Project Fee Estimate Form

Use the Project Fee Estimate form to apply a service profile that is pre-configured with fee amounts, associated project phases, special services, percent of fees, and other parameters that you can use as the foundation for calculating the project's estimated fees.

Location

To display the form, complete the following step:

From the Vision Navigation menu, click Accounting > Project Fee Estimate.

Contents

Service profiles and their associated cost and functional groups are defined in Configuration > General > Fee Estimate Service Profiles and Configuration > General > Fee Estimate Groups.

Toolbar

Field	Description
Save	Click this option to save entries and changes that you make on the Project Fee Estimate form.
Help	Click this option to open the online help system.

Fields

Field

Description

Service Profile

Use this drop-down list to select the service profile to use for the fee estimate. Service profiles provide a standard set of fee bands that you can apply when building your fee estimate. The options that are available in the Functional Group and Cost Group drop-down lists are based on the selected service profile. Your system administrator configures the functional groups, cost groups, phases, and companies (if you use the Multicompany feature) for each service profile. If you select and save a service profile and enter the associated information and then choose a different service profile for the fee estimate, you will lose all fee information that is entered for the original service profile's fee estimate. Each fee estimate can only have one service profile. If you are using the German Scale of Fees (HOAI) feature with Vision Fee Estimates, the service profile options are pre-populated based on the German Scale of Fees requirements.

Functional Groups Grid

Use this grid to set up an estimate and define your expected fees for the project. You can enter the chargeable cost for each functional group, which Vision then applies when calculating your fees. This grid calculates the fees at the functional group level by summing the individual cost group's fees. If functional groups are associated with the selected service profile, you can insert multiple functional groups that are associated with the estimate and then associate phases with each.

