Progress Summary

Overview

The Progress Summary is used for Lump Sum (% Complete) and Cost Plus contract claim methods. It collates a report of the current Cost Control budgets, % complete of works, expense invoices, employee labour, then applies the business markups to calculate a claim amount payable.

The Progress Summary reports are typically accompanied by a sales invoices to your client for the same claim amount payable.

Toolbar

New Claim Group

Adds a new Claim Group to the Progress Summary. Claim Groups are built-up of allocated Cost Centre budgets. A single left click on the Claim Group heading allows you to edit its name, and a double-click will open and close it.

Delete Claim Group

Deletes the selected Claim Group from the Progress Summary. Once deleted, it cannot be undone.

Open All

Opens all the Claim Groups to see their allocated Cost Centres from Cost Control.

Close All

Closes all the Claim Groups so their allocated Cost Centres are not showing.

Show Groups

This only shows when a Cost Plus claim method is selected. It toggles between showing the Claim Groups with their Cost Centres and showing Invoices that have been allocated against each Cost Centre budget in Cost Control. It will only show the Invoices and total amount between the From and To dates selected.

Show Invoices

This only shows when a Cost Plus claim method is selected. It toggles between Show Claim Groups with their allocated Cost Centres and Show Invoices that have been allocated against each Cost Centre budget in Cost Control.

Help Centre

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Unallocated Cost Centres
Use the Unallocated Cost Centres holding box on the right-hand side of the Claim Groups to allocate, deallocate and or reallocate Cost Centres to your Claim Groups. Select the Cost Centre you want allocated then select the Claim Group you want it allocated to, then click the blue arrow to move it across. Use this method in reverse to reallocate a Cost Centre to different Claim Group.

Payment Claims

Payment Claim #
This keeps count of the number of Payment Claims raised to date. Once you print a Progress Summary Payment Claim it will automatically start adding up.
Description of Works
Enter a brief description or name for each Progress Summary Payment Claim report.
Claim Method
Select between a Lump Sum or Cost Plus claim method for progress payments. This will setup the Progress Summary report to suit the corresponding selection. If selecting Cost Plus, the 'From' date will automatically default to the first date entered of an expense invoice or employee labour for that job.
Claim Group
This drop-down list shows all the current Claim Groups set up. Selecting one will bring it to the top of the list below.

Retention

Claim Retention %
This percentage is entered from the first and on progress payment claims, until the overall contract total Retention % has been achieved. Commonly the Claim Retention % is a combination of multiple 10% and 5% Retention withholdings until the overall contract total Retention % is achieved. Then the percentage will be 0% for the remaining payment claims.
Contract Retention Overall %
This percentage is entered from the first progress payment claim. It governs a Retention % ceiling to not claim over of the Contract Total. Commonly this is 5% until the final progress payment claim when a Retention claim back of 2.5% is then issued.
Retentions Withheld
This is the total of Retentions Withheld to date from all the previous payment claim amounts. Each time you fill-in the Claim Retention % then preview the Progress Summary report and press the Print button, SoloAssist will add the Retention of that claim amount to the Retentions Withheld total. So make sure you check the total is always correct. Keep a running log by saving all Progress Summary payment claim print reports to PDF. So you can use them to reverse calculate the Retentions Withheld to date at any stage of the job. Unfortunately, SoloAssist does not keep a running log of the Progress Summary payment claims yet.
Retentions Claim Back %
This percentage typically gets entered at the end of the job in the final progress payment claim. Commonly this is a 2.5% claim back of an overall contract total Retention of 5%. Therefore, leaving an outstanding 6 month 2.5% Retention to be claimed back.

Claim Methods

Lump Sum

Lump Sum (% Complete)

A Lump Sum claim method is used for claiming a % Complete of works. Typically this is an agreed day of the month or fortnight over the duration of the project. This is commonly used in Architectural & Commercial contracts or where the works cash flow is too complicated to claim with fixed prices in fixed claim stages where a standard contract claim method will not work.

You will need to enter a % Complete of works for each contributing Cost Centre in Cost Control. This will carry over into the Progress Summary providing you with a report of the current claim amount payable based on the % complete of works. The report will show and deduct the received payments that you have entered into the Sales Invoices you have added into the Progress Payment Stages.

Setup & Claim Variations
See Variations to learn more

Cost Plus

Cost Plus

The Cost Plus claim method is used to claim the cost of the job works by totalling the current expense invoices then adding on your business overheads and management fee (profit markup). After entering your expense invoices to their Cost Centres in Cost Control, you can then open the Progress Summary and select the Cost Plus claim method to produce a Progress Summary report of the claim amount payable.

Note: The Claim Groups Total % Complete on the Progress Summary report, is an average calculated from adding up all the contributing Cost Centre percentages, then dividing it by the number of contributing Cost Centres to calculate the current average overall Progress Summary % Complete.

Totals Explained

User Tips
1) SoloAssist Cost Plus is designed for you to first do your job estimate costings which will populate your Cost Control Cost Centre budgets. Then you can run your job by entering the job Expense Invoices against each of their Cost Centre budgets. For each Progress Summary Cost Plus Claim Amount Payable raised, you will also need to raise a Sales Invoice in Progress Payments for the same amount. When you receive payment from your client, you need to apply it back against its Sales Invoice in the chronological job order.

Note: Always setup, raise and apply all payments as you go to prevent incorrect calculations.

