Subcontract Management

OBJECTIVE

The Subcontract Management function is used to manage orders issued to subcontractors, including change orders, in a simple and efficient manner.

This option allows the user to use a separate form from the original purchase order for change orders.

 

PREREQUISITES

• Project Management
• Supplier Management
• Define Cost Groups

 

Steps

maestro* > Purchasing > Purchasing > Subcontract > Subcontract Management

 

Create a subcontractor contract

1. Enter the required information in the header under the Summary of non-transferred transactions:

Fields	Description
Contract No	Counter number. NOTES: If no number is specified manually, maestro* assigns a number when the contract is saved. The counter is the same as for Purchase Order Management or Stock Order from Catalogue. The counter is incremented based on how each of the options are used. A counter and a mask can be defined in Configuration.
Supplier	Sub-contractor's code from Supplier Management.
Address No.	Allows the user to choose a supplier address from Define Supplier Addresses.
Phone 1 and 2	Main and secondary phone number to reach the supplier.
Fax	Supplier's fax number.
External No.	Indicates the number of the subcontract in another program in order to establish a link with this other program (such as Procore for example).
Accrual Accounting	Function which allows to enter the Subcontract Progress; thus, when checked, this box allows the recording of accrued costs. NOTES: To make this function available, check the Activate Accrual Management in the Subcontracts box, which can be found in the Option sub-tab, under the Project Desc tab of the Project Management option. If needed, read the Project Management Online Help (F1)

2. Enter the required information in the Original Contract tab:

The Original Contract tab is renamed Template if the contract type is Homebuilder.

 

Fields	Description
Status	Status of the subcontractor contract available on saving. The statuses available for the user include: Reserved, Quotation, Modified, Entered and Confirmed. NOTES: The status is automatically changed to Modified by maestro* if new change orders are added to a contract that had been closed or if a transferred contract or a change order is unlocked. However, this status can be changed by clicking the Configuration icon. The user can view the transactions with a Modified status by clicking the Display Only Modified Entries icon. If the advanced order approval function is enabled in Configuration, the status can only be changed when the order is saved. New statuses can be created using the Approval Codes Table option.
Type	Identifies the type of subcontractor contract. Available values: Regular Purchase Order Indicates that the subcontractor contract is a regular purchase order. Estimate Open order with a commitment. NOTES: This order can be used to monitor an amount estimated at the start, but not yet confirmed. Estimated orders do not close automatically when they are completed. They must be closed manually by using the Close an Order option or by checking the Completed column for each item on the order in Purchase Order Invoicing. Homebuilder Indicates that the subcontractor contract is linked to residential projects. NOTE: It is possible to print residential contracts using the Print Homebuilder Contracts option.
Contract Date	Date on which the contract was opened. NOTE: To transfer a subcontract order, the financial period in the general ledger must have been created, otherwise it will be impossible to transfer the order.
Delivery Date	Planned delivery date; start of work.
Work Order	Used to link the subcontractor contract to a Work Order. NOTE: Maestro* allows the user to choose an existing work order only if the Work Order module is installed.
Call No.	Allows the user to indicate a service call number to the subcontract selected. NOTES: It is impossible to indicate a different service call number per line in the breakdown grid of the subcontract. The presence of a call number in the header ensures that the subcontract can only be linked to one single service call number.
Project	Project to which the purchase is allocated. NOTES: The projects displayed depend on project access defined in Security Management. The project identified in this field is also used to select the default delivery location if the Location field is set to Project.
Print a P.O.	Available values: Yes Contracts set to Yes are available when printing is initiated from the Print Subcontract Orders option. No Contracts set to No are not available when printing is initiated from the Print Subcontract Orders option.
Payment Terms	Payment terms from Payment Terms, used by default for the invoice. NOTE: If a payment term is entered in Supplier Management, it is entered automatically.
Detailed Holdback	Option which allows to indicate the holdback rate specific to each contract of change order line instead of their total amount. This comes in useful when no holdback should be calculated on certain elements, such as electronic equipment. When this box is checked, the Holdback % column is displayed in the grid of the Breakdown sub-tab of the Original Contract and Change Order tabs. NOTE: It will be impossible to modify this option upon the addition of an invoice to the sub-contract, whether it be transferred or not.
Holdback %	Holdback percentage applicable to the contract on invoicing. NOTE : If a rate is entered in the Holdback Rate field in the project, that rate is displayed.

