One of the most important concepts is the link between contracts and jobs. Every job is assigned to a contract, and every phase of the job must be linked to a contract item.

You can use a very simple scheme where you make each contract one job and link all phases to contract item #1. However, taking advantage of this feature can allow you to develop a standard cost coding scheme that you use on every job, while dealing with each contract on the customer’s terms. The following are some of the ways these links are used by the software.

• When you are ready to bill contract items in the Job Billing (JB) module, the system can provide an up-to-the-minute record of all costs that have been posted to the job phases linked to those contract item(s).

• When you are preparing to pay subcontractors, the system can provide contract billed-to-date information helpful in determining the amount you want to pay the subcontractor.

• You can develop reports showing costs (of jobs) with revenue (from contracts) to obtain a current status and full picture of profitability.

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