Overview
- Overview of the basics of Alasco
- In this and other articles in our Help Center, further information and helpful articles are highlighted in blue. By clicking on the highlighted words, you can access additional information from other articles
What is Alasco used for?
Alasco is a financial management platform for construction and real estate projects. With Alasco, you get a simple and quick overview your project's current budget and contract management. This allows you to have full cost control over your project at all times. This article is provided to help users who have not gone through the onboarding phase, but also contains valuable, basic information for all other users.
Who is responsible for setting up projects on the Alasco platform? How can I get help with problems?
Alasco's Customer Enablement Manager has set up the existing projects with your project administrator during the onboarding phase. Your project administrator can set up new projects on the platform themselves. We have documentation regarding all functions of the Alasco platform in our Help Center. From your Alasco account, you can access the "Help Center" page in the top right corner of the screen. You can also access our Help Center via the website support.alasco.de.
If you find errors in the system or the documentation in the Help Center is not sufficient, you can contact our Customer Enablement Team / Support Team directly. For this purpose, you can use the "Contact us" button in the navigation on the left side of the screen. You can use the Live Chat for urgent issues or submit a regular support request. You can also send us a message at any time using the e-mail address support@alasco.de.
How are budgets displayed in Alasco, and how do you get a quick overview of the current project status?
In Alasco, each user has their own Dashboard, which gives an overview of all project data. The following articles explain how to create contract units and assign budgets.
Who uploads invoices to the platform, and how does it work?
An invoice approval process was created in Alasco during the onboarding phase. Roles were also defined for all users. If, according to your role, you are responsible for uploading invoices to the platform, you will learn more about this function in the next step. Alasco offers you several ways to upload an invoice. By clicking on the "+" button in the navigation bar at the top of the screen, you can quickly add an invoice to a project in Alasco from anywhere. Alternatively, you can add a new invoice from the multi-project view or directly within the corresponding project by clicking on the menu item "Costs", then "Invoices", finally via the button "+ Add invoice".
One or more invoices, in PDF form, can be uploaded via drag & drop or via the browser window. These are then automatically uploaded to the platform and processed according to the established invoice approval process.
How are invoices processed in Alasco, and how are they approved?
The invoice approval process has been defined for your projects together with your administrator. Each step contains a task to be carried out by the assigned person. The basic invoice approval process structure has a minimum of three steps.
The data from the uploaded invoice is read by the software and transferred to the appropriate fields in Alasco. The first task is to verify the invoice details automatically inputted by Alasco.
The second optional step is the "Formal Invoice Verification", in which the data of the client, contractor and the invoice are rechecked for formal correctness.
In the third and last important step, the invoice is technically and factually checked and approved. During the approval process, a stamp can be placed on the invoice cover sheet to document by whom and when the invoice was approved.
In each verification step, stamps, checks, marks and comments can be placed on the invoice, which can be printed out if required. The invoice approval process can deviate from this standard and be extended according to your requirements.
How can new contract units be entered into Alasco?
During the project, new contract units can be created and expenses can be combined. To do this, you can create new contract units in Alasco and allocate original budgets to them. Furthermore, you can edit existing contract units and make budget transfers and increases.
Can the cost monitoring also be displayed in other representations according to the components or the individual construction types?
In Alasco, project costs are displayed in two ways: Firstly, the budgets and costs can be structured in cost groups according to DIN 276, and secondly, they can be displayed directly in contract units. In many cases, you need a flexible presentation according to different categories or types of use. For this purpose, Alasco offers you the possibility to create cost allocations in order to divide the costs within a project into different categories, such as construction phases, sub-projects, residential units, etc. You can then also display these allocations in the form of award units. You can then also display these allocations in the cost monitoring.