Path: Organization > Contract / Identity Tab
If your organization assigns certain types of work to outside Contractors, the Contracts window records information about the Contract. The record contains information about the type of work performed, the Building or items covered by the Contract, and the amount awarded. Contracts are linked to Building or item records as well as Contractors records. A glance at the Contract Value and Balance fields on the window keeps you informed about the expenses associated with the Contract. You can also attach a .PDF copy of the full Contract to the record using Linked Documents on the Navigation Panel.
Contract Module Details
The module gives you the opportunity to solicit bids or negotiate fees before making a final selection. Until a Contract record has an Awarded status, it is not in force and is not linked to related items. During this open period, you can solicit and record bids from existing and new Contractors.
Once a Contract is awarded, you can only make a few changes to the record. The exceptions are the Change Orders Section to extend the length and value of the Contract and the Ratings Section to rate Contractor performance for analysis when considering future Contracts.
When an awarded Contract is linked to a Work Order, WebTMA tracks the Work Order costs and rolls up the costs (labor, parts, and other) to the Contract if the Contractor meets all requirements. The Contractor must have a valid Contract for both the type of work being done (the Task Type) and the Building or maintenance-worthy item being worked on. The Terms Section accommodates a record of payments and discounts.
Contract records can be copied prior to expiration without closing the existing Contract. See Unexpired Contract Copies for more information.
Unexpired Contract Copies
This feature allows you to create new Contracts from an active (unexpired) Contract without having to close the Contract immediately. Instead, you can have any associated PMs transferred to the new Contract after the previous one expires. You can also add or delete items to the new Contract to aid in estimating costs for the new Contract.
Conditions can apply to the Copy process. If the unexpired Contract is attached to a PM and has no ties to another Contract either to get or use that Contract’s PM, a Contract Copy Options message opens. Note that, if a PM is not involved, a standard Copy process is followed.
From the Contract Copy Options message, you have the option to do any of the following:
- Inactivate and move PM now. This option follows standard behavior where the unexpired Contract is inactivated and any related PM records are immediately moved to the new Contract record.
- Move PM when old Contract expires. Allows you to copy a Contract and keep the PM with the unexpired Contract until it expires. When the Contract expires, associated PM records are moved to the new (copied) Contract. A check box associated with this option gives the following option: Inactivate old Contract. Mark this check box to inactivate the old Contract when it expires (after the PM has been moved to the new Contract). This is the default setting.
- Do not move existing PM to new record. This option simply treats the copy as a simple copy and does not move any PM over to the new Contract.
If the second option (Move PM when old Contract expires) is used, both the unexpired Contract record and the copied record display an identifying message at the lower right of the window.
This message displays on the unexpired record: "Upon expiration, PM will be moved to Contract #YYY."
This message displays on the copied record: "PM will be moved from Contract #XXX on MM/DD/YY."
WebTMA polls the records every eight hours looking for expired Contracts to assure that the proper actions are taken when the original Contract expires. For Contracts where the Move PM when old Contract expires option is selected, the PMs associated with these Contracts are moved to the new Contract at the appropriate time.
Contracts and Location Windows
Preferred Contractors are listed on the Contractor Tab of high level locations. This applies to locations from Division through Building. It does not apply to Areas and Floors. The list is for reference only as a quick way to review approved Contractors for the location.
Contracts Linked to Work Orders
Contracts and Contractors are linked to a Work Order from the Work Order window.
Before you create a Work Order, be sure you have created Tasks that are used exclusively for Contracts (from Organization > Task > Records) and have assigned them to the Contract Task Types created in Organization > Lookups / Task Types.
WebTMA automatically looks for a Contractor on new Work Orders you create if you use a Task assigned to a Contract Task Type; however, you must be sure to select a Contract # at the same time if you want costs to roll up to the Contract window.
When you add a Contract Task to the Work Order, a popup informs you that, "Contracts are associated with the item/task combination of this Work Order."
Want to Learn More?
Visit the WebTMA Help Page