Sage 50 Construction New Reports

The latest version of Sage Construct Advanced, or Sage 50 Construction when linked to Sage 50 Accounts, is now available and has several new reports as standard:

ESTIMATE REPORTS
Tender Summary – Summary of quote

Library List & Library Details – List of libraries & details

CONTRACT REPORTS
Summary Report (Totals) & Summary Report – Summarises costs & sales revenue by cost head per contract

List Order (Totals) & List Orders – Summarises costs and sales revenue by contract

Variation Sections & Details and Variation Detail Only – Reports variation levels with budget and costing information per contract

Variation Order Summary – Reports variation levels with costing, recharge & nominal code information per contract

Purchase Order/Works Order/Timesheet/Delivery Note/Nominal List – Lists transactions which can be reported in various sequences

Plant on Hire – Lists plant currently on hire by contract

CLIENT REPORTS
Applications Outstanding – Reports sales applications and their outstanding value for each client by contract

Client Invoice Summary – Reports sales revenue values for each client by contract

Contract Customer Summary – Summarises costs and sales revenue by cost head per client

Client Retentions – Reports outstanding client retention values for each client by contract

Client List – List of client details

Client Activity – Financial summary per client

S/C REPORTS
Insurance Summary – Lists type of insurance cover per subcontractor

Renewals List – Lists dates of re-newel letters sent per subcontractor

Insurance by Contract – Lists active insurance cover per contract

As always, new reports can be written, however changing and creating these reports in the Sage Report Writer means that small changes to existing reports will be much quicker.

From Monday 21st June 2010 The Sage Construction Software range will not include the diary or fax modules, both modules are being withdrawn from sale, any existing customers will however continue to be supported but development will cease.  Neither module has had significant development for a number of years and the uptake on them has been very low for some time.

As members of Sage’s Business Partner Action Comity for the construction software range, we are aware that there has been talk about integrating Microsoft applications with the construction software, particularly Microsoft outlook, so we hope this will encourage the Sage development team to push it up the priority list, as it would add useful functionality, especially for those who use Outlook as a simple CRM system along side Sage Construct already.

In addition, the reasons the Fax module is not used very often is probably due to the reduction in business faxes which are sent these days, Construct will already PDF documents and add them to an email, this in most cases is much more practical for most companies.  There is a 3rd party module available called Spindle, this will provide automatic faxing direct from Construct if required.

So, all in all, we see this as a positive move by Sage, so they can focus on development of the core products, hopefully to include MS Excel integration sometime soon.

The Sage Day Works module for Construct, with both Sage 50 and 200, will be withdrawn from sale on 21st June 2010.

Anyone already using these modules will continue to be supported either by their Business Partner or directly by Sage, as they have been previously, they will also be entitled to upgrade to any future developments.  So license and support for any existing customers will continue as it has done to date, we do not have a date that the support will be discontinued, and at this stage do not expect it to be in the foreseeable future.

This decision has been made due to relatively low usage of the module compared to the core product and Estimating, so the focus for development can be on these core products.  The Day Works module is for companies who need to bill construction work on a cost plus basis, so although it’s not been announced, it’s quite possible that this functionality could be integrated to the core module in the future if customer demand is high enough.

We will keep you updated as and when we hear any more.

We’re pleased to announce the release of Sage 50 Construction 2010 and Sage 200 Construction 2010 today.

 Sage Construction welcomes the new improved Client Billing module. Client Billing is effectively sales invoices for the construction industry, it’s always been present in Sage Construction however it has been re-written to improve usability. The replacement Client Billing module simplifies the production of sales documents, adds flexibility, improves integration and adds some new features.

 And there’s more

 These latest releases of Sage 50 and 200 Construction have more to offer than just Client Billing. Both versions offer several other enhancements such as:

• VAT on applications
• Cumulative billing with nominal, VAT and stock codes
• Cumulative and non cumulative billing to multiple client accounts on one contract
• Multiple numbering sequences for sales documents
• New stop functions
• Improved integration
• New improved user interface
• Simplified navigation
• Simplified data entry

For further information please call us on 0845 25766905

Ledger Services will be offering online training sessions for all our existing customers to cover the new functionality available in Sage 50 Construction 2010.

