OPENContractor

IT, housing and works management solution for client and contractor functions

• Repair Logging

  

  The Repair Logging module provides the facility to log any type of repair request against any property or asset owned by or managed by a customer. The repair requests can range in nature from simple free text jobs, pre-inspection or schedule of rates-based work. Repair Logging provides the facility to either log repairs directly into OPENContractor or is used to receive jobs interfaced from any housing management solution.

• Appointments

  

  OPENContractor provides an array of different scheduling options within this appointments module. These range from simple allocation of single items or multiple resources, a particular job or group of jobs for a specific date, through to a call centre scheduling system based on available slots per trade and/or area.

  Users of Appointments are able to make arrangements whilst logging the repair request using any of the scheduler options available. This provides the tenant with an instant date and time for the repair, rather than receiving an appointment confirmation through the post.

• Works Ticket Management

  

  Works Ticket Management provides a range of tools to allow your organisation to manage to conclusion the entire process of progressing inspections, works orders and post inspection jobs.

  Tools include MasterQuery, a real-time end-user querying tool used to locate lists of work and operative work schedules quickly and with very little effort. MasterQuery also enables users to extract the results into a CSV file. Alternatively, results can directly invoke MS Excel, allowing the extracted results to be further analysed and incorporated into any other third party application.  Operative work schedules are used by management to determine workloads quickly over a user definable date range and can also be used to re-allocate work in bulk.

• Stores Management

  

  The OPENContractor Stores Management module enables the effective management of stock items and direct materials purchasing across multiple locations. Stores Management monitors the movement of stock items between locations along with the eventual disposal of stock, either via write-off facilities or by issuing the stock to repair jobs logged within the Job Logging module.

  Stores Management also provides complete replenishment and re-ordering tools directly linked to individual stock location movements, and ultimately to the Purchase Order Processing module for the re-ordering of the goods.

• Purchase Order Processing

  

  Fully integrated with the Stores Management and Job Costing modules of OPENContractor, Purchase Order Processing provides the tools required to order materials. It manages the reordering process as a result of stock replenishment requirements or for materials/plant hire to be delivered and costed directly to jobs raised in the job logging module of OPENContractor.

  The resulting purchase order produced by this module can be created and delivered in a range of formats, such as a direct email to the supplier, or faxed (via third party fax software) as well as printed copies.

• Purchase Ledger Processing

  

  The purchase ledger within OPENContractor allows users to receive and record any invoices and/or credit notes received against purchase orders raised from within Purchase Order Processing.

  With full two-way links to the OPENAccounts system, Purchase Ledger Processing provides the flexibility to enter invoices into OPENAccounts. These are then authorised by the appropriate users in the Purchase Ledger module of OPENContractor before being passed back to OPENAccounts for payment(s) to be raised.

  Alternatively, OPENContractor has existing interfaces to most of the market-leading corporate finance systems.

• Job and Contract Costing

  

  Job and Contract Costing is central to the operation of OPENContractor. 

  The job costing record is initiated for every job, as soon as it is raised, either via Repair Logging or as soon as it is interfaced from a third party housing management solution.

  Every job begins with a potential income value based on the total value held against the SoRs logged against the job. This income figure is subject to real time changes based on any variations carried out during the lifecycle of the repair.
  The expenditure is then recorded at both committed and actual basis as a result of transactions initiated from other modules within OPENContractor, such as stock items being issued, timesheet transactions being posted or purchase orders being raised against the job.

• Personnel Management

  

  The Personnel Management module is an extension to the core Timesheet module. It enables more details to be held about an individual, such as qualifications attained, professional body memberships, annual reviews, payment history and next of kin details.

  Personnel Management allows specific users to set up and maintain regular reviews with staff members and record the date and outcome of the meeting(s), alongside a detailed user definable question set. This can be configured to represent your organisation’s structure and appraisal questionnaire.

• Timesheet and Bonus Calculation

  

  Whilst completing jobs in the Works Ticket Management module, the Timesheet and Bonus Calculation application enables users to record the operative(s) involved in completions, the length of time spent working and the appropriate rate (standard, over time). These completions are automatically picked up by the timesheet module and used as the foundations for each operative’s weekly timesheet. 

  Timesheet and Bonus Calculation also interrogates each operative’s diary to find any non-productive time, such as sickness or holidays and incorporates these into the weekly timesheet too. This ensures the process of entering timesheets each week is a very simple process. In fact, all that needs to be entered manually is any lost time (such as travelling time).

  Timesheet and Bonus Calculation provides full reporting on missing timesheets and operative utilisation, as well as optional bonus calculation routines if required.

• Job Task Charge Management

  

  Job Task Charging Management provides the facility to re-charge a client based on costs you input, rather than the value(s) held against the schedule of rates.  This is most commonly used when undertaking repairs for an external body, such as a third party clients.

  Using this interface, electronic charge requests and payment instructions are exchanged with third party client software systems without the need to produce paper-based invoices. Job Task Charge Management can also be interfaced to a third party sales ledger system, as well as being used in an entirely manual mode. This allows your organisation to produce a charge document to send to your client(s).

• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

  

  OPENContractor has an extensive range of EDI interfaces to a number of leading suppliers, such as Wolseley and Travis Perkins. These interfaces allow for the automatic receipt and creation of stock movements and invoice requests in the Purchase Order Processing, Purchase Leger Processing and Stores Management modules.

• SQL

  

  Understanding your business better

  
  Following an extensive period of development and testing, SQL Server is now available as the core technology underpinning the OPENHousing system. Version 11 of OPENHousing is the first certified release to run on the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database platform.

   

  All of the benefits and features of adopting SQL Server will be available to OPENHousing customers, from SQL reporting and analytic services, to online back-ups and multiple deployment options.

   

  Key benefits of Microsoft SQL Server:

  
  - Utilises existing SQL resources in your organisation to maximise efficiencies
  - SQL Server skills more readily available to your organisation and operation
  - Supports your staff members’ technical career paths.

   

  OPENHousing writes to and reads from the Microsoft SQL Server database, opening up the SQL database technology to a new generation of OPENHousing customers.

   

  By producing a version of the OPENHousing and OPENContractor products built upon Microsoft SQL Server, we are committed to offering our customers software that complies with the preferred technical direction of their organisations.

   

  With the introduction of the separate business intelligence tool, Capita InSight, we can provide improved reporting capabilities, harnessing the power of Microsoft reporting services. The Microsoft SQL Server application from OPENHousing in conjunction with Capita InSight provides a totally integrated platform for reporting, offering business intelligence, advanced analytics and data mining through:

  - SQL reporting services

  - SQL analytics (combined with a data mining add-in for MS Excel).

   

  Download the OPENContractor SQL datasheet