This chapter contains the following topics:
Introduction to Standard Bills
Printing a List of Standard Bills
A standard bill is a packaged set of Services, Goods, and/or Notes line items which your company uses frequently. You can paste standard bills into any invoice or recurring bill. The purpose of packaging predefined line items as standard bills is simply to reduce data entry and ensure consistency.
You can benefit from standard bills even though you may not know in advance the exact quantity or nature of each detail item. Line items introduced into an invoice as standard bills are treated no differently from line items entered manually. They may be changed or deleted at will. Thus a standard bill can serve as a useful template even though you may have to tweak it each time you use it.
Standard bills are optional; if you do not use them this chapter does not apply.
Standard bills are very much like Invoices without the header and totals screens so much so that this chapter will describe only the differences between the two, avoiding much repetition.
Standard bills may not be nested within other standard bills, but more than one standard bill may be pasted into the same invoice.
Standard bills are not specific to a customer but may be used for any invoice. Consequently, no credit checking occurs upon entry (but credit is checked each time a standard bill is copied into an invoice).
The Standard bills selection is not under batch control, does not generate accounting transactions, and does not require posting.
If you are not interfaced to the Passport Business Solutions Job Cost module, this section does not apply.
Standard bills may be copied into invoices for jobs, provided that the invoice is not for multiple jobs. When this happens, each Services line item and each Goods line item is assumed to be for that job.
If a category number is present on a Goods line item, a cost item number is created for the line item by joining the category number from the standard bill to the sub-job and change order numbers:
| • | If the job has sub-jobs but does not bill for them, prior to transferring the standard bill the operator is asked to specify what sub-job to use in building the cost item number. Note that if the job does bill for its sub-jobs, the invoice already knows what the sub-job number is because that is required for billing purposes. |
| • | If the job has change orders, prior to transferring the standard bill the operator is asked to specify what change order number to use in building the cost item number. |
The results can be corrected after the transfer by changing the transferred line items individually.
Select
Standard bills from the A/R menu.
The following screen displays:
From this screen you can work with both new and existing standard bills. If a standard bill has already been entered for the standard bill number you specify, it will appear and be available for changes or deletion.
1. Standard bill #
Enter a number for this standard bill, or use one of the options:
Options
You may use the option:
|
<F1> |
For the next existing standard bill |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous standard bill |
If an existing standard bill is entered or selected, its description displays; also a count of its line items.
|
Format |
6 characters |
|
Example |
Type 4 |
2. Description
Enter a description for this standard bill. This field is required.
|
Format |
2 lines of 25 characters each |
|
Example |
Type Standard bill #4 for the first line Press <Enter> for the second line |
Field Number To Change ?
Make any needed changes. For an existing entry you may use one of the options:
|
<F1> |
For the next existing standard bill |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous standard bill |
|
<F3> |
To delete this entry |
Options
You may use the option:
|
<F1> |
For the next existing standard bill |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous standard bill |
|
<F3> |
To delete this entry |
Press <Enter> when done making changes. If this is a new entry, the line-item screen (described below) will appear automatically.
Do You Wish To Change The Line Items ?
This question is asked only if this is an existing entry. Answer N to terminate this transaction and proceed to the next standard bill. Answer Y to continue to the line-item screen.
|
Format |
One letter, either Y or N. The default is N. |
|
Example |
(Does not occur in this example) |
Each line item of the bill is entered on a separate screen.
| • | A standard bill may have up to 9,999 line items. Typically it has at least one. A standard bill with no line items at all is legitimate, but not useful. |
| • | To terminate processing this standard bill, press <Esc> from Field #1 of any line-item screen. |
The following screen appears:
From this screen you can work with both new and existing line items. The layout of the screen depends upon the type of line item; initially only Field #1 appears.
Enter the information as follows:
Sequence #
In graphical mode, this field is filled in and skipped. You may go back to the field and change it.
Line items are in sequence by an arbitrary number, which by default is assigned in increments of ten. Enter a sequence number, or use one of the options:
Character Mode
Options
You may use the option:
|
<F1> |
For the next existing line item, if any |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous existing line item |
|
<F2> |
For a new line item, to be added at the end of the standard bill and to be given a sequence number ending in zero |
Normal practice when entering a new standard bill is to use <F2> for each line item.
If you select an existing line item (either by direct entry of a sequence number or by using the option keys), that item is displayed in the appropriate format and the cursor is positioned at Field number to change ?.
|
Format |
9999 |
|
Example |
Press <F2> to assign sequence number 10. |
Line Type
Enter a line type from among:
|
G |
Goods |
|
S |
Services |
|
N |
Notes |
The different line items differ so much in appearance that each is described in a separate section.
|
Format |
One letter from the list above |
|
Example |
Type G |
Upon pressing <F2> for Sequence # and typing G for Line type, the following screen appears:
This screen closely resembles the corresponding screen in Invoices. Only the differences will be noted here. See the Invoices chapter.
Quantity
This field appears as Quantity instead of Qty ordered. You cannot enter a negative quantity as returned goods do not happen on standard bills.
You may not view alternate items (<F2>) or alternate warehouses (<F5>), nor may you view quantities (<F3>) for this item.
No check is made at this time that the quantity ordered is in stock.