Because the new release has significant updates to the sales module, we will be offering scheduled online training sessions for all our existing customers. As yet we do not know how  long these are likely to be, as we have not seen the new release ourselves yet, although we expect 1 or 2 1 hour sessions would be adequate for those using the sales module already and in a fairly standard way.  The updates will affect creation of valuations, applications certificates and invoices, however the process will be simplified, so the training should not take too long.   As soon as we know more about the release date and have had a chance to have a look for ourselves we will both update these news pages and email all existing Construct users, with dates and  information on how to access the training sessions.

In the new version of Sage 50 and 200 Construction, due for release in October this year, the sales module has been completely revamped and simplified.

In previous versions of Sage 50 and 200 Construction a customer would need to enter a valuation against a contract for the value, quantity or percentage of work complete, then when generating an application for payment, certificate or invoice, this valuation would be selected and applied to that particular document.

The new client billing module has been designed to make the whole process even simpler, without losing any of the functionality or detail available.  Now all documentation is available through a single screen, so there is no longer a need to create separate valuations and sales documents. Users can also use multiple nominal and VAT codes.

The new release of Sage 50 Construction and Sage 200 Construction is due in October.  This is the first of 3 short articles to cover the new functionality available.

The main development has gone into the client billing module, although this has always been present since Sage Construct Advanced was developed around 15 years ago, it has now had a complete overhaul, it’s easier to use, simplifies the production of all sales documents, makes the software more flexible, has improved accounts integration and includes some new features including:

• VAT on Applications for Payment
• Cumulative Billing with multiple Nominal, VAT & Stock codes
• Cumulative  and Non Cumulative billing to multiple to multiple client accounts on one contract
• Multiple numbering sequences for sales documents
• New stop functions
• Improved integration
• New Improved user interface
• Simplified navigation
• Simplified data entry

The focus has been on improving the user experience, simplifying processes and adding flexibility (to a product which was to be fair, pretty flexible to start with!)

Since Sage bought Tekton a couple of years ago, apart from a bit of re-branding the business appears to have been left to run pretty much autonomously.  Their product range covers everything which Sage Construct does, but is targeted at much larger companies, it also has specific features for companies who develop a lot of houses and oilfields.

Rumor has it that their Estimating Module, which is comparable to the likes of Crest, Causeway and Conquest may be integrated with Sage Construct in the not too distant future.  Construct alredy has it’s own Estimating module, however it’s fairly simple, so we hope this will provide an offering for companies who need a high end estimating solution but are still in the £1M – £30M turnover bracket, which is the size of our typical construction customers.

This will offer a solution for companies who have (or want to implement) Sage 50 Accounts or Sage 200, with Sage Construct for Job Costing, Retention tracking, Valuations, Applications etc, but need have complex requirements for initial Estimates.

There seems to be some confusion amongst new customers regarding the differences between Sage 50 Construction, 200 Construction, Sage Construct and Construct Advanced.

Firstly Sage Construct is an obsolete product which was removed from sale about 3 years ago, this left Sage Construct Advanced as the core Sage construction software which integrates with both Sage 50 Accounts and Sage 200.  Since then as part of the Sage re-branding exercise, Construct Advanced has become Sage 50 Construction when linked to a Sage 50 Accounts Package, or Sage 200 Construction when linked with Sage 200 Accounts.

Because Construct Advanced is essentially the same software system regardless which accounting system it is linked with, most people still refer to it as Construct Advanced as a generic name.  There are some differences, such as the stock link and how you access the software, but as far as the processing and appearance go, it’s the same product.

The Sage Construct Advanced development team have been very busy over the last few months, the result is a completely updated sales module, due for release in the next few months.

The new module will offer simplified billing for those who wish to keep the whole process of Valuations and Applications For Payment as simple as possible, whilst providing a more flexible method of billing multiple variations, for those with more complex jobs.  In addition the whole product has had a bit of a face-lift, with fresher looking screens and improved drop down menus.  As soon as we get to see it for ourselves we will publish a full review.