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MLI Rules

An MLI Rule is a process that allows specific people (collected in an MLI Level) to take specific actions on specific invoices. MLI Rules are configured using diverging approval paths for different trade/category combinations. You will configure each MLI Rule based on your organization’s invoice approval workflow. In this section, you are essentially building an invoice approval hierarchy.

MLI Rules and the Approval Workflow

MLI Rules check each invoice to determine the appropriate approval workflow:

• First, it checks the trade and category of each invoice.
• Next, it checks the MLI Level to see who should receive the invoice, which Actions users in that MLI Level can take (approve, reject, place on hold, or return back), and the maximum invoice amount (or Limit) allowed for each action.
• Once the MLI Level user takes action, the MLI Rules determine whether the invoice should be either forwarded or sent back (returned) to other levels. The rules of forwarding invoices can be overridden or skipped when an invoice limit is reached.
• Finally, when the user takes action, the invoice is set to a certain invoice status.

You may also determine the number of days each MLI Level has to take action before the invoice automatically escalates to the next stage in the approval process. See Auto-Escalating Invoices for details.

To reiterate the above, let's look at these examples:

1. These Safety MLI Rules cover all invoices across only the Alarms, Fire/Life Safety, and Safes trades, and only in the Capital and Remodel categories. 

2. The levels configured are for General Manager and District Manager. 

3. Users in the General Manager level have the actions to both approve invoices up to a limit of 1,500 USD (or 1,500 in local currency), and reject invoices up to a limit of 1,000 USD (or 1,000 in local currency).

   1. Approved invoices are forwarded to the District Manager level.
      1. If the invoice amount is less than the limit configured for this level, the invoice is forwarded to the District Manager level in the Approved status.
      2. If the invoice amount is greater than the limit configured for this level, the invoice is forwarded to the District Manager level in the Reviewed status.
   2. Rejected invoices are not forwarded to any other user in the hierarchy. In this case, the General Manager has the 'final say,' and a notice is sent to the provider that the invoice was rejected.
   3. Invoices are Auto-Escalated to the District Manager when the General Manager does not take action in 5 days. 
   4. Finally, invoices that are over 1,500 skip the General Manager and are sent directly to the District Manager. (See Skips and Overrides, below, for more information.)
4. For District Manager-level users,
   1. an invoice amount of up to 10,000 limit can be approved; these are forwarded to Facility Managers.
   2. an invoice amount of up to 5,000 can be rejected; again, as the 'final say,' the invoice stops in the hierarchy and a notice is sent to the provider.
   3. an invoice costing up to 5,000 can be placed on hold; these are forwarded to Facility Managers in the On Hold status.
   4. District Managers can Override the General Manager by taking action on an invoice (approve, reject, or place on hold) before the General Manager takes action. In other words, the District Manager does not have to wait for the General Manager to take action. (See Skips and Overrides, below, for more information.)
   5. Invoices are Auto-Escalated to the Facility Manager when the District Manager does not take action in 3 days.

   6. Finally, invoices over 10,000 do not skip the District Manager. The District Manager has to 'approve' the invoice for it to route to the Facility Manager.

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Auto-Escalating Invoices

An MLI Level that has the Approve Action set to forward to the next MLI Level in the hierarchy can be configured to automatically escalate invoices after a certain number of days. This is useful so invoices do not get stuck in the hierarchy for a long period of time.

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Skips and Overrides

In MLI Rules, you can skip an approver's level and also override an approver's level.

• Skip: any invoice with an amount higher than that level's approval limit will not appear in the user's invoice list.
• Override: an approver does not have to wait for the level below to take action on an invoice. Users on that level can take action at any time. 

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Configuring the Default Rule Set

When you complete at least one MLI Level setup, you will see the default rule set under MLI Rules. This is a catch-all rule for all invoices not addressed by configured rules. Think of the default rule set as a safety net to catch everything else that your other configured rules do not intercept.

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Configuring Custom Rule Sets

Once the Default Rule Set is configured, you may then create your own Rule Sets to define your approval hierarchy. These Rule Sets define your business rules on how you want invoices to route for assigned trades and categories.

Unlike the Default Rule Set, you may add and remove the appropriate Trades and Categories that fit your workflow. You can either create a custom rule set from scratch or clone an existing set.

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Cloning an MLI Rule Set

You may clone a rule so you do not have to configure one from scratch. You may clone any Rule Set, even the Default Rule Set.

Deleting an MLI Rule Set

You may delete any MLI Rule Set at any time, except for the Default Rule Set.