Cost Item Update in Constructware

When using Cost Management in Constructware the basic unit that carries the currency amount is a Cost Item. In some instances Cost Items are created by the document creator and in other instances the Cost Item is said to be Auto Generated. Auto Generated Cost Items are created in specific cases.

Here are the details:

Constructware automatically creates Cost Items for certain scenarios:

• Tax and Other Charges: On POs, POCOs, and Invoices, Tax and Other Charges amounts create Cost Items.
• Markups: Because the Cost Item is the only mechanism for relating to the Budget, markups also are Cost Items. Thus, all direct and indirect cost, and all markups become Cost Items on documents. Examples of documents with markups are Cost Events, RCOs, and OCOs. Purchasing documents such as POs and Contracts do not have markups.
• Budget Adjustments: Transferring money between budget codes or making other adjustments creates Cost Items.
• Tracking Items: You can track receiving against Purchase Order Cost Items either through the Daily Reports module on the Daily Materials tab or through the PO Tracking module available through the Tracking button in the Purchase Order module. These partial receipt Cost Items are referred to as Tracking Items.
• Invoices: Cost Items added directly to Invoices are considered Auto-Generated Items because of the way Tracking Items are handled, as described previously.
• Pay Apps and Contractor Pay Apps: Creates Cost Items for Pay Apps and Contractor Pay Apps when the Allow Cost Item Creation option in Module Customization is enabled for the module, you have assigned a Budget Code to the SOV Heading Items, and you click Update.

A cost item is a cost item except that in certain instances, such as Auto Generated Cost Items, the whole Cost Item input screen is not visible. Field values were hidden given the use of the Cost Item. The recent rollout now allows Auto Generated Cost Items to be viewed with all fields exposed. To view an Auto Generated Cost Item go to the Cost Item Module. You will notice the Cost Item log contains a filter checkbox to show Auto-Generated Items. Select this checkbox to get the items to show. Select the desired item and select the Edit button on the toolbar. You won't be able to edit the item, but you can see the fields in a read only mode.

Advanced Tip:

The Cost Items Log system report has an option that allows the report to show Adjustments. In this case Adjustments are Budget Adjustments that have been created. When the adjustment is created it can have a text string associated with it. In this way certain budget adjustments can be isolated and reported on using this element of the report. As noted above, the Budget Adjustment is an Auto Generated Cost Item.