Field	Description
Functional Groups Grid Drop-Down	Click the drop-down arrow on a grid header to complete any of the following actions: To print grid data, click Print. When the Print Preview form displays, click File > Print to send the grid data to your default printer. To export grid data to an Excel spreadsheet, click Export to Excel. When Microsoft Excel opens, use its features to modify, print, or email the data, or to save the spreadsheet file locally. To turn on grouping for a grid, click Enable Grouping. When a field displays with the instruction: "Drag a column header here to group by that column," drag and drop column headers into this field, in the sequence that you want them to display. Not all options are available on all grids.
Insert	Click this option to insert a new row on the grid.
Delete	Click this option to delete the selected row from the grid.
Create Phases Grid	Click this option for Vision to populate the information in the Phases grid on this form. When you select this option, Vision displays a Select Phases dialog box that lists the phases that are associated with the selected service profile. On this dialog box, you can select one or more phases that you want to assign to the service profile. When you click OK, Vision generates the Phases grid and automatically populates it with the selected phases and their associated percentage of fee and create columns for the functional groups defined.
Functional Group	Select a functional group to assign to the service profile. A functional group is a set of cost groups that are assigned to a service profile. The functional groups that display in this drop-down list are assigned to the service profile in Configuration > Fee Estimate Service Profiles > Functional Groups. The fee is based on the sum of chargeable costs for all cost groups associated with the selected functional group. If functional groups are not defined for the service profile, one functional group is assumed and this field is hidden.
Fee Band	Select a fee band to assign for use when calculating your fee for the job. The fee band determines the range of fees for the associated chargeable costs, which are then used to determine for your fee. Typically, the fee band indicates the complexity of the job, with the higher fee bands assigned to the more difficult or complicated tasks. In other words, high fee bands reflect higher fees for the same chargeable costs. The fee bands that display in this drop-down list are assigned to the service profile in Configuration > Fee Estimate Service Profiles. If you are using the German Scale of Fees (HOAI) feature with Vision Fee Estimates, the fee band options are defined on the pre-populated service profiles. If Disable Fee Bands is selected on the associated service profile, this field is not visible.
Rate	Because the fee band provides a range of fees, you can use the Rate field to further define the fee within the fee band. This will determine your actual fee for the job. If Disable Fee Bands is selected on the associated service profile, this field is not visible. Select one of the following Rate options: Minimum — Applies the minimum amount of the selected fee band. Maximum — Applies the maximum amount of the selected fee band. Average — Applies the average amount of the selected fee band. % — Enables the % field where you can define the specific percentage that you want to apply to the selected fee band. For example, if the Fee Band's range is 2,000 to 3,000, the following calculations apply: Rate Option Result using fee band 2,000 to 3,000 Minimum 2,000 Average 2,500 Maximum 3,000 % The result is based on the numeric value entered on the % field. If the value entered on the % field is 25, then the result is 2,250. Or if 75 is entered, then the result is 2,750.
%	This field is enabled when % is selected as the Rate. Use this field to enter a numeric value (1 to 99) that represents the percentage that will be used to calculate the rate. For example, for 1/4 or 25%, enter 25 with no decimals. When you select Minimum (0%), Average, or Maximum (100%) as the Rate, the % field is not editable. Vision automatically calculates these amounts based on the selected fee band.
Cost Group	Click Ellipses to open the Edit Cost Groups dialog box, where you can assign cost groups and chargeable costs to the functional group. Cost groups provide a detailed breakdown of the work being performed. Multiple cost groups can be associated with one functional group on a fee estimate. This dialog box displays the Cost Groups grid, where you can use the Cost Groups drop-down list to select a cost group. The cost groups that display in this drop-down list are assigned to the service profile in Configuration > Fee Estimate Service Profiles > Cost Groups. Enter a chargeable cost for each cost group on the grid. This dialog box will sum these chargeable costs and display the total in the Chargeable Cost field on the Functional Groups grid. This chargeable cost will overwrite any existing chargeable cost that was entered for the functional group. If you need to change the chargeable cost for the cost group, you must click Ellipses to open the Edit Cost Groups dialog box and make changes directly on the Cost Groups grid.
Chargeable Cost	Enter the total construction cost of the project, which Vision uses to calculate your fee. A sum of the chargeable costs for all selected cost groups displays in this field if entered on the Edit Cost Groups dialog box. Your system administrator can define the label for the fee basis or chargeable cost.
Fee	This field displays the contractor's fee amount, which is calculated based on the selected Fee Band, the assigned Rate, and the Chargeable Cost fields. A sum of the fees for all selected functional groups displays at the bottom of the grid. There may be situations where the chargeable costs entered for the fee estimate are not specifically defined within service profile. In this situation, Vision automatically interpolates the data and calculates the fee based on the maximum and minimum rates of the next lower and next higher fee bands. For example, if Fee Band 1's chargeable cost is 20,000 and Fee Band 2's chargeable cost is 30,000, and you enter a chargeable cost of 25,000 (directly between the two), Vision looks at the rates for Fee Band 1 and Fee Band 2 and creates a rate for the chargeable cost. This will then be applied to the calculation for the fee. If Disable Fee Bands is selected on service profile, you can enter the fee rather than having Vision calculate the fee based on applicable fee bands.

Phases Grid

This grid displays only if the Create Phases Grid button is selected on the Functional Groups grid. When you click Create Phases Grid, Vision displays a Select Phases dialog box that lists the phases that are associated with the selected service profile. On this dialog box, you can select one or more phases that you want to assign to the service profile. Assigned to each phase is a percent of the project's total fee, with the sum frequently totaling 100 percent (assuming your firm is responsible for the planning of the entire project). However, there may be situations where there is a pre-planning phase or the project is broken down into other components. In this case, the sum of the phases may only represent one portion of the project.

When you click OK, Vision generates the Phases grid and automatically populates it with the phases and their associated percentages. If multiple functional groups are defined to build the fee estimate, the phases grid includes multiple columns to support the multiple functional groups.