 

The supplier information is displayed automatically when a supplier code from Supplier Management is entered. The information in the Supplier Additional Info. section is also from Supplier Management and is displayed when a supplier code is entered.

1. Details sub-tab: Specific instructions about the work can be entered here. It is possible to format the text by clicking icons for the font, attributes, size, etc. The forms must be changed to include the formatted variables.
2. Breakdown sub-tab:

The breakdown contains the budgeted activities for the project. In normal usage mode, a global amount is entered for all of the work and changes are managed using change orders. The change order can be allocated to a subproject for better cost monitoring. The project, activity and group must not be the same as the project, activity and group for the inventory defined in Configuration – Purchasing, Inventory tab(Inventory section). Otherwise, it will be impossible to save the transaction.

 

Fields	Description
Description	Short description of the work.
Date	Informative delivery date for each description (not the transaction’s).
Company	Name of the expense company. NOTE: Available in multidimensional mode only.
Project	Determines the project to which each breakdown line belongs.
Activity	Determines the activity to which each breakdown line belongs.
Group	Determines the expense group to which each breakdown line belongs. NOTE: Logically, the group should always be S-Sub-contractors.
Amt Requested	Estimated amount of work to be carried out. NOTE: If there is a value in this field and the Status of the line is Entered, the line can be invoiced to the condition that the subcontract is in Modified status and the line does not contain a Quantity nor an Amount.
Qty on Order	Quantity ordered. NOTE: The quantity can be used the same way as for progressive billing. That is, as the progress quantity in relation to the work, or as a lump sum.
Qty Receiv.	Quantity invoiced. NOTE: This quantity is updated after invoices linked to the contract are transferred.
Unit of Measure	Unit of measure of the item ordered.
Unit Price	Unit price for the quantity entered.
Amount	Breakdown line amount. NOTE: An amount can be entered even if the Qty on Order and Unit Price fields are empty.
Holdback %	Percentage to holdback for the breakdown line. NOTE: This column is only visible if the Detailed Holdback box is checked.
Tx 1	Tax code applicable. NOTE: To find out the source of the applicable code and tax rate, refer to the Reading tax codes in maestro* help topic.
Tax Amount 1	Amount corresponding to the calculation of the tax indicated in the Tx 1 column.
Tx 2	Tax code applicable. NOTE: To find out the source of the applicable code and tax rate, refer to the Reading tax codes in maestro* help topic.
Tax Amount 2	Amount corresponding to the calculation of the tax indicated in the Tx 2 column.
Status	Completed by default when the contract is saved based on its progress in maestro*.
Do not print	Specifies that the line should not be printed on the contract form.
Line Type	Unconfirmed alphanumeric code for entering information on separate lines where necessary. For example, to print a bold line on the form, it is possible to enter a character such as "B" in this field. Simply add a condition on the form so that the lines containing the character "B" are printed in bold.
Shop Drawing Counter	Allows to enter the counter number of a shop drawing. NOTES: This column is not visible by default. In order to display it, it is necessary to go to the breakdown grid's configurations and check the column. This column is only displayed if the Shop Drawing module is installed. The field value can be modified when the transaction is saved, but not when the transaction is transferred.
Drawing Title	Displays the title of the shop drawing selected in the Shop Drawing Counter column. NOTES: This column is for informational purposes only. This column is not visible by default. In order to display it, it is necessary to go to the breakdown grid's configurations and check the column. This column is only displayed if the Shop Drawing module is installed. The field value can be modified when the transaction is saved, but not when the transaction is transferred.
Reference 1 to 5	Allows to enter various reference numbers (i.e. contractor reference, customer reference, etc.). NOTE: There is a maximum of 20 alphanumerical characters for each column. These columns are not visible by default. In order to display them, it is necessary to go in the breakdown grid's configurations and check the desired columns. These columns will appear between the Number and Before Tax columns of the Subcontract Analysis report, if the Detail Level field is set to Detailed.