2) When selecting the Cost Plus claim method, the From date will always default back to the first Expense Invoice entered for the job in Cost Control.

3) When hovering your mouse cursor over the main total amounts shown in Bold, it will show you its SUM = Calculation.

Previous Work Completed
This is the total amount of Expense Invoices and Employee Labour claimed before the From and To date selections.
Previous Overheads & Management
This is the total amount of Overheads & Management Fee claimed before the From and To date selections.

This amount only shows if the From date selected is after the job Start date.

Overheads & Management (%)
This applies your Business Overheads percent (%) allowance from the Cost Schedule Settings Business Markups. It applies on the Estimate (inc. GST) and Claimed (inc. GST) column totals.
Job Management
This applies your Job Management Fee (Profit Markup) percent (%) allowance from the Cost Schedule Settings Business Markups. It applies on the Estimate (inc. GST) and Claimed (inc. GST) column total.
Business Insurances
This applies your combined Existing Property Cover, Construction Works and Public Liability Insurances percent (%) allowances from the Cost Schedule Settings Business Markups. It applies on the Estimate (inc. GST) and Claimed (inc. GST) column total.

Insurance Claims

The Business Insurances combined allowance is setup to claim in your first (1st) Claim Amount Payable. If your job costs overrun the original estimated total allowance, then SoloAssist will apply the combined business Insurances percent (%) to the overrun amount ensuring you are claiming the extra business insurance in the Claim Amount Payable to cover the extra work costs.

Contract Total Adjustment (Locked-out)
This amount will either show as a Contract Total loss in -red or a job profit in green. An amount only shows if changes have been made to the Contract Total after it has been locked. This means the Cost Schedule, Timber List or Job Specifications has been edited or the original Contract Total has been manually overridden in the Contract Total Lock window. This amount also shows at the bottom of the Cost Schedule. This amount does not add or deduct from any total.
Setup & Claim Variations
See Variations to learn more

Terminology

What are Non Job Invoices?

The Non Job Invoices Cost Centre, is for Expense Invoices that have been added to the job, but you do not want to claim them in the Progress Summary claim amount report. Typically, these are general business expenses that you allocate against a job to write it off. E.g: Electrical Leads Tagging, Tool Sharpening, Building Fee Fines, etc.

In Progress Summary, Non Job Invoices should be left Unallocated to a Claim Group. It should stay in the right-hand side Unallocated Cost Centres box.

What are Unallocated Cost Centres?

In Progress Summary, Unallocated Cost Centres are Cost Centre budgets that you do not want to claim in your Progress Summary claim amount reports. Commonly this holds the Non Job Invoices Cost Centre, and Variations that are being claim directly in fixed price payment stages.

How do I...

Setup Progress Summary Claim Groups?

Step 1
Select a Claim Group of where you want the new Claim Group added above.
Step 2
Then select () New Claim Group, then click into its heading and enter its name.
Step 3
Now use the blue left and right arrows to allocate the Unallocated Cost Centres to the Claim Groups required. Repeat this process to set up or edit other Claim Groups to your requirements. Make sure all the Cost Centres have been allocate to a Claim Group except Non Job Invoices and new Variations that are being claimed in the Progress Payments as a fixed price in a payment stage.

Apply Lump Sum Contract Deductions?

Add a new Variation, then add your item into the Variation with a negative value amount. Then allocate it to the original Cost Centre budget it was allocated to. It will then be deducted from it. The adjustment will show in your Cost Control ► Cost Centre with its Expense Invoices and in 'Edit Cost Centre', where you enter the '% Complete' for your Progress Summary claim amount report.

Add a Variation?

To add and claim a Fixed Price, Lump Sum or Cost Plus Variation when using a Fixed Price, Lump Sum or Cost Plus Claim Method.

See Variations to learn more

Troubleshooting

Cost Plus claim amount payable isn't balancing correctly?

Try the following to resolve the issue:

1
Ensure the payment method is selected as Cost Plus.
2
Ensure the claim period date From and To is selected correctly.
3
Check you've entered the Expense Invoice dates correctly into Cost Control. Incorrect Expense Invoices dates will affect the claim date From and To period which affects the claim amount payable total.

Lump Sum claim amount payable isn't balancing correctly?

In the event, you have manually adjusted the Contract Total in the Contract Total Lock window, and you're using a Lump Sum % Complete claim method. Then you will need to adjust a Cost Centre in Cost Control to the same difference of the Contract Total adjustment. This will re-balance the claim amount payable.

The adjusted balance difference will be showing at the bottom of the Cost Schedule just above the Contract Total as a profit in Green or a loss in - Red.

How is the Progress Summary claim groups total % complete calculated?

The Claim Groups total % Complete on the Progress Summary report is an average calculated from adding up all the contributing Cost Centre percentages, then dividing them by the number of contributing Cost Centres to calculate the current overall Progress Summary % Complete average.

What are Non Job Invoices and why leave it in the Unallocated Cost Centres holding box?

Non Job Invoices gets used for typical business costs that you want to be allocated against a job. It is important not to allocate this to a Claim Group unless you want the client to pay for these general business expenses.

Lump Sum (% Complete) claim method adjustment

In the event, you are claiming a Lump Sum (% Complete) claim method, and have manually adjusted the Contract Total in the Contract Total Lock window, then Locked it. Then you will need to manually adjust a Cost Centre in Cost Control the same difference, to balance the claim amounts.

Remember you can add a new Cost Centre for the adjustment amount if required.