The Client Rates section allows you to propose charges for standard labor rates (charges for supervisors, technicians, and helpers) or responsive labor rates (hourly charges for emergency versus non-emergency calls), along with material markups, subcontractor markups, and service repair guarantees. Your client must approve these rates before they can take effect in Provider Automation.
With client rates, you can propose different rates for different regions, trades, or types of work. For example:
- A contractor who performs both landscaping and snow removal work can propose different rates for each trade.
- A contractor who performs work in both major cities and in smaller towns can propose different rates based on location.
- A contractor who subcontracts work can propose different rates than for work that is self-performed.
Once your client rates are approved, it will have an effect on how you invoice. When you submit an invoice, Provider Automation will check the invoice rates against these client rates. When there is a difference, your client will receive a red flag on the invoice as a prompt to investigate further.
Your client may require you to propose client rates as part of being accepted into their Private Network, as indicated with an exclamation mark next to it.
Adding client rates happens in three steps:
- Creating a Rate Type
- Assigning the rate type to the appropriate trade(s)
- Submitting proposed rates to your client(s); and
- Your client approving your proposed rate types; and
Adding Client Rates for a Client
There are essentially 4 sections to complete when adding a rate type:
- Entering a rate type name, description, and currency.
- Indicating whether you charge Standard Rates for supervisors/technicians/helpers, or Responsive Rates for emergency/non-emergency calls.
- Entering material markups based on material costs.
- Entering subcontractor markups on labor and material, as well as any overhead fees and guarantees.
Throughout the page, you will see blue question marks. Hovering over them provides a description of the field.
- In the top navigation bar, click Clients and then click the desired client's name.
On the left navigation, click Client Rates. The Client Rates page appears.
- Click Add New Rate Type to create a rate type for your trade (General Repairs, for example).
On the Create Rate type overlay, enter a rate type name and description, as well as the correct currency (U.S.D. is the default).
Indicate whether you are entering Standard Labor Rates (charges for supervisors, technicians, and helpers) or Responsive Based Labor Rates (hourly charges for emergency versus non-emergency calls), and (if applicable) select a Minimum Labor Charge (in Hours).
- (Selecting Standard Labor Rates): There are 3 roles — Supervisor, Technician, and Helper. For each applicable role, enter the below information:
- Travel charge: Enter a fixed rate for travel. For travel hourly rates, use the Travel time field, below.
- Travel time: Enter an hourly rate for trip charges.
- Regular time, Over time, and Double time: Enter hourly rates for each field, as applicable.
- (Selecting Responsive Based Labor Rates): Enter flat rates for emergency and non-emergency work rates and travel charges, as applicable role:
- Emergency Hourly Rate: Enter an hourly rate for emergency calls.
- Emergency Travel Charge: Enter a flat rate for emergency trip charges.
- Non - Emergency Hourly Rate: Enter an hourly rate for non-emergency calls.
- Non - Emergency Travel Charge: Enter a flat rate for non-emergency trip charges.
- (Selecting Standard Labor Rates): There are 3 roles — Supervisor, Technician, and Helper. For each applicable role, enter the below information:
Material Markup: Break down how you mark up parts or materials, in terms of "the maximum cost of the part ($X) is marked up at Y%. For example: for parts that cost no more than $200, the mark-up is 200%; for parts that cost between $201 and $500, the markup is 105%, and so forth. You may add up to 6 material markups.
Only add the amounts and percentages as numbers. Do not append currency or percentage symbols, as these symbols are not valid in these fields.
- Subcontractor Markup: Similar to Material Markup, indicate your labor and materials percentage markups for when you utilize subcontractors. You can also indicate any Overhead and Fixed Management Fees, in percentages. Finally, for Service Repair Guarantee, enter the number of days of the service repair warranty (from the date of successful work order completion).
Add any additional information as needed, and then click Save. You will see the new rate type under My Rate Types.
Important:
You may edit or delete this rate type as long as your client has not accepted it.
Assigning Rates Types and Submitting Proposed Client Rates
While setting up your profile, you also chose the Trades and Regions you service, whether through self-performing or subcontracting. These trades and regions appear under rate types to allow you to propose rates based on trade, regions, and who performs services.
To reiterate, the rates you have entered are proposed rates. In other words, your client has to approve these rates before they can take effect in Provider Automation. Once the rates are approved, all submitted invoices will be checked against these rates to make sure what is charged matches the proposed rates. Invoices that do not match these rates are flagged in the system.
On the top of the page, make sure the correct Client is selected for whom to propose your rates.
- On the Client Rates page, under the Rates Assignment to Trades section, click the Propose tab.
- Under the Propose tab, click the calendar picker to choose a date when the rates should take effect. Your trades and service types appear.
Select the appropriate client rate(s) for each trade and service type. You can select either a client rate for all service types and regions or multiple client rates for different service types and/or regions.
You must select a client rate for all trades and service types.
- (One client rate for all service types) Under each trade, click (None) and then select the appropriate client rate. The selected client rate appears with the box highlighted in green. From here, you can send for approval.
- (Multiple client rates for different service types) You can set up client rates at the level of granularity you prefer.
- Click the blue arrow next to Service Types to expose additional service levels:
- Subcontractor and Self-Performer service types
- For each service type, you will see countries, states/provinces (U.S. and Canada), and counties (U.S.), as selected when you assigned trades to regions.
- Select the appropriate client rate(s) at the desired regional level(s). A green outline appears outside of each trade box, indicating the rate was selected and saved for that service level.
- When the service type is collapsed, you will see (Multi) in the box, indicating more than one client rate was selected for that trade.
- Click the blue arrow next to Service Types to expose additional service levels:
- (One client rate for all service types) Under each trade, click (None) and then select the appropriate client rate. The selected client rate appears with the box highlighted in green. From here, you can send for approval.
- Once all trades and service types have client rates, click Send for approval located above the service types.
- The rates will lock and you cannot make additional edits.
- The status changes to Proposed.
You will receive notification from the client whether your rates have been approved or rejected.
Reviewing Submitted Rates and Managing Invoices with Rates
When a client takes action on your rates (either approve or reject), you will receive a notification.
With this client, for invoices that are submitted where the invoice rates do not match these approved client rates, you will receive a warning in Provider Automation before you proceed. See /wiki/spaces/SCUCP/pages/617021920 for more information.
