In this article
- How to create a budget only assessment
- Managing budget only assessments
- Tendering a budget only assessment
- Want to know more?
What is a budget only assessment?
A budget only assessment is a feature within Chalkstring that allows you to manage a project using predefined budgets instead of detailed cost estimates. This approach is particularly useful when you need to move a project onsite quickly. Budget only assessments enable you to allocate overall budgets across key cost categories, streamlining the initial phases of project management.
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How to Create a Budget Only Assessment
Creating a budget only assessment in Chalkstring is a straightforward process.
1. Expand the main Chalkstring black menu bar and click on the ‘Projects’ menu.
2. Click the project you are working on.
3. On the project homepage, locate the work package where you wish to create the assessment and click 'New assessment'.
4. Select the 'Enter budget only figures' option.
5. Complete the required fields:-
- Assessment name: Enter a descriptive name that will appear on all tender documents.
- Total assessment price: Define the overall budget for the assessment. This is the total figure, including profit, which you have agreed with your client.
- Costs budget: Allocate the budget costs across categories such as materials, labour, and contingencies.
The OHP for the assessment is automatically calculated from from the total price, minus the total costs for the set budgets.
6. Double-check you are happy wit the details entered. Click 'Create' to finalise your budget only assessment.
7. It will now appear under the selected work package.
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Managing budget only assessments
Once you've created a budget only assessment, you may need to edit, archive, or tender it.
Editing a budget only assessment
1. Expand the main Chalkstring black menu bar and click on the ‘Projects’ menu.
2. Click the project you are working on.
3. On the project homepage, click on the assessment where you want to edit the budget values.
4. To adjust the budget values, click on the 'Edit' button in the top right corner .
5. To rename the assessment, click on the 'Cog' in the 'Assessment configuration' box.
6. After making your edits, click 'Save' to update the assessment.
Archiving a budget only assessment
1. Expand the main Chalkstring black menu bar and click on the ‘Projects’ menu.
2. Click the project you are working on.
3. On the project homepage, click on the assessment you want to archive.
4. To archive the assessments, click the 'Archive' button in the top right corner. Click again to confirm.
5. Assessments can be unarchived at any point by repeating these steps.
Tendering a budget only assessment
1. Expand the main Chalkstring black menu bar and click on the ‘Projects’ menu.
2. Click the project you are working on.
3. On the project homepage, click on the assessment you want to take to tender.
4. Ensure all budget figures and project details are accurate.
5. Click the 'Mark as complete' button in the top right.
6. Navigate back to the project home page by clicking the '<- Project' button in the top left.
7. The assessment will now show with a green logo to show it's ready for tender.
8. Click the tick box on the right hand side for the assessments you want to include in your tender.
9. Scroll down and click the 'Create tender' button. The tender will be created and appear in the 'Tenders' section.
10. Click the 'Generate bill & cover letter' button.
11. To generate only the tender, click the 'Generate tender' button in the top right corner.
12. To generate a cover letter and the tender, click the 'Generate cover letter' button.
13. The files can be downloaded by clicking the appropriate 'Download' buttons in the 'Tender documents' section.
14. Once a decision has been reached a tender can either be marked:
- Withdraw – Decision made to not to pursue tender further.
- Rejected – The client did not accept the tender.
- Accepted – The client accepted the tender. This will move the project onsite.