5. A/R shipping instr
This defines what happens if the quantify available at the warehouse specified is insufficient. Enter one of the following:
Options
|
S |
Ship in stock |
Ship whatever is in stock |
|
O |
Override |
Ship the entire quantity (anticipating a receiving) |
You may use the option:
|
Format |
One letter from the list above |
|
Example |
Type S |
I/C Back Order Instr
This field defines Inventory back order instructions. Enter one of the
following:
|
S |
Ship in Stock |
|
O |
Override |
|
A |
Back order all |
|
B |
Back order balance |
|
Format |
One letter |
|
Example |
Type S |
Unit Price
The default price does not take into account any customer-specific sale or contract pricing.
Changes to the price and cost in Items are not automatically applied to standard bills. Also, when a a sale expires, any standard bills that use those prices continue to do so. Be on guard against inadvertently using obsolete prices when you copy standard bills.
Replacement cost
Average cost or
Standard cost
Each time the standard bill is copied into an invoice, the cost used is the current cost, not that in effect at the time the standard bill was originally entered.
Rtrn To Inv
This field does not appear. Returned goods cannot occur on a standard bill.
Job # and Sub-job #
These fields do not occur. See the discussion in the introduction to this chapter.
Scrap acct and
Credit acct
These fields do not appear. Returned goods do not occur on a standard bill.
Category #
This field replaces the Cat-sub-cng field of Invoices. Category is one of the three segments of a cost item, and the only one that is entered in standard bills. For an explanation of where the other two segments come from, refer to the Introduction to this chapter.
If you want the cost of this line-item transferred to Job Cost when the invoices is posted through I/C, enter a category number. If J/C Control information specifies that Categories must be used, your entry must be a valid category, and you may use the options:
Options
You may use the option:
If a category number is present when a standard bill is inserted into an invoice that is not for a job, it is ignored.
|
Format |
999999 |
|
Example |
[This field does not appear, since J/C is not interfaced.] |
Sales Account
The cursor does not move to this field on initial entry, but it ca n be changed from Field number to change ?.
Sales account is entered as a main/sub account (no cost center). It does not have to be one of the sales accounts defined in Control information
If you are changing an existing value in this field, you may use the option:
Options
The following option may be used:
|
<F2> |
For the previous contents of this field |
If you use cost centers, when the standard bill is selected into an invoice a cost center is prefixed to the account number — either the cost center from the invoice header or the one from the I/C item, whichever source has been specified in Control information.
Note that this happens even if the invoice is for a job and a category code has been specified for this line item. If you wish to use the job’s billing account instead, use the <F2> default after the standard bill has been transferred.
Field Number To Change ?
<F5> (show warehouse information) is not available.
<SF5> (show job description) is not needed because job description displays without it.
Upon pressing <F2> for Sequence # and typing G for Line type, the
following screen appears:
This screen closely resembles the corresponding screen in Invoices. Only the differences will be noted here.
Quantity
You cannot enter a negative quantity.
Unit price and
Unit cost
Changes to the price and cost in Goods and Services are not automatically reflected in the outstanding standard bills. Be on guard against inadvertently using obsolete prices when you copy standard bills.
Job # and
Sub-job #
These fields do not occur. See the discussion in the introduction to this chapter.Sales account
Sales account is entered as a main/sub account (no cost center). It does not have to be one of the sales accounts defined in Control information.
Options
You may however use one of the options:
|
<F1> |
For the next sales account in Control information |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous sales account |
If you use cost centers, when the standard bill is selected into an invoice a cost center is prefixed to the account number either the cost center from the invoice header or the one from the I/C item, whichever source has been specified in Control information.
Note that this happens even if the invoice is for a job and a category code has been specified for this line item. If you wish to use the job’s billing account instead, use the <F2> option after the standard bill has been transferred.
Field Number To Change ?
<SF5> (show job description) is not needed because job description displays without it.
The following screen appears:
This screen closely resembles the corresponding screen in Invoices. Only the differences will be noted here.
Quantity
Negative quantity is not allowed.
Sales Account
Sales account is entered as a main/sub account (no cost center). It does not have to be one of the sales accounts defined in Control information.
Options
You may however use one of the options:
|
<F1> |
For the next sales account in Control information |
|
<SF1> |
For the previous sales account |
If you use cost centers, when the standard bill is selected into an invoice a cost center is prefixed to the account number either the cost center from the invoice header or the one from the I/C item, whichever source has been specified in Control information.
Note that this happens even if the invoice is for a job. If you wish to use the job’s billing account instead, use the <F2> option after the standard bill has been transferred.
Upon pressing <F2> for Sequence # and typing N for Line type, the following screen appears:
This screen is entered identically to the corresponding screen in Invoices.
Select
Standard bills list from the Reports, general menu.
A sample Standard Bills List is in the Sample Reports appendix.
The following screen appears:
Graphical Mode
Character Mode
Enter information as follows:
Starting standard bill # and
Ending standard bill #
Options
Enter the range of standard bills to include. You may use the option:
|
<F2> |
For the First starting standard bill or Last ending standard bill |
|
Format |
6 characters |
|
Example |
Press <F2> at both fields |
What to print
Select what information to include for each standard bill on the list.
Options
Enter the number of lines you want to display for each line item. If you enter 0, no line items will show and the list will have only the standard bill numbers and titles. You may use the option:
|
<F5> |
For All lines |
Checking this box or enter Y to print each bill on a separate page.
|
Format |
Graphical: Check box where checked is yes and unchecked is no Character: Y or N |
|
Example |
Press <F2> at both fields |
Select OK to print the report or Cancel to return to the menu without printing.