3. Enter the required information in the Delivery tab:

Fields	Description
Location	Location for the work. Available values: Alternate Used to create a temporary address. Contact Allows the user to use an address associated with a contact from Contact Management. Supplier Allows the user to use the address defined in Supplier Management for the selected supplier. Supplier Address Allows the use of an address from Define Supplier Addresses. List Allows the use of use an address from Define Addresses. Company Uses the address entered in the company parameters. Project Uses the address entered in Project Management for the selected project. NOTES: If a project has been identified in the main screen of the order, it will be selected automatically as the delivery location if the Location field is set to Project. However, if a project is selected manually in this field, it will be retained even if the project is changed in the main screen of the order.
Selection	Specific identity of the work site. Provides access to databases linked by function to the selection in the Location field.
Transport	Transportation from Define Abbreviations.
FOB	Incoterm from Define Abbreviations.
Attention of	Delivery contact.
Specifications	Specification for the order from Define Specifications.
Site	Site on which the order will be stored.
Buyer	By default, same as the Operator field, but it can be changed.
Entered	Name of the user who entered the order.

4. Enter the required information in the Change Orders tab:

The Change Orders tab is renamed Purchase orders if the contract type is Homebuilder. Different icons are used for the change order functions. The Enter a New Change Order, Save a Change Order and Delete a Change Order icons are exclusive to this function. They are available in the tool bar. It is possible to create a new change order or link the contract to an existing change order by using the Change Order Management option.

 

If the subcontract is linked to a lien, the amount of the lien is updated automatically to include the change orders when the subcontract is transferred. The updated amount is the amount of the change orders, including taxes. To ensure that the lien amount is updated, the Supplier, Project and Contract No fields in the subcontract must match the fields on the lien.

 

Fields	Description
Counter	Sequential change order counter. Managed by maestro*.
Change Order	Change order number. NOTES: This number must be entered manually. It is impossible to save a transaction if the change order number entered already exists for the project or the contract.
Description	Description that identifies the change order.
Date	Default date for each line in the Breakdown section. NOTE: Commitments from change orders are posted based on this date rather than on the date of the subcontract.
SCO Number	Numbering of the change order for this subcontract. Provided for information purposes. NOTES: This number is assigned automatically on saving if the field is empty. Otherwise, the value entered by the user is kept. Refer to the appendix for the numbering format. This information is available on the subcontracting forms and on the Subcontract Analysis report, in detailed format. This number will also be transferred to the change order breakdown created in the Change Orders module and will be visible in the change order reports and in Change Order Inquiry. The information entered in this field can be found in the SCO Number column of the Job Costing Report. This column is not visible by default and muist be activated through the maestro* report viewer Configurations.

1. Details sub-tab: Specific instructions about the change order can be entered here. It is possible to format the text by clicking icons for the font, attributes, size, etc. The forms must be changed to include the formatted variables.
2. Breakdown section:

The change order can be allocated to a subproject for better cost monitoring. The project, activity and group must not be the same as the project, activity and group for the inventory defined in Configuration – Purchasing, Inventory tab (Inventory section). Otherwise, it will be impossible to save the transaction.

 

