How to setup and use retainer projects?

Resolution:

An automated adjustment of an amount equal to the approved multi-line quote on a delivery sub-job from the main Master job. Income is recognized on the delivery job.

• Master job projects are used to hold and manage client retainer contacts within WorkBook.
• A new Master job is created, which can hold an unlimited number of Delivery jobs attached to it.
• User can only have one master job on each project.
• Retainer price quotes are held on each Master Job's price quote total.
• Payment schemes are held on Master jobs and all billing will be done on these.
• These are not mandatory, so users can also bill on actual usage.
• Master Jobs are blocked for time registration and third party costs.
• Delivery jobs are used to manage and hold the project task transactions continuously over time.
• Delivery jobs are locked to use the same price list that is chosen on the master job.
• This is a separate functionality from the original retainer feature, which have since been renamed to avoid confusion.
• It is now simply a job setting labeled Transfer residual values to other job when closing.

• Please contact the local WorkBook administrator.
• Navigate to settings > Global system settings > System variables setup.
• Search for variable 1092 or simply type retainer.
• Additional system variables to consider are 1150 & 1151 – Description is provided on the variables.

Setup company level:

• In order to set up the retainer on the company level, navigate to Resources > Settings > Invoice settings.
• Users can limit the view to show only companies with the search options, and use the sidebar to reach the necessary settings.
• It is highly recommend that users set up a Prefix or Suffix for delivery job numbers.
• This needs to be done on every company that wants to use this feature
• Invoice number start – You choose the start value
• Invoice number ending – You choose the end value
• Prefix – A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word.
• Suffix – A suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word.
• Reset interval.
• Insert leading zeros up to x digits.

Creating retainer projects:

• First, make sure that users have or create a new project for this specific feature.
• If a project already has jobs underneath it, users will not be allowed to turn it into a retainer project.
• Make sure the user always starts with a clean, blank project.
• Navigate to Resources > Clients > Project settings to create a new project and enable it as a retainer project.
• Retainer projects will have a different icon in the project list.

Project client purchase settings:

• Handle as retainer project is enabled as soon as the user marks it
• Summarize price quote and invoice lines on one activity, master activity.
• If master activity is not used, price quote is copied directly, enabling this option will summarize the values from the activity codes on the internal price quotes on Delivery jobs into the chosen Master activity.
• This will only work, however, IF the rate card has one single price.
• In the instance where the company uses multiple activity codes with different prices within your price list, the different activity code prices on the Delivery will move to the Master, retaining the rate but at the Master activity code – one line per value.
  

Delivery job closing settlement methods:

• Invoice amount is equal to approved price quote, this will eat the hours externally approved on the delivery jobs from the Master job with the total being taken from the price quote, not the total expenditures.
• Invoice amount is equal to actual's applied on the job.
• Corrective price quote will be made automatically on master job to offset budget, this choice will take the total expenditures the Delivery job and either add or subtract them from the Master job total.  
• As an example, imagine the user originally approve 100 hours on the Delivery job, but only end up spending 40 hours, upon completion, 60 hours will be returned to the Master job to be used by another Delivery job.
  

Delivery invoices trigger:

• Price quote is approved – As soon as the price quote is externally approved on the delivery job, users can track on the Master job the invoicing for what client and what amount.
• Job is in status 3 means Ready for invoicing.
• Job is in status 4 means Invoiced.

Track master job and agreed hours as well as spending:

• At the bottom of the sidebar users can get a quick overview of the total agreed amount as well as the original hours agreed.

Create master job:

• The first job you create on the project will be marked as a Master job, and can't be changed to anything else besides that.
• Users have the option to create a new project also in this dialog (on the plus sign next to the project field), and users will be given the opportunity to create it as retainer as well (please note that this checkmark differs from the old retainer functionality, as mentioned at the top).
• Keep in mind that a debtor is always required on a Master job, as all invoicing will be done on this job.

Create Delivery job(s):

• Any new jobs created to the project will automatically be a delivery job.
• Create the price quote on this delivery job detailing the delivery amount on this particular job.
• The price quote on the Delivery job(s) will automatically deduct hours from the Master job price quote, so users can always see how much is remaining.
• Now depending on your settlement method selected on the project earlier, it will define how many hours will be taken from the Master job.
• Either it's all the hours from the price quote on the Delivery, or it's the spend hours on the job, this is for the user to choose what kind of method to have with the clients.