Bills
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      Create a Bill from Scratch

      Build detailed, cloud-based Bills manually in ConstructionOnline's OnCost™ Purchasing tool

      BACKGROUND

      As a part of ConstructionOnline's OnCost Purchasing module, construction companies are provided with integrated, cutting-edge tools allowing them to document Bills alongside other project expense information. For ultimate versatility, ConstructionOnline™ provides three ways Bills can be created: from existing Purchase Orders, from existing Expenses/Receipts, or from scratch. By starting a Bill from scratch, ConstructionOnline allows construction companies to tailor their financial tracking to fit the unique needs of their company, or each project. This flexibility ensures every cost can be accurately recorded and enables efficiency in monitoring financial health, anticipating cash flow needs, and making informed decisions that keep projects under budget and on schedule. 

      This article contains the following sections:

      1. Step-by-step instructions
      2. Video walkthrough
      3. Next actions
      4. Additional information

      STEPS TO CREATE A BILL FROM SCRATCH 

      1. Navigate to the desired Project via the Left Sidebar.
      2. Select the Financials tab and choose the Purchasing category. 
      3. Click the Bills tab, and then click the green (+) Create New Bill button at the top of the Purchasing pane and select the "...from Scratch" option from the dropdown menu. 
      4. Within the "Create New Bill" window, step through the following tabs to enter the new Bill's information - 
        1. Bill Details
          1. Project: Link the Bill to a specific ConstructionOnline Project
            1. If creating a Bill within a Project, the current Project will be assigned by default and cannot be changed. 
            2. If creating a Bill from the Company Overview, use the dropdown menu to link the task to a specific ConstructionOnline Project, if desired. 
              1. Projects appear in alphabetical order within the Project dropdown menu. 
          2. Title: Give your Bill a title, or keep the automatically generated title
            1. The default title assigned pulls the number from the Bill Number field, described below.
          3. Bill Number: A unique identifier for the Bill automatically generated by combining two numbers—the Project ID and a sequential number based on the number of Bills previously created within the Project
            1. This field cannot be modified. 
          4. Status: Utilize the toggle to set the Status of the Bill
            1. By default, Bills are created with an "Active" Status.
            2. "Active" Bills can be marked as "Approved", allowing you to create Payments. 
            3. "Draft" Bills signify that the Bill is not yet ready to be Approved and, therefore, cannot be connected to a Payment. 
          5. Internal Notes: Provide any additional information or context related to the Bill for internal use
          6. Subcontractor/Vendor: Identify the subcontractor, supplier, or individual who has issued the Bill by beginning to type the desired name into the field
            1. This field is required. 
            2. Contacts that populate here are pulled from your ConstructionOnline Company Contact List. New Contacts must be added through the Company Contacts page and cannot be added when creating a Bill.
            3. Only one Contact can be assigned to this field.
          7. Invoice Date: Specify the date the Invoice was issued by the subcontractor or vendor
          8. Invoice Received: Indicate the date the Invoice was received 
          9. Due Date: Set the deadline by which the payment for the Invoice must be made 
          10. Bill Type: Categorize the Bill based on its nature or purpose 
            1. ConstructionOnline provides four preloaded Bill Types: Advanced, Progress, Arrears, and Time & Material.
            2. This field is unique to the Bills feature and can be customized through the gear icon ⚙️.
          11. Trade: Specify the Trade or specialty involved in the Bill (i.e. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.)
            1. This field can be customized. 
          12. Tags: Assign any predefined keywords or labels to the Bill 
            1. This field can be customized. 
        2. Included Items

          ⭐ At least one Item must be created and selected in order to successfully create the Bill. 
          1. Itemize the Bill via manual entry or by importing Costbook Item(s)
            1. If choosing to enter items via manual entry, select the (+) Add Item button and then fill in the desired Item Name, Description, Quantity, Unit Cost, Total Cost, & Total Billed on the table.
            2. If choosing to enter Costbook Items, select the (+) Add Item button and then click the arrow that appears at the very far right of the Item Name field. This will open the "Insert Item From Database" window where you can choose to insert individual Costbook Items into the Bill.
        3. Link to Estimate 
          1. Link the newly created Item to your Project Estimate, if desired, by choosing the desired Estimate Category, Subcategory, and Estimate Item from the dropdown menus. 
            1. Items that have been successfully linked to the Estimate will be designated by a 🔗 link icon. 
        4. Attachments
          1. Upload any files, photos, or videos pertinent to the Bill
      5. Once you have finalized the new Bill's details, click the blue "Create" button.
        1. If you marked the Bill as "Ready for Payment", ConstructionOnline will prompt you to create a Payment for the Bill. Choose between "Save Bill and Make Payment Now" or "Save Bill and Make Payment Later" depending on your workflow, then click the blue "Save" button to finalize the creation of the Bill. 

      VIDEO WALKTHROUGH 

      NEXT ACTIONS 

      Activated upon the creation of your Bill, ConstructionOnline's Purchasing Timeline provides a visual & actionable guide for the next steps you and your team should take in the Purchasing process. While ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module was designed with flexibility in mind, the Purchasing Timeline can help you and your team stay organized by highlighting the crucial stages that follow after Bill creation, such as ensuring the Bill has an "Active" Status, marking it as "Ready for Payment", and creating new Payments associated with the Bill. To learn more about utilizing the Purchasing Timeline and what comes next in the billing process, visit this article.

      ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

      • Subscription Level: ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module is available for companies with current ConstructionOnline subscriptions at the Team, Business, and Enterprise levels.
      • Permissions: ConstructionOnline Company Users must have Purchase Orders, Bills, and Payments permissions set to "Can Create & Edit" or "Can Create, Edit & Delete" to create new Bills.
        • Purchase Orders, Bills, & Payments permissions are set and managed at the Company level. For more information on editing Company-Level permissions, visit this FAQ.
      • ClientLink™/TeamLink™ Access: ClientLink and TeamLink Users do not have access to the Purchasing feature via the Project Portal.
      • CO™ Mobile App: The Purchasing feature is exclusively available via browser access to ConstructionOnline. 
        • The Purchasing feature cannot be accessed through the CO™ Mobile App.

      HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

      • If you need additional assistance, chat with a Specialist by clicking the orange Chat icon located in the bottom left corner or visit the UDA Support Page for additional options.