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Updating rates linked to tasks

Updating the rates attached to maintenance and other tasks

Overview

The current rate linked to a task is the rate that is used when calculating cost projections for scheduled tasks programmes and is also the rate that is displayed in the maintenance tasks lists. It is of course possible to have multiple rates stored within Flow360 for the same task, from different service providers and from the National Schedule of Rates itself.

 

REMINDER: Although multiple rates can be stored alongside the default rates, only the rates belonging to a specific service provider (or the default rate if none other is available) are used when sending enquiries or works orders to that specific service provider, regardless of the rate that is currently in use for the purposes of cost projections. No service provider will ever see rates that have been submitted by any other service providers.

 

From time to time it may be useful to recalculate the cost projections using a different set of rates as the basis for the calculations.

It is also likely that you will want to update the rates used for calculations when new rates are stored within Flow360 or when the default rates are updated.

The update rates button allows you to do this for a limited set of maintenance tasks or for all tasks. For example you can exchange one providers rates for another, switch over to all default rates where appropriate or simply user the most recent rate of any type.

 

It is important to understand that changing the rate used for the cost projections and in the tasks lists does not affect the rates used in works enquiries or orders. The only things that are affected are the forward cost projections as used for cost centre predictions and on the maintenance tasks list itself.

If you have planned your maintenance budgets based on a particular service provider's set of rates and you then change the task rates for those of another service provider or default rates then your budget predictions might be affected and you are advised to re-visit the cost centre budget projections after updating the rates!

Updating rates - start from the maintenance list

The tasks tab list and full list has a calculator button at top right, under the filter button. Click this button to display the one-off costs column in the list.

One-off costs column added to list

When you click the calculate button to display the one-off costs, an additional change button appears next to the calculate button. This is the update rates button. Click this button to start a rates update process.

The update rates dialog

The dialog that appears has a number of options that govern the way in which the rates are updated. These are explained below.

NOTE: The dialog also recommends that you read this part of the manual completely before undertaking a rates update!

Select the set of tasks records rates to update

You can update the rates for the current set of task only or for all your tasks. You can of course use the filters to refine the set of tasks listed and then use the task update process to only update those tasks, leaving all others untouched.

Updating the current list only is useful in order to update a set of tasks relating to a particular cost centre for instance or to switch a set of tasks from one provider's rates to another.

NOTE: If you have many hundreds or thousands of tasks in Flow360 then performing an update on all of them will take some time, so using the current list only option is recommended unless you know you have to update all tasks.

Select which task options to update

You can update all task options or limit the update to the current option 1 for each task. If you are updating rates following a default rates update then it makes sense to update all options - otherwise you might want to limit the update to the option1 only.

REMINDER: Each task can have any number of options, but it is the current option 1 that is used for cost projections.

Select the change criteria

like for like strict: allocate a newer rate only if it is of exactly the same kind. i.e. exchange a newer default rate for an older one, or a newer rate from a specific service provider for an older one. Using the strict option here also means that a rate that relates to a specific resource (i.e. an object in a particular location on a specific site) will only be replaced by a newer rate that also relates to exactly the same object. In other words it will not be replaced by a site or client level rate, even if a newer one is available. Similarly a site level rate will only be replaced by a newer site level rate and so on. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.

like for like: allocate a newer rate of the same kind (i.e. default for default, named provider for named provider, User for User) but allow a resource rate to be replaced by a site or client level rate if a newer one is available. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.

NOTE: Selecting either if newer or always reveals an additional drop down choice (see below) which must be set as well.

if newer: allocate a newer rate if one is available (the selection made in the change drop down is used in conjunction with this setting to control the update process). If no newer rate is found, no change is made.

always: allocate the most recent rate of the selected type, whether it is newer or not - this allows you to change all rates from one provider for rates from another provider for instance. (the selection made in the change drop down is used in conjunction with this setting to control the update process). If no rate is found, no change is made.

Select the prioritise option

If you have selected if newer or always in drop down 3, then you must also set this option!

standard only: only allocate a standard rate (default, User or Flow360), not a specific service provider rate.
    • in conjunction with if newer: will only allocate a newer standard rate if available. If no newer standard rate is found, no change is made.
    • in conjunction with always: will allocate the most recent standard rate if available. If no standard rate is found, no change is made.

named provider only: only allocate a rate from a named provider (name must also be selected in drop down 5 below).
    • in conjunction with if newer: will only allocate a newer rate from the named provider if available. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.
    • in conjunction with always: will allocate the most recent rate from the named provider if available. If no rate is found, no change is made.

current provider only: only allocate a rate from the same provider as the current rate.
    • in conjunction with if newer: will only allocate a newer rate from the current provider if available. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.
    • in conjunction with always: will allocate the most recent rate from the current provider if available. If no rate is found, no change is made.

any: allocate any rate.
    • in conjunction with if newer: will only allocate a newer rate of any type if available. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.
    • in conjunction with always: will allocate the most recent rate of any type if available. If no rate is found, no change is made.

Select named provider

If you have selected named provider only in drop down 4 then you must also set this option!

Select the name of the provider. Only rates from this provider will be used to replace other rates.
    • in conjunction with if newer: will only allocate a newer rate from the named provider if available. If no newer rate is found, no change is made.
    • in conjunction with always: will allocate the most recent rate from the named provider if available. If no rate is found, no change is made.

How do I know how up to date a rate is?

Go to the scheduled task card. On the option details tab you will see confirmation of the date the rate was last updated (1), the source of the rate (2) and the date the source rate was supplied (3).

If you have multiple options set up for a task, each option will have its own rate information.

1) The date the rate was last updated: is the date when the current rate was applied to this task option - it will not necessarily be the date that the rate was supplied.
2) The source of the rate: if the rate is from a specific service provider, then the provider's name will be shown here. If it is a default, User or Flow360 rate, then the appropriate text will show here instead.
3) The date the source rate was supplied: is the date that the rate was first stored in Flow360. (for manual entry rates this will be empty)