Design Quantities and Estimates (DQE)

Please address any questions regarding DQE to:

Cheri Sylvester
Estimating Systems Support
Cheri.Sylvester@dot.state.fl.us
(850) 414-4179

DQE is an application used by FDOT Estimators to produce detailed Construction Cost Estimates. RACF access must be granted by FDOT to login. Pay item details are found under the Basis of Estimates tab using the BOE Chapter Index which corresponds to the pay item range. This information does not require access to view.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I do if the BOE Pay Item Structures is not loading for a selected chapter?
This issue is caused because of a browser caching issue and can be fixed by clearing your browsers cache. If you are using Edge or Chrome, you can do a hard refresh.  To do this, simply press Ctrl+Shift+R when on the DQE page.

How do I export a list of all pay items?
On the Master Pay Item List under options, you have the option to generate a report containing pay item information. The options for this report is as follows:

  • Select Master File: The pay item master file year.
  • Has Structure: Exclude pay items that do not have a pay item structure.
  • Show Current Items Only: Exclude obsolete pay items.
  • Output Format: The output format of the report, whether PDF or Excel.

What is the meaning of each column in the pay item extract?

  • Item Number: Unique number that identifies the pay item.
  • Item Description: A description of the pay item.
  • Unit Measure: The unit of measure used to quantify the item. View values and descriptions.
  • Item Class: Lists the codes associated with the Prequalification Classes which are used to determine when a bidder is qualified to perform the work (these are used for calculating the percentage of work on a proposal/contract for each code on the included pay items). View values and descriptions.
  • Combine Flag: Sets the default status for when like pay items should or should not be rolled together in the bidding documents at the proposal/contract level (if the quantity bid on is to be totaled across all included projects, or if it should be bid on for each project quantity separately)
  • Is Obsolete: Indicates if the pay item is obsolete. Obsolete pay items cannot be used on new projects.
  • Valid Date: The date that the pay item becomes valid.
  • Obsolete Date: The date that the pay item becomes obsolete.

What is RACF/Mainframe? 
Mainframe is a separate system that uses RACF to authenticate. This is a different set of credentials from the ones you use to login to your computer; however, your username is the same. You will need to have 'Mainframe' selected on your AARF to have a mainframe account. Some FDOT applications utilize RACF and your mainframe account to authenticate you. Such application are as follows:

  • Long Range Estimating (LRE)
  • Design Quantities and Estimates (DQE)
  • AASHTOWare Project Webgate Reporting (Webgate)
  • Designer Interface
  • Electronic Review Comments (ERC)

RACF has its own set of password standards. They are as follows:

  • Expires every 65 days
  • Must be EXACTLY 8 characters
  • Can contain upper and lowercase letters (at least 1 uppercase letter required)
  • Can contain numbers
  • DO NOT use special characters
  • Do not reuse any password used in the past 4 years

You will NOT get any advanced notification that your password is about to expire. It is suggested that you setup a reminder for yourself if you don't want to go through changing the password after it expires.

For assistance, please contact Estimates Systems Support.