• The default grade rates are used for planning purposes. The default amounts are pulled through to the Project Grade cards. These can be edited by accessing the Control Panel > Projects > Default Grade Rates.
  • You can select the relevant branch using the dropdown. All the blue boxes can then be edited.
  • Ensure you click the  icon to apply the changes.
     

*Please Note: any changes will only apply to projects going forward. In order for them to apply to existing projects, you will need to use the ‘Grade Rate Bulk Update’ tool.

Grade Rate Bulk Update

  • Go to Control Panel > Projects > Grade Rates Bulk Update tool. This allows you to select a group of projects and bulk apply the latest default grade rates:
  • Use the existing filter to identify a list of candidate projects. The existing filter means that you can apply precise search criteria, such as branch, client, or registration date. Add the projects you want to update to the shortlisted projects.
  • Get the next batch and click to process the rates on this batch of projects. Rates and labour budget plans will be updated for each project. This is an intensive process and batching ensures that the load on the system is managed, to avoid disruption to other users.

There are two options when applying default grade rates:

  • Replace the most recent grade card on each project. This will apply the default grade rates only to the most recent set of rates on a project (e.g., the set with no end date).
  • Create a new grade card for each project. If this option is selected, you will be prompted for a start month
  • This will set an end date for the previous set of rates (in this case April 2018) and create a new set using the current default rates (in this example from May 2018). Please note that any future dated grade cards on the project will be removed and replaced by the new set. E.g.:
Grade cards (before)Grade cards (after)
Blank – June 2018
July 2018 – December 2018
January 2019 – Blank		Blank – April 2018 
May 2018 - Blank
  • In either mode, any new default grade rates for the branch will be added to the project.

Grade Rate Bulk Update - Inflation

  • For long running projects, inflation becomes a significant factor for labour planning. There is now a new way to bulk apply inflation to existing project grades.
  • There is an existing Control Panel tool in Projects > Grade Rate Bulk Update. This has been adapted to allow a new option to apply inflation to the current live set of rates on a project:
  • When this option is selected, an inflation amount field is displayed. This approach allows the maximum flexibility: changes can be applied to an individual project, or group of projects using the existing filter. This reflects the fact that projects in different sectors, countries, or client agreements may have different rates of labour inflation. Although the tool is designed for inflation, it does also allow for a negative number. This might be a rare occurrence in the current climate, but could be used, for example, to apply an agreed reduction in rates for a client.
  • Once processed, the new rates are visible on the project labour plan. If you want to create future rates, with an annual increase, you can make multiple passes:
    • Run the tool selecting the option “Create a new grade card for each project” and
      select the start month
    • Run the tool selecting the option “Apply inflation to previous project rates”
    • Repeat as required

*Please note that inflation is applied to the project grade rates, not the default rates.