InEight Contract Overview

Traditionally, there are many offline activities associated with creating and administering contracts.  For example, logs are maintained, spreadsheets are updated, and meeting minutes are filed.  As these tasks are completed, the hope is that a corresponding update is made to keep the back end or financial system in line with the reality in the field. 

InEight Contract provides a consistent and intuitive overlay to not only perform these functions, but also ensure that the underlying systems (such as your ERP system) are in sync with actions taking place in the field.  As an added benefit, the history and information associated with the activity is available in real time and in one tool, making the contract management processes more efficient and accurate. It eliminates the need for multiple side spreadsheets that require double-entry to keep up to date. 

ERP Integration

Contract can integrate with your ERP system to manage payments and other resources. If your organization does not want to integrate with an ERP system, they can operate with a proxy ERP. Your system administrator uses an organization setting to indicate whether to integrate with the ERP or use a proxy ERP.

Considerations for ERP system integration

When using an ERP system, the system administrator specifies whether to integrate the following ERP system functions:

  • Tax calculation before publishing a contract. When set to Yes, the ERP system calculates the tax before publishing a contract. When set to No, the ERP system calculates the tax and sends the result back to Contract when publishing.
  • Equipment details when publishing a contract. When set to Yes, the equipment details are included with the purchase order line item details when sent to the ERP system. When set to No, no details are sent to the ERP system and are available in Contract only.

See your system administrator about the options used by your organization.

Considerations for proxy ERP

If your organization does not integrate with an ERP system, you are responsible for the following:

  • Currency conversion. Currency conversions are typically handled by an ERP system. In a proxy ERP environment, you can use the conversion table in the project details (Project > Project details > Details) for reporting only. If you get a notification that the currency is not maintained in project details, contract your project administrator.
  • Invoices and payment forms. The proxy ERP allows only one invoice per payment form.
  • Payment progress maintenance. If you have the correct permission, you can edit the following fields on the Payment Progress tab: Date cashed, Check number, Method, Paid amount, and Retention released.

The proxy ERP simulates the successful publishing of purchase orders, vendor change orders, goods receipts, accruals, and payment forms by issuing an auto-response. Validations that are in place for an ERP system are not performed, and you are responsible for the accuracy of this information.

Contract Workflow

The functionality of Contract is organized into two areas:

  • Bid Packages
  • Contracts

The diagram below provides the overall workflow for Contract and how it integrates with other applications, including InEight Change, InEight Progress, InEight Control, and your ERP system.

Bid Packages

The Bid Packages module allows you to itemize out the scopes of work that you intend to put under contract. Bid Packages are usually created after the estimate is completed and the project is awarded. Bid Packages also can track milestones leading up to contract execution to ensure you meet product and service delivery dates, and to help you move the package from concept to under contract.

The diagram below illustrates the workflow followed in the Bid Packages module:

Contracts

The Contracts module is where a contract’s lifecycle can be managed from creation to closeout. Managing Contracts includes:

  • Adding contract details and line items
  • Adding supporting documentation, including the executed contract agreement
  • Initiating a purchase order for the contract
  • Adding associated vendor change orders (tied to Change Management)
  • Allocating payments for invoices received in the field
  • Following a closeout process for the contract

The Contracts module follows the workflow indicated below.

Who uses InEight Contract?

The primary users of InEight Contract differ from the typical roles that use the rest of the InEight cloud platform, namely Contract Managers and Contract Administrators. In other words, the main users of Contract are employees focused on contract management as their primary role.

There are, however various touchpoints where other field personnel will use Contract as part of their daily tasks. For example:

  • Field Handlers that oversee specific work packages will perform specific functions in Contract
  • Field workers tasked with getting payment approvals for routing invoices will input that information in Contract, where it will automatically sync to the back office system
  • Project Engineers, Project Managers, and Controllers will access Pay Forms in Contract