A master file of prices allows you to maintain the prices for each resource. A Prices Workbench provides various options for maintaining prices; for example, you can change the prices of several resources at once by applying an increase (or decrease), either by percentage or by amount.
You can import prices from an external file, or enter them manually. Bulk update is also available.
You can enter prices changes in advance, with the dates for which the prices are effective.
Global and supplier prices
You can maintain separate prices for global, company, sector (if sectors are being used) and development levels, as either general, supplier-specific or specific to a supplier and office (and there is a hierarchy of which price would be applied).
| General | supplier specific | supplier and |
Global (entire database) | 1 | 5 | 9 |
company (kco) | 2 | 6 | 10 |
Division (sector) | 3 | 7 | 11 |
development | 4 | 8 | 12 |
Higher numbered entries (more specific) override lower numbered entries (more general).
Update of global prices can be restricted to specific users. You can also record discounts from suppliers; gross prices and net prices (less the discounts) are shown.
One way that you could use global and supplier prices would be to use global prices on standard templates to build up estimated bills, and use supplier prices for the actual prices on development-specific templates (where you are buying materials for a particular development from a particular supplier).
Prices Workbench Tabs
The pricing workbench consists of three tabs: Resource Prices, By Supplier and Options
Resource Prices shows all resources and prices, but can be filtered to show:
General Prices – any resource and price that is not specific against a supplier
Supplier Prices – resources that specifically have suppliers related to them
By Supplier – Shows Supplier Prices but rather than listing by resource this is listed by supplier, this makes it easier to upload a number of resources related to this supplier by bulk.
The Options menu lets you apply any price changes to standard or development templates, this allows you to control prices from our workbench rather than from each template that you create.
BQ Apply Prices to Standard Templates allows you to copy any changes in standard resource prices to the corresponding resources on standard template bills. Selection criteria allow you to choose which prices to update.
BQ Apply Prices to Development Templates allows you to copy any changes in standard resource prices to the corresponding resources on site-specific template bills. Selection criteria allow you to choose which prices to update.
By clicking on either one of the options (‘apply prices to standard templates’ or ‘apply prices to development templates’) you are brought to a screen that resembles a standard Coins ERP+ report.
You are then able to run the ‘report’ to update prices against standard templates or development templates depending on the option you choose.
It is worth noting that with this function you are able to run it in two modes, report only and processing. This enables you to check the update using ‘report only’ to ensure that the updates are going to be correct before actually applying them, this applies to both options under this menu.
BOQ - Maintaining Prices
The Prices Workbench allows you to maintain a master list of prices that can be applied to BOQ items.
Prices Workbench
Adding and Modifying a Price
Regardless of which view you are using within the prices workbench, All Resources, General, Supplier, or By Supplier, adding and modifying remains the same; when adding a price to the workbench if there isn’t a supplier associated it will automatically appear in the general view, likewise, if there is a supplier associated the price will be located in the supplier view.
To add an item select
from the main action bar at the bottom of the screen. You will be presented with a new screen, this is where you are able to select a resource and start pricing.
Prices Workbench – Add Item
It is worth noting that you can add multiple versions of the same resource as long as the valid from and valid to dates are different.
An example of a Supplier price is produced below. Not specifying a Supplier will add this as a General Price.
Supplier Price
You should eventually end up with a list of supplier and general prices on your workbench;
Once you have a list of resources you are then able to modify them using the increase and decrease item using the action menu:
When selecting increase items, you can then specify HOW you are wanting to increase the item, this is done either by percentage or by amount. An example of this is below.
Increase Price Item
It is worth exploring the different options within this screen as you are able to update and create prices and scheduled increases.
Firstly, the increases can be done by percentage or by amount and also rounded up to 4 decimal places.
The key on this screen is the processing radio button, this enables you to create a new price or update one that you have currently on the system, this allows you to apply the increase whilst keeping the original record or even applying the price for a certain time period.
You can also set any discounts you may have, agreements in place or any notes that you would like to store against the resource price line.
Remember: even though you increase the price, you will need to apply the price to either the standard or development level template.
Applying Price Changes In BOQ
If you update the price of resources, you can automatically re-apply resources to template bills.
Changes to the master prices can be applied to BOQ items, standard template bill items and development template bill items.
You can apply prices:
Using an Option in Prices Workbench which either runs a report process or applies the prices.
From the matrix views on the Development Template BOQ Workbench, Surveyors Lot BOQ Workbench or Buyers BOQ Workbench, using selected rows (payment stages, packages, estimating sections or resources) for all or selected templates.
To update prices from the Price Workbench:
On Prices Workbench, move the mouse pointer over Options.
Select Apply Prices to Standard Templates or Apply Prices to Development Templates.
You can produce a report (to assess the effect of changing prices of resources that have been used on a house bill), or commit the price changes.
Specify the resources you want to report on or update; you can select anything from a single resource through to multiple resources or all resources.
On the Select Prices tab, specify the type of prices you want to report on or apply.
On the Select Bills tab, specify the bills you want to report on or apply the prices to.
If you select Processing mode, this could, potentially, change prices across all the standard and non-standard template bills! You should make sure that you have made the correct selections.
7. Click Next (
).
To update prices from a matrix view:
Select the rows for which you want to update the prices, or tick the individual elements you want to update.
Using either the Row: or Element: action list as appropriate, choose Apply Prices
.
Choose which type of price you want to update (for example, global or supplier-specific), and specify any other options.
If Ignore bill items already ordered is ticked, when the lot prices are updated, items that have been already ordered will be ignored and not updated. This stops Coins ERP+ from assuming that a variation order is needed.
Click OK.