Field	Description
Phases Grid Drop-Down	Click the drop-down arrow on a grid header to complete any of the following actions: To print grid data, click Print. When the Print Preview form displays, click File > Print to send the grid data to your default printer. To export grid data to an Excel spreadsheet, click Export to Excel. When Microsoft Excel opens, use its features to modify, print, or email the data, or to save the spreadsheet file locally. To turn on grouping for a grid, click Enable Grouping. When a field displays with the instruction: "Drag a column header here to group by that column," drag and drop column headers into this field, in the sequence that you want them to display. Not all options are available on all grids.
Insert	Click this option to select a new phase for the opportunity service estimate. You can define the percent of fee for phases inserted. The inserted phases will be associated with the main fee defined in the functional group grid.
Delete	Click this option to delete an existing phase that is associated with the fee estimate.
Phase	This field displays the phase code. If inserting a phase, enter a phase to assign to the fee estimate. If you are creating a new project in the Project Info Center that is based on an opportunity's fee estimate, the phase may be mapped to a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) level. This allows you to create a WBS that is based on the phases of the fee estimate.
Phase Description	This field displays a description of the phase.
Standard Percent of Fee	This field displays the percentage that represents this phase's portion of the total fee for the functional group. The total displays in the Sum row at the bottom of the grid. Most often, this sum will total 100 percent, assuming your firm is responsible for the planning of the entire project. However, there may be situations where there is a pre-planning phase or the project is broken down into other components. In this case, the sum of the phases may only represent one portion of the project. Vision does not validate or require that the sum of the Service Phases grid equals 100.

Special Services Grid

Use this grid to define any additional fees that are not included in the service profile.

Field	Description
Special Services Grid Drop-Down	Click the drop-down arrow on a grid header to complete any of the following actions: To print grid data, click Print. When the Print Preview form displays, click File > Print to send the grid data to your default printer. To export grid data to an Excel spreadsheet, click Export to Excel. When Microsoft Excel opens, use its features to modify, print, or email the data, or to save the spreadsheet file locally. To turn on grouping for a grid, click Enable Grouping. When a field displays with the instruction: "Drag a column header here to group by that column," drag and drop column headers into this field, in the sequence that you want them to display. Not all options are available on all grids.
Insert	Click this option to create a new special service.
Delete	Click this option to delete an existing special service.
Phase	Enter a phase to assign to the special service fee.
Description	This field displays a description of the phase.
Fee	Enter a fee for the special service. The sum of all of the special service fees displays at the bottom of the grid.
Percent Complete	Enter a percent complete for the special service.
Fee Earned	This field displays the fee that is earned for the special service. Vision calculates this field based on the Fee and Percent Complete field entries: Fee Earned = Fee x Percent Complete

Summary

Use these fields to view a summary of the fees and amounts after calculations are applied.

Field	Description
Currency	If you use the Multicurrency feature, this field displays the project's billing currency and the currency of the service profile. This dictates the format of the chargeable cost.
Fee	This field displays your fee for core services. For multiple functional groups, this is the sum for all functional groups entered on the Functional Groups grid. For multiple functional groups with assigned phases that do not equal 100% in the Phases grid, this is the total fee from the phases instead of the functional groups.
Special Services	If charges are entered on the Special Services grid, this field displays a sum of all special services.
Surcharge	Use this field to account for any additional charges that apply to the fee. For example, you may need to charge for modernization that is in addition to the standard fee. You can enter the surcharge as a percentage or as a total amount. If you enter a percentage, Vision automatically calculates the charge based on the total fee.
Additional Expenses	Use this field to enter any additional expenses that apply to the fee estimate. For example, there may be travel charges that you want to bill as part of reimbursables at 4%. You can enter the additional expense as a percentage or as a total amount. If you enter a percentage, this is calculated based on the fee plus special services plus surcharges. This amount is not included in the total fee.
Other	Use this field to enter an amount or a percentage that percentage or an amount that represents any other costs that apply. For example, you could enter a discount for the fee if you have already completed a similar project and have a working knowledge of the job. You can enter this as a percentage or as a total amount. If you enter a percentage, Vision automatically calculates the charge.
Net Fee	This field displays the sum of the Fee, Special Services, Surcharges, Additional Expenses, and other charges.