Fields	Description
Description	Short description of the work linked to the change order.
Date	Delivery date (for information purposes). This is not the transaction for each of the descriptions linked to the change order.
Project	Determines the project to which each breakdown line belongs.
Activity	Determines the activity to which each breakdown line belongs.
Group	Determines the expense group to which each breakdown line belongs.
Amt Requested	Estimated amount for work to be carried out.
Qty on Order	Quantity ordered. NOTE: The quantity can be used in the same way as during progressive billing as the progress quantity in relation to the work, or used as a lump sum.
Qty Receiv.	Quantity invoiced. NOTE: This quantity is updated after invoices linked to the contract are transferred.
Unit of Measure	Unit of measure of the item ordered.
Unit Price	Unit price for the quantity entered.
Amount	Breakdown line amount. NOTE: An amount can be entered even if the Qty on Order and Unit Price fields are empty.
Holdback %	Holdback percentage for the breakdown line. NOTE: This column is only visible if the Detailed Holdback box of the Original Contract tab is checked.
Tx 1	Tax code applicable. NOTE: To find out the source of the applicable code and tax rate, refer to the Reading tax codes in maestro* topic.
Tx 2	Tax code applicable. NOTE: To find out the source of the applicable code and tax rate, refer to the Reading tax codes in maestro* topic.
Status	Completed by default when the contract is saved based on the progress of the change order in maestro*.
Company	Name of the expense company. NOTE: Available in multidimensional mode only.
Do not print	Specifies that the line on the change order form should not be printed.
Line Type	Unconfirmed alphanumeric code for entering information on separate lines where necessary. For example, to print a bold line on the form, it is possible to enter a character such as "B" in this field. Simply add a condition on the form so that the lines containing the character "B" are printed in bold.
Shop Drawing Counter	Allows to enter the counter number of a shop drawing. NOTES: This column is not visible by default. In order to display it, it is necessary to go to the breakdown grid's configurations and check the column. This column is only displayed if the Shop Drawing module is installed. The field value can be modified when the transaction is saved, but not when the transaction is transferred.
Drawing Title	Displays the title of the shop drawing selected in the Shop Drawing Counter column. NOTES: This column is for informational purposes only. This column is not visible by default. In order to display it, it is necessary to go to the breakdown grid's configurations and check the column. This column is only displayed if the Shop Drawing module is installed. The field value can be modified when the transaction is saved, but not when the transaction is transferred.
Reference 1 to 5	Allows to enter various reference numbers (i.e. contractor reference, customer reference, etc.). NOTE: There is a maximum of 20 alphanumerical characters for each column. NOTE: These columns are not visible by default. In order to display them, it is necessary to go in the breakdown grid's configurations and check the desired columns. NOTE: These columns will appear between the Number and Before Tax columns of the Subcontract Analysis report, if the Detail Level field is set to Detailed.

 

Once the subcontractor contract has been transferred, the change orders are displayed in the various functions of the Change Order module.

5. Enter the required information in the Memo tab: Used for entering general notes about the subcontractor contract. It is possible to format the text by clicking icons for the font, attributes, size, etc. The forms must be changed to include the formatted variables.
6. Click Save.

Only orders with a Confirmed status can be transferred. Once an order has been transferred, it can no longer be modified, unless the Unlock the Original Contract or Unlock the Current Change Order functionality is used (in the File menu of the window). To use one of these functions, there must be no invoice entered for the order. In order to have access to the Unlock the Original Contract and Unlock the Current Change Order functions, the The user can unlock transferred orders and subcontracts. box must be checked in the user’s Security Management under the Access Restrictions tab, in the Purchasing – Orders section. The status of the order changes for Modified if it is unlocked.

 

See also

• Configuration
• Purchase Order Management
• Internal Purchase Order
• Stock Order from Catalogue
• Print Subcontract Orders
• Change Order Management
• Change Order Inquiry
• List of Change Orders
• Print Homebuilder Contracts
• Reading tax codes in maestro*
• Job Costing Report

 

APPENDIX

Numbering format of a subcontract change order

If the user enters a value in the SCO Number field manually for this subcontract, maestro* uses this value. The number does not have to respect any specific format.

If the field is empty, when the change order is created and saved, maestro* numbers the change order in the following format:

Example of a change order to a subcontract:

Formula used: CONTRACT NUMBER + HYPHEN + SEQUENCE NUMBER

The first change order added to subcontract no. 579 is numbered as follows:

579-00001

579-00002 for the addition of a second change order to this contract

etc.

Example of a change order to a subcontract with an extension:

Formula used: CONTRACT NUMBER + HYPHEN + EXTENSION + HYPHEN + SEQUENCE NUMBER

The first change order added to a subcontract with an extension no. 579-01 is numbered as follows:

579-01-00001

579-01-00002 for the addition of a second change order to this contract

etc.

 

Last modification: March 18, 2025