6.20.0 Improved vendor management

Updated on 18 Sep 2024
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What's new?

We've introduced enhanced vendor assignment capabilities to refine the estimation and purchasing process. Estimators can now assign vendors to specific items during the bidding stage, offering improved control and planning for future projects. Vendor assignment can now be managed at the work ticket level, facilitating preparations for jobs scheduled well in advance. The Purchasing Assistant incorporates a new Vendor field that supports grouping and sorting, alongside options for bulk action updates.

Service Item Details screen updates

The Service Item Details screen is displayed by selecting an item hyperlink on the Estimate screen. It allows you to view or edit information defined for the item or kit.

The image below shows the Service Item Details screen for a kit. Use the new Vendor column's drop-down menu to select the designated vendor for each item.

Note:

Vendors can only be selected for unit types (Material, Equipment, and Kit Items).

At the Estimate level:

Use the drop-down menu on the Service Item Details page to select the designated vendor for the service item.
Tip: Same service + Same service item = Same vendor. Aspire will display a confirmation modal, allowing you to update the vendor for all duplicate service items for that service within the opportunity.
Once an estimate is won, you cannot change the vendor at the estimate level. You can update the vendor at the Work Ticket and Purchasing Assistant levels.
If you create a Change Order with the same service and service items, ensure you win the change order to see the updated vendor across the board (i.e., Work Ticket and Purchasing Assistant levels).

At the Work Ticket level:

Drill into the work ticket details to access the Manage Work Ticket Items screen. Use the Vendors & Purchasing tab to update the vendor for the service item. For kit items, you can choose the vendor for each item within the kit.

Within the Purchasing Assistant:

Add the Vendor column from the top menu, select the item, select the Bulk Action menu, and then select Update Vendor.

Note:

Post-deployment, all duplicate service items within the same service must have the same vendor. Aspire will display a confirmation modal to update the vendor for all duplicate service items for that service within the opportunity.

New Manage Work Ticket Items screen

The Manage Work Ticket Items screen in Aspire organizes work ticket details into three tabs: Work Ticket Items, Item Allocation, and Vendors & Purchasing. This centralized interface allows users to update item details, allocate inventory, and assign vendors. With features for adjusting quantities, managing allocations, and creating purchase receipts, it provides a practical toolkit for effective procurement processes and project coordination.

You can access the Manage Work Ticket Items screen by selecting:

The + ADD button in the Cost pane on the Work Tickets screen. This defaults to the Item Allocation tab of the Manage Work Ticket Items screen.
The Materials, Equipment, Sub, or Other hyperlink from the Cost pane. This defaults to the Work Ticket Items tab.
Create Receipt from the Actions Menu on the Work Tickets screen. This defaults to the Vendors & Purchasing tab.

Each tab offers specific functionalities to support different aspects of work ticket management. The Work Ticket Items tab details non-labor items used for the work ticket, including their quantities and costs, with expandable line items for additional allocation information. The Item Allocation tab focuses on inventory management and allocation, while the Vendors & Purchasing tab enables vendor assignments and the creation of purchase receipts. This guide will walk you through each tab's elements and their specific functions.

Manage Work Ticket Items screen on the Work Ticket Items tab.

The following table describes screen elements on each Manage Work Ticket Items tab.

Screen Element	Description
Work Ticket Items Tab
Expand/Collapse button	Expand the item details to view the work ticket item allocation information. Note: When you tab off a field you edited in this section, the Work Ticket Items tab updates with the changes. A message appears, and the table recalculates.
Item	Name of the items required for the work ticket.
Show check box	This check box determines whether the item is displayed when you print the work ticket from the Work Ticket screen. You can check and uncheck boxes to display necessary materials on printed work tickets so crews know what materials to take with them on specific days throughout long construction jobs.
Est Qty	Estimated Quantity. The quantity of items specified in the estimate for the contract or work order.
Com Qty	Committed Quantity. The number of items committed to the job from purchase receipts in New status or inventory.
Inventory	The quantity of an item received into the job inventory but not installed on the job. Once items received into the job inventory have been installed, the count of installed items moves from the Inventory column to the Act Qty column.
Act Qty	Actual Quantity. The quantity of the item installed on the job by receiving the purchase or, for items placed into job inventory, installing the items on the job.
Remaining	Remaining items left to complete the job.
Est $	Estimated Cost: The cost of the item estimated during the opportunity estimating process and saved when the opportunity was won.
Act $	Actual Cost. The actual cost paid for the item. Will differ from estimated based on the following: Additional costs such as tax or shipping Greater quantity ordered than estimated The difference in the actual cost of the item compared to the estimate
+ Allocate Items Button	Select the Allocate Items button to switch to the Item Allocation tab and add items.
Item Allocation Screen Tab
Inventory Location	Select the location of the inventory items from the drop-down. Manage inventory allocation, including setting quantities and item levels and moving items between locations.
Search Item	When selecting an item to add to the work ticket, Aspire provides a Search Item bar that allows you to search the Item Catalog and select an item.
Item	The name of the item.
Quantity to Allocate	Specifies the quantity of the item to allocate.
Quantity on Hand	The item quantity on hand.
Unit Cost	The expected cost of a single unit of the item when purchased from the vendor. This cost is used in conjunction with markups and designated profit margins to calculate the customer’s price.
Allocation Date	The date that the item allocation was established.
Add + Button	Select this button to edit the “Quantity To Allocate” inline item and set the Allocation Date for the item
Save “Floppy Disk” Button	If you changed the Item Allocation, select the Save button to save your item changes.
Done Button	Select the Done button to close the modal and implement any changes made.
Vendors & Purchasing Screen Tab
Show check box	This check box determines whether the item is displayed when you create the purchase receipt. You can also use this check box to perform a bulk action.
Bulk Actions	Select a bulk action from the menu. The options are: Set Vendor: select the Branch and Vendor for selected items. Clear Purchase Qty: Sets all purchase quantity values to zero. Set Purchase Qty to Remaining: resets all purchase quantity values to the default calculated value (i.e. Estimated – [Committed + Purchase]).
Item Name	The name of each item.
Vendor	Allows you to select a vendor for the item. The drop-down displays vendors associated with the selected branch.
Item Cost	The cost per unit for the item.
Est Qty	Estimated Quantity. The quantity of items specified in the estimate for the contract or work order.
Com Qty	Committed Quantity. The number of items committed to the job from purchase receipts in New status or inventory.
Act Qty	Actual Quantity. The quantity of the item installed on the job by receiving the purchase or, for items placed into job inventory, installing the items on the job.
Purchase QTY	Purchase Quantity. The quantity of items to purchase.
Create Purchase Receipt	Select this button to open the Create Purchase Receipt modal. Select a Branch and Vendor and confirm your purchase of items from the vendor. Note: If the selected service items have different vendors, an error message will inform you of the mismatch. You can go back and review the vendor assignments, update via the Bulk Actions, or choose to override the vendor within the modal.

Purchasing Assistant screen

The Purchasing Assistant screen presents a list of work ticket items you can purchase from vendors to complete work for jobs that have been won. The Purchasing Assistant screen provides a search list that allows you to focus on specific items throughout the purchasing process.

The items displayed in the search list are controlled by selecting the Filtericon. Additional commonly used filters are provided directly on the Purchasing Assistant screen for purchase date, service, item category, and, as of Aspire's 6.20 release, vendor(s). To update a unit type's vendor, Add the Vendor column, select the item, select the Bulk Action menu, and then select Update Vendor.

Screen capture of the Purchasing Assistant screen.

For more information, see the following articles in the Aspire User Guide:

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6.20.0 Route optimization

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