Zeyto Academy · Foundation · Module 41
Contracting fundamentals
How a contractor's money flows, and how Zeyto Construction & Contracting (pre-release) tags one ledger by project and item of work.
You will be able to
- Describe the cycle from tender to final retention release and where cash runs short
- Explain how one ledger carries project and item-of-work tags and what refusals to expect
- Build a project with categories and items and calculate sell, cost and weighted progress
- Set up the company, roles and approvals in a sensible order
- Navigate Home, My Day, Portfolio and the project hub with the product's own words
- Follow a project from tender to close with its controls
How a contractor's money flows
- Revenue belongs to a contract, cost comes first, cash comes last.
- Retention and advance move cash without moving profit.
- Track billed, collected, held and owed, not only margin.
One ledger, tagged by project and item of work
- One ledger; project and item of work are tags, not separate books.
- Cost can only be posted to an item (a leaf) of an open project.
- Reversals are netted per item, and a cancel is never refused by the tag checks.
The project and its breakdown (WBS)
- Cost goes to items; categories only add up.
- Progress is weighted by sell value, not averaged.
- Statuses, the cost lock date and the budget control are set on the project card.
Setting up the company, people and approvals
- Set up in order: company, parties, items, category master, users, approvals, numbering.
- Ten contractor roles are installed by default and can be edited.
- Approval requests never go to their creator, and nothing approves itself.
Reading the workspace: Home, My Day, the project hub
- Register first, form second: every screen follows it.
- Home, My Day and Portfolio answer 'what needs me now'; the project hub answers 'how is this job'.
- Use the product glossary so reports read the same everywhere.
From tender to close: the life of a project
- Winning a tender creates project, BOQ, budget, schedule, contract and clauses in one action.
- Controls are the cost lock, the over-budget setting, gates, approvals and month-end close.
- Time-bar dates are only as good as the event dates you enter.
How a contractor's money flows: key table
| Stage | The money question | Where Zeyto Construction & Contracting keeps it |
|---|---|---|
| Tender | What will it cost and what price wins? | Projects, Tenders and the estimate |
| Contract | What did the client agree to pay, and when? | The contract on the project's Billing tab |
| Buy and build | What have we committed and spent? | Purchase, Inventory, People and the project hub |
| Certify and bill | How much may we invoice now? | Progress bills on the Billing tab |
| Collect and release | Who owes us, and what is held? | Finance Hub: receivables and retention |
One ledger, tagged by project and item of work: key table
| Refusal | Meaning | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Item not a leaf | Cost can only go to an item, not to a category that groups items | Pick a sub-level item |
| Item belongs to another project | The item chosen is in a different project's breakdown | Change the project or the item |
| Project closed or cancelled | A closed project takes no new cost | Reopen through the project, or post elsewhere |
| Cost locked | The posting date is on or before the project's cost lock date | Use a date after the lock, or lift the lock with authority |
Setting up the company, people and approvals: key table
| Role | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Director | Portfolio, margins, approvals of large items |
| Project Manager | Own projects: progress, variations, bills, look-ahead |
| QS / Estimator | Estimates, BOQ, valuations, progress bills |
| Site Engineer | Daily log, progress entries, material requests |
| Foreman | Site tasks and records from the phone |
| Storekeeper | Receiving, issuing, counts |
| Procurement Officer | Quotations, awards, purchase orders |
| Accountant | Invoices, payments, finance hub, month-end close |
| HSE Officer | Permits, toolbox talks, incidents |
| Client viewer | Read-only view |
Reading the workspace: Home, My Day, the project hub: key table
| Screen | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Home | A landing page with the views Director, Project manager, Finance, Procurement, Site and operations, and Safety and quality. Every figure is a link to the list behind it. |
| My Day | One inbox of what needs you: approvals, progress waiting, late tasks, blocked gates, unanswered requests, snoozed items. |
| Portfolio | All projects as red, amber and green tiles with schedule, cost, margin, cash, safety and quality checks. |
| Projects | The register of projects; click one to open its hub. |
| Finance Hub | Cash, receivables, payables, retention, profitability, contracts in progress, the 13-week forecast and month-end close. |