Construction

Anyone out there using Acumatica Construction module with external time keeping?  Looking to connect with companies that are using partner software for time keeping to get some advice, pros / cons, etc. of these solutions. My company just started using Acumatica ERP and currently integrate with WorkMax for our time keeping solution.  We need to have employees clock in/out in real time and we are starting to do job costing, but are struggling with that.  Any suggestions on time keeping software or on how other construction companies have Acumatica set up and do job costing would be very helpful.

We are needing to use activities under projects, but do not want to track time and costs. Even though the box is unchecked under Activity Types, it pulls up automatically checked when we create an activity from the project level. If we uncheck the box, the required project field disappears, so we are unable to link the activity to the project that way. My other thought was to link the activity back to the project via the Related Entity Type, but Project is not an option in the dropdown. See screenshots. Right now, our workaround is to leave the Track Time and Costs box checked, but uncheck Billable. However, to save a project task and cost code are required, which is something we don’t want/need. These extra steps aren’t required in other areas, ie: Project Issues, Project Quotes, Opportunities. How do we make this work, but keep it simple? Track Time and Costs Checked - Project Field ShowsTrack Time and Costs unchecked - No Project FieldProject not a selection for Related Entity Type 

I’m trying to understand the best practices around using drawing logs. How are most construction companies adding, organizing and searching through plans when uploaded as a drawing log. Our the complete pdf files that could be 100+ pages added as a single drawing log? When including drawing logs to RFI’s, submittals, and change requests are new drawing logs created and uploaded with only the specific page from the plans that is needed.Our Team has experience with AutoDesk Construction Cloud where a plan is uploaded and automatically parsed into sheets. When creating RFI’s, submittals, and change requests then then link to an individual sheet or sheets.With Acumatica it seems that we would need to use an external program to export the proper plan pages, potentially add markup and then link that new drawing log to the issue. Is my understanding correct or am I missing how the drawing logs should be used?

Hi,I remarked that it’s possible to edit a unit cost of a row in the grid of a Purchase Order once the item in question is already received, is it normal? I think that should be in read only?! Thanks

We’re working with a consulting to bring Acumatica online at the mid point of a project.  The current task at hand is to entry opening balances for the project.  My original process was going to be to post a single journal entry at the cutover date for the balances per cost code.  The consultant said this should be done as a “project management” transaction rather than as a GL entry.  But, my testing shows that PM transactions don’t flow back to the general ledger.  Consequently I have project reports that don’t agree to my financial reports.  Have I missed a step or has my consultant led me astray?Also, what kind of entries do people originate as Project Transaction?  The entire entry screen made my poor little accountant-heart feel uncomfortable.  It seemed like entries didn’t need to balance and that they could hit mutiple periods.Thanks in advance.

We have a client that would like to integrate Construction Projects and or Project Estimates to JetBuilt.  Has anyone explored or completed an integration with this product?    Thanks in advance for any information.

Trying to find if there is an access right we can set to hide the project margin amount and percentage from the project header. While this information is helpful for our accounting and executive teams, we have employees who need access to projects, but don’t need to see in depth financial information. Does anyone know if this is possible? Or has anyone else wanted to do the same and found a workaround? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you! 

Hi, in a project quote for example(PM304500) , but not only in this form, we have in the header the CONTACT field. I want in this case to do a Project Quote for an Employee of a another branch.So i choose the correct Business Account(Interco), and i see only the created contact for this branch(like AP contact and AR contact). How to select an employee? I know there is a BA for each employee, i want to be able to select them. I don’t want to recreate each of them in contact as in duplicate of the employee. Thanks

Is there any way to change the way Acumatica handles numerical ordering? For some reason, the system will treat numbers by whatever the first numeral is instead of the entirety o the number itself. Please see the example I’ve provided of how the system handles the order of tasks. I would refer the system listed the numbers as such102030405060708090100110120130140150160 rather than it displaying as1010011012013014015016020304050608090   

Our company would like the Printed Change Order report (PM643000) to include the architect contact information and signature line like it exists for the contractor and owner. I understand how to add the signature line and the conditional statements for contact information but I’m not sure how to access the actual data for the architect contact data. I’m not seeing where architect is defined at the Change Request or Change Order form. Does the Architect have to be added to the Project as a contact and if so would I be able to use the contact values in the report?Am I thinking about this wrong and this should somehow be tied into approvals? Any advice is welcome.

We are attempting to customize the ProForma Invoice report ( PM642000). We would like the report for T&M billing with Retainage -- to display lines as SUM per Task/Cost Code (out of box, report lists all proforma lines). When I attempt to do this, the results seems to “Group” the proforma lines together (act more as a sort).  Has anyone done this before? I am wondering if a subreport would be the easiest way to bypass the existing Groupings of PM642000.Any ideas would be appreciated!

When I print reports, such as a proforma invoice or change order or subcontract, I would like these printed reports to automatically be Filed as an attachment to the form so that I can then use DocuSign on the file.   Is this possible?

In project, how to add employees in individual tasks… I want separate employees to assign a different task. Is it possible to add each line item with each employees? 

