JC Contracts Form
Use the JC Contracts form to set up contracts.
A contract is a way to designate how one or more jobs may be billed. Contracts are set up in Job Cost to provide the opportunity to link revenue that is posted to contracts to costs that are posted to jobs. Each job you set up in Job Cost must be given a contract number so that:
- you can create meaningful cost reports showing profitability on your jobs.
- the system can suggest amounts to bill in the Job Billing (JB) module based on work complete.
Information entered here automatically updates PM Contracts, as both programs share the same file (JCCM).
- Contract Length and Format - The length and format of your contract code is defined when your system is installed by Viewpoint. Once established, the format should not be changed.
- Department - Each contract must be assigned a department to identify the set of default GL accounts (from the Departments form) to which revenue and related job costs will be posted. Departments are initially assigned at the contract header level, and then defaulted for each item on the contract. You can override the default for each item as necessary.
- Contract Status - A contract is either open, soft-closed, or hard-closed. This status controls whether further postings are allowed, and if so, which GL accounts are used. This status is changed by the Close Contracts program. For more information, click on the Closing Contracts/Jobs topic below.
- Contract Items - A contract item is a breakdown of the contract for billing purposes. Any piece of a contract that will be billed separately should be made a separate item. If the contract type is P (Progress), the items come from the schedule of values or bid items. If the contract type is T (Time & Materials), you may only need to set up one item.
Note: Contract items are set up using the Items tab. You can set them up directly in the grid or via the JC Contract Items form, which can be accessed by double-clicking any item in the grid or by placing focus in the grid and selecting the 'Open Related Record in Form' option from the Records menu
- Security Group - If you are implementing data level security at the contract level, you have the option to assign security groups to each contract you set up in this program. This can be very useful if you regularly set up new contracts, as it allows you to easily designate who will have access to the job without having to go to VA Data Security and set it up. To implement this feature, in VA Data Security Setup, you must have:
- checked the Secure Datatype option for the 'bContract' datatype.
- designated a Default Security Group.
- check the In Use flag for the JCCM (JC Contracts) table, as well as for any other tables to which you want contract level security assigned.
- regenerated views to activate data level security for the specified views/tables
This enables the Security Grp input on this form, allowing you to designate the security group who will have access to information about this contract.Note: It is important to note that in addition to the security group specified on this form, access to information about this contract is automatically granted to the Default Security Group you specified in VA Data Security Setup. In addition, access may be granted to additional groups in VA Data Security Access. - JB Contract Info - This tab is used to set up additional information about a contract for billing purposes. It is identical to the JB Contract Info form, with both updating the JCCM table; therefore, data entered here will be updated to JB Contract Info and vice versa.
- Forecast Tab - The forecast defines, by month, the expected revenue, cost, and profit over the life of the contract. To learn more, see About Contract Forecasts.
- Field Tickets Tab - Use this tab to create field tickets for contracts that will enable linking labor, material, and equipment costs related to specific work activity on a job, and facilitate owner billing. For more information about field tickets, see JC Field Ticket Form.
- Customer POs Tab - Use the Customer POs tab to enter customer purchase orders associated with the contract. If you are using the Field Tickets feature, any customer PO that you reference on a field ticket must first be set up here. If you are not using the Field Tickets feature, entries on this tab are informational only.
Setting Maximum Retention Amounts for Contracts
About the JC Contract Items Form
About the JB Contract Info Form
