Overview
- How to configure the Cost Controlling table
- Saving different View Configurations
- Exporting the Cost Controlling table in excel or PDF
- Functions and information regarding the most important columns
Configuring the Cost Controlling Table
Cost controlling is the core of Alasco's Costs feature. All the data entered comes together in one table. The Cost controlling table provides an overview of a single project or your entire account (multi-project controlling).
You can access the Cost Controlling table by clicking on the menu item "Costs" and the submenu item "Cost controlling" on the multi-project level or in a project.
At the multi-project level, the table can be viewed according to projects or properties. You also have the option to display specific project groups. To do so, click the drop-down "All projects" button at the top and select the respective project group.
At the project level, the Cost Controlling table can be viewed according to contract units or cost groups. You also can view the table based on the project's cost allocation. To do this, click the first drop-down menu and select "Other groupings". Then select the cost allocation, which you must have created first, and choose whether cost groups, contract units and/or contracts will be displayed.
You can change the order of the columns in the Cost Controlling table via the drop-down menu "Edit columns" through drag & drop. You can remove columns you do not need or display additional columns by clicking the "Add column" button.
You can use the filter function to display specific rows depending on the chosen configuration. For example, you can view specific cost groups or contract units.
Saving View Configurations
In Alasco, you can save different configurations of the Cost Controlling. To do this, click the drop-down menu next to the "Save" button. Here you can name and save the current configuration. If you have created other configurations, you can switch between them here as well.
Hint:
The saved configurations are user-specific. If you save a configuration, it will be available in all your projects. Other users cannot see your Cost Controlling table configuration and must create their own.
Tip:
As an admin, you can share the table configurations you have created with other users in the account to ensure everyone involved in the project sees the same figures. To do this, click the three dots next to the configuration you wish to share. Then, choose "Share" and select "All users".
Exporting the Cost Controlling Table
You can export the Cost Controlling table as an Excel or PDF file. To do this, click the download button at the top right side of the table.
Hint:
The exported table matches what is displayed in Alasco i.e. only the expanded rows will be exported. Therefore, ensure all relevant rows are expanded before exporting.
Essential columns in the Cost Controlling table
1. Initial budget
The initial budget is the preliminary budget set up for planned contracts. The budget is created according to the cost groups and then distributed to the contract units entirely or partially.
2. Current budget
The current budget represents the budget after all changes, including increases, decreases and transfers. Budget changes can be made at the contract unit level.
While budget increases and decreases directly impact the total project budget, transfers from one contract unit to another leave the current budget unchanged. An overview of all budget changes can be seen in the tab "Budget change" under the submenu item "Budget" under "Costs".
3. Contract Volume in Draft
The sum of all contracts with "Draft" status.
4. Main Contracts Amount
The sum of all contract amounts with the statuses "Ordered", "Partially Completed", and "Completed".
5. Change Orders Amount
The sum of all approved change orders.
6. Open Change Orders (Unweighted)
The sum of all change orders in a contract currently under review without taking into account the weighting factor.
7. Open Change Orders (Real Case)
The sum of the open change orders in a contract, taking into account the weighting factor for real-case cost forecast.
8. Contract Volume
The sum of all contract amounts plus approved change orders.
9. Planned and Realised Receivables
The sum of all receivables in a contract. A distinction is made between planned receivables and realised receivables. You can create receivables in a contract at any time. Depending on the project and contract forecast settings, these influence the real-case and worst-case forecasts.
10. Reserves
The sum of reserves created within a contract. These are initially only displayed in the Cost Controlling table and do not affect the contract volume.
When creating and checking a change order, you can decide whether it should be deducted from the existing reserves.
11. Open Risks
The sum of all financial risks that have been added to a contract. These are initially only displayed in the Cost Controlling table and do not affect the contract volume or existing reserves. If the respective event occurs, the risk must be manually deleted from the contract, and a corresponding change order must be created.
12. Project and Contract Cost Forecast (Real Case)
The real-case forecast at project and contract levels are the most probable outcome of costs.
The project forecast is only available at the contract unit level. On the other hand, the contract forecast is available at the contract unit and contract level. Detailed information regarding the project and contract cost forecasts are explained in detail in a separate help center article. To adjust what is included for the real and worst case scenarios, go to the Forecast Settings under the master data.
Calculation of the project forecast
The project forecast is calculated by summing up all the data for a contract unit and depends primarily on the status of the contract unit.
Since either the current budget or the contract forecast is used, project forecasts can only be calculated at the contract unit level (or higher) and not at the level below (contracts).
The status of the individual contract units defines whether the "current budget" or "contract forecast" will be used for the forecast.
Contract unit with the status Budgeted
As long as a contract unit has the status "Budgeted", the project forecast corresponds to the current budget of the contract unit.
The status "Budgeted" indicates a relatively early point in the course of the project or during the planning process, at which time usually no contracts have yet been awarded.
For this reason, the system assumes that you will also completely use up the previously calculated budget, which is why this is used as the project forecast.
Contract unit with the status Fully Awarded or Finalized
As soon as a contract unit has the status "Fully Awarded" or "Finalized", the project forecast is based on the more precise contract forecast of the contract unit.
The contract forecast is calculated based on the contracts within the contract unit and can be individually adjusted in the forecast settings within the master data.
