means we have requested the project documents but have not received a response at this time. "Will Be Available" means we have received a positive response on our request and the Specs and Plans will be on-line as soon as we receive them. "Not Available" means the plan issuer has refused our request for a copy of the documents and we are unable to make them available to you. We do provide the name and number of where YOU can purchase these documents. As a non-profit organization it is our policy NOT to pay for plans & specs as this would cause our fees to become cost prohibitive for our Members. "On-Line Only" means the documents were provided to us in electronic format only. We upload this information to our website but do not have the paper documents in our office. We can still make print copies for you but a hard copy is not available in our physical Planroom.

13:		How do I create My Plans On File?
		After logging on to our COOL website, www.MidAtlanticBX.com , click on "Current Projects Out For Bid" (second selection on the left-hand side). Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Create My Plans On File". It is just that simple!!! You now have a complete up-to-the-minute Plans On File that is not only printable, but while on your computer screen all the projects are hot-linked so you can advance directly to the project detail page. Best of all, you can customize Your Plans On File to include or exclude the Index, Bulletin, or Low Bid Results. Also, this "Create My Plans On File" button is available for every Filter or Search that you run. That's right, you can actually create a Plans On File that will only include the projects that match your Filter(s). This way you eliminate all the information on the projects that don't matter to you.

14:		How do I download Specs and Addenda?
		After clicking on the link for a spec section or an addenda you can download the file by clicking on the "Disk" button in the upper left hand corner of the Adobe window. Suggestion: Create a folder for each individual project for which you wish to download items. Then select that folder for all downloads associated with that project.

15:		What if I get a message at login that says "This page cannot be found" or "This page cannot be displayed"?
		This is an indication that your Temporary Internet Files folder may be full. At the top of your Internet Explorer browser window, click on Tools/Internet Options. Click on "Delete Files" under "Temporary Internet Files". Be sure to check the "Delete all offline content" box and then click on OK. This may run for several minutes if you have not deleted these files recently.

16:		How do I download Blueprints?
		After opening the Plans via the MaxView viewer, use the index of drawings on the left hand side to highlight the individual prints you wish to download by left clicking your mouse once. To select multiple plans hold down the CTRL Key while selecting or to select a range of plans, select the first plan and then hold down the Shift Key when selecting the last plan of your range. After selecting the plans you wish to download right click your mouse while the cursor is over top the selected drawings. Select "Download Pages", and "Selected Pages". All plans selected will then download consecutively. The plans will download to C:\Program Files\MaxView\MaxCache by default. Please change the download path to the proper folder by selecting "Options" and "Internet" from the top menu bar. We highly recommend that you create a folder for each project that you wish to download. This will make it very easy for you to locate your files in the future.

17:		How do I stop MaxView from opening all image files, even when I'm not on the Builders Exchange website?
		Click on Control Panel from your desktop and select Folder Options. Click File Types. Type TIF (it doesn't look like you can, but you can). Click on CHANGE and change it to the program that you want to open the TIF files. Then click OK.

18:		How do I setup a Filter?
		On the Construction Reports Menu select "Search for Projects". You are advanced to a page that allows you to mix or match multiple selection criteria, including "Key Words". Select the criteria of your choice and then click on "Review Search" to view a listing of the matching projects. It is best to then click on "Save Search". You can then enter the name you choose for this Search Filter and save it to be re-run whenever you choose. From this point forward you will receive nightly e-mails alerting you to all new projects that match this Filter's criteria.