Hi, We have a requirement to Track manufacturing work order material issue cost via project Module. Followings are the steps we performed.  1). Create a Project and added Labor and Material Cost budget tasks which attached with Material        and Labor accounts groups.2). Then create a Item Work order via particular project/Task and release it. 3). When issuing Items Project/Task tied with work order and will issue appropriate Project Task. System will create a Inventory and Project transactions. but those values are not showing in Balance Tab. Under the view transaction tab all are showing. 4). Labor is not capturing from Manufacturing end and using Time card. When performed the time card  or particular user those values are transferring as we expected and showing under the balance tab in  the project Form.      05). Need to know how Work Order Inventory Items are issuing to Projects and what are the workflow steps happening are there?Attached the Screenshots document.  Regards   

With the latest update I am now required to enter the “Cost Layer” column and “To Cost Layer” column for transfers to projects as either Normal or Project. I cannot imagine how requiring this field helps anyone. The cost layer was formerly IMPLIED by entering the actual origin in the Project column and the destination To Project column. It seems to me that the only thing these columns do is limit you from selecting the project you want unless you select “Project”. No one is asking for even more tedious columns per line item. I already am required to enter the task and cost code for every line, without being given the option of having a default task and project per stock item. Now I have TWO MORE columns that I didn't ask for, it just slows down entry across the board, and that’s all I can see these columns accomplishing for me.   

we have a job setup with a cost code of 01-0500 Labor. When I view this cost code from Projects > Cost Budget it shows Actual Quantity of 58. However the actual amount is well beyond what 58 x our hourly rate would be.If I export all the time entry / payroll transactions that have hit that cost code, they are truly 315.5. And if I divide the ACTUAL AMOUNT / 315.5 that is accurate and correct.So my question is any idea why the cost budget would be showing only 58 hours? 

Is it possible to have an approval map for the ‘Close’ process of certain classes of ‘Project Issues’?  We have figured out how to use Project Issues as a custom form entry platform, but we’re getting to the point where it would be nice (for some forms) to have an approval workflow before they close.

Hello fellow Acumatica users! :)Our current payroll post is posting in detail to our jobs with each burden item posting separately.  ie FICA, etc.  Do you know how to post payroll to a job in summary, the “all in cost of an employee” charged to a job for a day or week? Thanks, Kay

We are a construction edition user.  We would like to be able to display the notes saved to the project screen (CST.PM.30.10.00) when entering a PO for that project on screen (CST.PO.30.10.00). Some of our projects require only certain types of products and we would like that to alert our purchasing staff when they are creating a purchase order.

Hi,There is a way to filter things who appear in T&M Proforma.If by example we dont want to bill item ABC to the customer (and don’t want to appear on the invoice)?Could I manage this via Project/Cost budget? Billing rule? Configuration?Now I delete ABC rows manually.Thanks

I work for a large construction company, currently the thought process is to set- up all of our Revenue Budgets at the Task level only and to set-up our Cost Budgets at the Task and Cost Code level. The reason for this is to provide a high level view at the Revenue we are receiving and giving us the ability to be more specific and detailed within the Cost Budget, by adding that additional layer of identification with the Cost Code.By setting up each budget at a seperate level of detail, completely makes the WIP report unusable. The system will not recognize funds allocated to cost codes within the Cost Budget because the Revenue budget auto-assigns the default (0000)  cost code to anything labeled with just a Task. Please see the example below.Is this the way we should be thinking about both Budgets?Is their anyway to reconcile this without having both budgets at the Task and Cost Code level?Is anyone else out there running Revenue budgets and Cost Budgets at different levels of detail

Hi All, I am currently working on an Inquiry for a Dashboard where I need to group by a certain Segment.I did it once before with Inventory Subaccounts:   Yet, now I am working with Projects and the Contract CD Field is segmented.I tried it this way, yet get the error that PMProject.ContractCD_Segment1 is not existing.Does anybody know how to properly incorporate the Segmented Keys here? If this helps, the Alias is referring to the CS.Segment Table

Is anyone else using the Cost Projection module in the construction edition of Acumatica? It works OK for us but one nuisance is the copy revision. When you copy revision there is a checkbox for ‘refresh budget’. When this is checked, the new revision will have the latest and greatest actual costs - great.However… it also resets the budgeted fields. This is problematic because say we have a cost code that we deem 100% done but now after the Copy > Refresh - that cost code is back to its actual percent complete.Does anyone know if it’s possible to have the system KEEP projected costs + quantities? The only way around this we’ve found is exporting the finished copy (with projections modified) then reimporting that after the new copy is created.  

Hi @All I created subcontract for a project but original committed amount values are not getting in the fields under project cost budget tab. 

Hi, Currently we have to create different sequence under rate lookup screen to map sell/charge rate by project and by equipment (Non stock item) and in some cases client is having so many equipment for each project and because of this we have to create different sequence under rate lookup screen to assign the sell/charge rate by project & by inventory, refer to below screenshot.Therefore is there any way we can easily achieve this, without creating different sequence for each project & equipment/non stock item to define sell rate. which will then be use under billing rule.      I would really appreciate if some one can advise me on above point. Thanks Pankaj