The status "Fully Awarded" indicates some or all of the contracts within the contract unit have already been awarded; some contracts may even be already completed.
The contract unit automatically assumes the status "Finalized" as soon as all contracts receive a "Completed" status. This can be done manually or through the approval and payment of the final invoice.
After the status has been changed, the individual contract forecast is used to calculate the project forecast, and a distinction is made between the real-case and worst-case forecasts.
Contingency contract unit
Contract units of the type "Contingency" are an exception in the calculation of the project forecast. Their current budgets are always included in the worst-case project forecast.
Note:
If your Alasco account was created before calendar week 42 (2020), the old calculation logic will be available. In the master data, admins can select under the menu item "Project forecast settings" whether the old calculation logic "predefined" or the new "configurable (recommended)" calculation method should be applied. This setting applies to the entire Alasco account.
A detailed list of the differences can be found in the following article in our Help Center: Predefined Project Forecasting (no longer recommended).
Calculation of the contract forecast
The contract forecast is calculated by adding or subtracting all relevant values of a contract. Which values are added or subtracted as part of the contract forecast can be freely configured for the real and worst case scenarios by an admin in the master data under the menu item "Forecast settings". These settings apply to the entire Alasco account.
Depending on the status of a contract, either the maximum of target vs actual costs or only the actual costs are used to calculate the contract forecast.
Contract with the status Draft, Ordered or Partially Completed
As long as a contract has the status "Draft", "Ordered", or "Partially Completed", it depends on whether the sum of the target costs or the actual costs is higher.
The target costs come from the contract volume; the actual costs correspond to the paid invoices. Detailed lists for both target and actual costs can be found below.
Contract forecast (real case) = maximum of target costs or actual costs (real case)
Contract forecast (worst case) = maximum of target costs or actual costs (worst case)
Contract with the status Completed
As soon as a contract has the status "Completed", the contract forecast corresponds to the actual costs, i.e. the approved invoices.
Contract forecast (real case) = actual costs (real case)
Contract forecast (worst case) = actual costs (worst case)
Target costs
Target costs include the following data from a contract unit or contract:
- Draft contracts
- Main contracts
- Acknowledged change orders
- Open change orders
- Reserves
- Risks
- Planned receivables
- Realized receivables
In the master data, under the menu item "Forecast settings", an admin can define the individual items that should be added to the contract forecast for the real and worst case scenarios. Receivables can be subtracted.
Note:
Please note that in Alasco all target and actual costs included in the real case forecast must also be included in the worst case forecast.
Conversely, all costs deducted in the worst case forecast must also be deducted in the real case forecast. The respective checkbox is greyed-out and can only be changed once the other checkmark has been removed from the respective forecast.
Actual costs
Actual costs include the following data of a contract:
- Approved invoices
- Contractual retentions (general and defects liability retentions)
- Other retentions
- Planned receivables
- Realized receivables
In the master data, under the menu item "Forecast settings", an admin can define the individual items that should be added to the contract forecast for the real and worst case scenarios. Receivables can be subtracted.
Note:
Please note that in Alasco all target and actual costs included in the real case forecast must also be included in the worst case forecast.
Conversely, all costs deducted in the worst case forecast must also be deducted in the real case forecast. The respective checkbox is greyed-out and can only be changed once the other checkmark has been removed from the respective forecast.
Tip:
As soon as the actual costs, i.e. the approved invoices plus retentions, exceed the target costs, the actual costs are used in the cost forecast. This also applies as soon as a contract is (partially) completed.
13. Project and Contract Budget Deviation Real Case
The difference between the current budget of a contract unit and the calculated real-case project or contract forecast. You can view the deviation in absolute values or as a percentage.
14. Project and Contract Cost Forecast (Worst Case)
The worst-case forecasts at the project and contract level are intended to show what could happen in an extreme case and represent the project's most unfavourable financial outcome.
The worst-case forecast is calculated similarly to the real-case forecasts. To see and modify which amounts are included or excluded from the real and worst case forecasts, go to the "Forecast Settings" under the master data. Detailed information regarding the project and contract cost forecasts are explained in detail in a separate help center article.
The key difference between the real case and the worst case forecast is that the totals of the unweighted amounts of open change orders (change orders with the statuses "open" and "details entered") are taken into account.
Note:
If an award unit has already been completed, the actual costs, i.e. the approved invoices plus retentions, are included in the forecast instead.
15. Project and Contract Budget Deviation Worst Case
The difference between the current budget of a contract unit and the calculated worst-case project or contract forecast. You can view the deviation in absolute values or as a percentage.
16. Progress Reported (%)
The progress report as a percentage of the contract volume. Progress reports are entered directly within a contract.
17. Contractual & Manual Retentions
The sum of all retentions calculated during the invoice approval workflow. A distinction is made between contractual retentions, such as the general and defects liability retentions, and manually-created retentions during the invoice approval workflow.
18. Approved Amounts
The sum of all approved invoices in a contract.
19. Approved Amount (%)
The percentage of approved invoices in relation to the contract volume.
20. Paid Amount
The sum of all invoices marked as paid in a contract.
21. Paid Amount (%)
The percentage of paid invoices in relation to the contract volume.
22. Realised Cash Discount (approved)
The sum of the realised cash discount amounts of approved invoices in a contract.
In addition to these columns, you can display area-related KPIs, the contractor, and the accounts payable number.