Tracking Budget Against Actual Cost on a Proposal
Compare each proposal line's budget with the actual cost of the orders, procurement needs and expenses charged to it, and find lines running over budget.
Every proposal line has a Budget: its total cost after cost columns. The Budget tab on a proposal compares that number with what the line is actually costing, so an overspend shows up on the line where it happened while there is still time to act on it.
Actual cost comes from three places: orders and procurement needs assigned to the line, and expenses pointed at it. Assigning actuals is the work of running the show, so it stays open on Accepted, Paid and Canceled proposals.
Read the Budget Tab
Open a proposal and select Budget. The tab is titled Budget vs actual and shows:
- Actual cost, Actual margin and Over budget across the whole proposal. Over budget is the number of lines whose actual cost is above their budget.
- A row per line with Budget, Actual cost and Actual margin, grouped the same way as the Line Items tab, with a total for each group and a Proposal total.
Actual margin is the line's revenue minus its actual cost: the margin you are really landing. A line is over budget when its actual cost is higher than its budget, and it is marked with a warning. The budget is measured after cost columns, so a vendor tax column raises the budget rather than reading as headroom.
Expand a line to see what is charged to it. Assigned actuals lists each order and need with its cost and whether it was assigned Auto or Manual. Expenses pointed at the line are shown as a separate Expenses figure.
What Counts as Actual Cost
Each assigned order or need uses the best figure available, moving to a later stage as the work progresses:
| Source | Cost used |
|---|---|
| Order | What fulfillment tracked as actually used, otherwise the vendor invoices, otherwise the chosen quote, otherwise the estimate from rate cards. Expense lines on a vendor invoice are left out here, because expenses reach the line on their own. |
| Procurement need | What fulfillment tracked for the need, otherwise the estimate from its rate card and quantity. |
| Expense | The expense total. |
Each assignment adds its own cost. If both a need and the order that buys it are assigned to the same line, both count.
Assign Actuals Automatically
When a line was added from procurement, BackOps already knows which need it bills, and assigns the need to the line as soon as the line is added. Orders are created later, so they need a sweep.
Select Auto-assign at the top of the Budget tab. It assigns:
- each need that is on exactly one line of this proposal to that line, and
- each order whose lines all buy needs sitting on one line of this proposal to that line.
Auto-assign is safe to run again. It never changes or removes an assignment that already exists, so anything you assigned or moved by hand stays put. An order that buys needs on more than one line, or mixes needs on this proposal with needs that are not, is left unassigned and listed in a warning. Split the order so each part sits on the budget it belongs to, then run Auto-assign again, or assign the order to one line by hand.
Assign an Actual by Hand
Bucket lines, such as "Lighting" at a single figure, have no procurement trail, so their actuals are assigned by hand.
Expand the line
Assign an actual
Save
Each order or need can be charged to only one line of a proposal, so the same cost is never counted twice on one proposal. To move an assignment, open its menu and choose Re-point to and the other line. A re-pointed assignment becomes Manual, so Auto-assign will not move it back. Unassign removes it.
Point Expenses at a Line
Expenses, such as a parking receipt or an ice run, are entered on the event's Expenses page and pointed at a budget line there. Only lines on Accepted or Paid proposals are offered, because only those proposals fund the budget. If a line is removed or its proposal is deleted, the expenses pointed at it stay recorded and become unbudgeted.
Budget Across the Event
The Proposals list adds up every Accepted and Paid proposal, change orders included. Budgeted is their total cost, Revenue their total charge, and Planned margin the difference. Over-budget lines counts the lines on those proposals running over their own budget, which can happen even when the event as a whole is under budget. Drafts, Sent, Rejected and Canceled proposals are left out, and so are the actuals assigned to their lines.