Mifumo

Construction

Run each building contract with its bill of quantities, interim payment certificates, advances, retention, completion certificates and site costs.

Getting started

The Construction link appears in the menu when your plan includes the Construction module.

  1. Open Construction, then Construction settings. Switch on Retention and Advance payments if your contracts use them, set the defaults and the VAT on certificates, and click Save settings.
  2. Add the client as a customer in your contact list.
  3. Open Projects and click New project.
  4. Enter the bill of quantities (BOQ), or leave it empty and give a contract sum.
  5. When work is measured, issue the first payment certificate.

How to

Create a project

  1. Open Construction, then Projects, and click New project.
  2. Enter the Project code (for example KIB-24) and Project name, and choose the Client.
  3. Add the Site / location, Start date and Completion date.
  4. If retention or advances are switched on, check the Retention % and Advance recovered per certificate % for this contract.
  5. Fill in the Bill of quantities, or leave it empty and enter the Contract sum (when there is no BOQ).
  6. Optionally enter a Cost budget for Materials, Labour, Subcontractors, Plant and equipment, Site overheads (preliminaries) and Other.
  7. Click Save project.

Enter or import the bill of quantities

  1. On the project form, under Bill of quantities, fill in Ref, Description, Unit, Quantity and Rate on each row. Click Add item for more rows.
  2. A row with only a description becomes a section heading, such as Substructure or Superstructure.
  3. To load a spreadsheet, click Import from a spreadsheet and choose an Excel or CSV file. It needs columns headed Description, Unit, Qty and Rate (or Amount). Ref and Variation are optional. Use Template or (Excel) to download a blank one.
  4. Check the imported rows, then click Save project.

A BOQ item that has been certified shows a lock and cannot be removed. On the project page, Print BOQ prints it and Export downloads it.

Add a variation

  1. Open the project and click Edit project.
  2. Add the variation as a new BOQ item and tick Variation.
  3. Click Save project.

The variation adds to the contract value and is marked Variation on certificates.

Issue an interim payment certificate

You need a role that approves documents or posts journals.

  1. Open the project and click New payment certificate.
  2. With a BOQ, enter the quantity done to date on each item under Done to date. Without a BOQ, enter the Contract complete to date (%).
  3. Set the Certificate date and click Check the figures.
  4. Check the work done this certificate, retention held, advance recovered, VAT and the amount payable by the client.
  5. Click Certify and invoice.

Mifumo posts an invoice to the client straight away. It appears under Certificates and invoices on the project, where Print gives the certificate.

Invoice a mobilisation advance

  1. Open the project. Under Advance and retention, enter the Advance amount (before VAT) and Date.
  2. Click Invoice advance.

The advance is held as a liability and recovered from each certificate at the project's recovery rate.

Release retention

  1. Open the project. Under Advance and retention, see Retention held by the client.
  2. Enter the Amount to release and Date. Leave the amount empty to release all of it.
  3. Click Invoice retention release.

Usually half is released at practical completion and the rest after the defects liability period.

  1. Open the project and go to Completion certificates.
  2. Under Certificate, choose Practical completion or Final completion (defects made good).
  3. Enter the Date of completion, the Defects liability period (months), who certified it, and any works still outstanding.
  4. Click Print certificate.

Nothing is saved. The certificate opens ready to print or save as PDF, with the contract position and retention as they stand today. To mark the project itself, click Edit project and change Status to Practical completion or Closed.

Track site costs

Costs come from three places:

  1. Bills and expenses: on each line, choose the project under Project and cost type and pick the cost type.
  2. Stock sent to site: open the project and click Materials to site. Choose the store under From store, add each material and quantity, and click Send to site. The materials leave stock at FIFO cost. Click Dispatch note on the issue to print a note the site signs when the materials arrive.
  3. Both show under Budget and costs and Cost entries on the project, against the budget for each cost type.

The project page shows the margin: certified value less costs to date.

Void a certificate or a materials issue

  1. Open the project.
  2. On the certificate, click Void, give a reason, and confirm. Its invoice is voided too.
  3. On a materials issue under Materials sent to site, give a reason and click Void. The materials go back into stock.

You need a role that can approve. Void later certificates of the same kind first.

Settings

Open Construction, then Construction settings. These are defaults for new projects; each project can have its own rates.

Only someone who can manage the company can change these settings.

Questions

Should I use a BOQ or a contract sum?

With a BOQ, each certificate measures the quantity done on each item. Without one, each certificate certifies a percentage of the contract sum.

Why is the Certify and invoice button greyed out?

The work done to date is not more than what was certified before, so there is nothing new to certify.

Is VAT charged on retention?

No. VAT is charged on the work done in each certificate and on advances. Check the VAT treatment of donor-funded or exempt projects with your tax adviser.

Why can't I void a certificate?

Only the latest certificate of each kind can be voided. Void the later ones first. An advance that has already been partly recovered on a certificate needs that certificate voided first.

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