Measurement book, retention and advances
Site staff measure each item's work by place, as Nos. x length x breadth x depth with photos; a manager certifies it, and only certified quantities reach the running bill. Retention is kept from every bill and released in one step, and the mobilisation advance is recovered bill by bill.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Measurements are argued over at every bill because nobody wrote down where and how they were taken.
- Retention is held for years and nobody remembers how much is owed.
- The mobilisation advance is forgotten and the last bill pays it twice.
How it works
- On a running work order, open Construction > Projects > Subcontracts > Measurement Book > New, or measure in the app.
- For each item and place, fill Nos., length, breadth and depth; the quantity is worked out, or type it. Add a note and a photo per line.
- A Construction Manager presses Certify. The certified quantity adds to the item's measured quantity and the measurement is fixed.
- With the project's Quality Gate on Billing switched on, Certify is refused while a hold-point inspection at that place is waiting or rejected.
- The running bill takes only certified measurements. Retention and the advance recovery are worked out on each bill from the order's percentages.
- At the end of the defects period, press Release Retention on the work order. It makes a bill paying back all the retention held, sent for approval like any bill.
Everything it does
Measurements
- Number, work order, subcontractor, date, measured by, notes, photos
- Lines: item, place, Nos., length, breadth, depth or height, quantity, note, photo
- Quantity = Nos. x the sizes filled in, or typed; must be above zero
- Draft, Certified, Billed; the bill that took it is shown
- Only on running work orders; certified measurements are fixed
- More than ordered can be measured; the bill stops it until the order is amended
- Site staff (Construction User) can make measurements; certifying is for managers
Retention
- Retention % per work order, kept from the gross of each bill
- Retention Held on the work order: kept by approved bills less released
- Release Retention: a bill with the full amount held, once no bill is open
- Booked to the retention payable account set in Accounting > Settings > Construction
Advances
- Advance Paid and Advance Recovered % per work order
- Each bill recovers the % of its gross, never more than is left
- A bill recovering more than is left is refused
- Booked to the advances to subcontractors account
Quality and other checks
- Quality Gate on Billing, a switch per project, with inspection and test plans
- A closed non-conformance charged to the subcontractor becomes a back-charge on the next bill
- The same measurement and certify steps run the piece work of your own gangs
Who uses it
Site engineerMeasures the work with sizes and photos, on the web or in the app.
Construction ManagerCertifies measurements and releases retention.
Quantity surveyorChecks measurements before they are billed and follows retention held.
SubcontractorSees certified measurements and the retention held on the portal.
Where you use it
- Web: Construction > Projects > Subcontracts > Measurement Book; Release Retention on the work order
- The SmartMy Construction app: More > Measure work, with photos, also without signal. Certify for managers. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Subcontractor portal: certified measurements and approved bills, read only
What you control
Settings
- Retention %, advance and recovery % per work order
- Quality Gate on Billing per project (off to start with)
- Retention and advance accounts per Entity
Approvals
- Certify is done by a Construction Manager, not a chain; the retention release bill goes through the Subcontractor Bill chain
Notifications
- Not built: a message to the subcontractor when a measurement is certified; they see it on the portal
Questions
Can a measurement be changed after it is certified?
No. A certified measurement is fixed. Record a correction in a new measurement, or give it back from a draft bill before approval.Can we see the retention we hold for each subcontractor?
Yes. Each work order shows Retention Held: kept by approved bills less what was released. Group the work orders by subcontractor.Does a failed quality check stop billing?
Yes, when the project's Quality Gate on Billing is on. A waiting or rejected hold-point inspection at the place stops certifying, and so billing.Can our engineers measure on the phone?
Yes. The app lists running work orders with their items and takes measurements with photos, also without signal. It is built and being tested, not in the app stores yet.Related features
MONEYWork orders and subcontractor billsA work order to each subcontractor with items, rates and terms, approved before work starts. Running bills come from certified measurements. They take off retention, advance, back-charges and TDS, and become the vendor bill.PLANT, SCHEDULE, QUALITY, SAFETYInspection and test plans with hold pointsSet the inspection and test plan for each kind of work, with hold points, witness points, document reviews and your own checks. Inspection requests go by email to the client's engineer, the consultant or a third-party inspector. They record the result on a link, without a login. A later step at a place cannot be asked for while an earlier hold point there is not approved.MONEYClient progress billsBill the client on the contract items. Each bill shows this bill, previous and up to date per item, the retention the client keeps and the advance taken back. It is approved inside first, prints as a progress bill, payment application or interim payment certificate, and becomes the customer invoice.SITEPiece work and labour contractor checksPay a worker or a gang for the work they did, not the days. Measure it against your piece rates, approve it, and the wage run pays each one's share. Check a labour contractor's bill against the man-days your own muster rolls recorded.PORTAL AND APPThe SmartMy Construction app, also offlineOne app for Android and iPhone for the people on site. It has today's site report with photos, the muster roll and check-in, snags and inspections. It also has material requests and issues, measurements, plant log sheets and safety. What is entered without signal is kept on the phone and sent when the signal is back. Clients, subcontractors and buyers use the same app for their own pages.
See your next site report on it.
Tell us what you build, how many sites you run and how your client hears about progress today. We will set up a project with you and send your first daily update.