Cashflows in the context of RIB CX refer to the comprehensive management and projection of financial flows within construction projects. These cashflows allow project managers to plan, monitor, and control the financial aspects of their projects efficiently. The cashflow tool within RIB CX is designed to facilitate the detailed tracking of income and expenditures, ensuring that projects remain financially viable and on schedule.
Cashflow management in RIB CX involves forecasting the flow of funds over the project's duration, considering various factors such as payment schedules, incurred costs, and projected income. This ensures that all financial obligations are met without causing cash shortages, which could delay the project. By integrating cashflow management within the broader project management framework of RIB CX, users can achieve a seamless and accurate financial oversight
Users can now create a Cashflow Control Sheet directly from the Control Sheet configuration options.
This feature allows the generation of cashflows specific to individual budgets.
On the Cashflow Control Sheet settings page, users can select a Budget to define the cashflow scope.
The budget selections allows the control sheet to automatically import the rows within the budget into the cashflow control sheetyou ca
You can then select the start and end dates for your cashflow analysis period. This wil determine the months available in your Cashflow Control Sheet for your analysis.
Users can configure how "Actuals" are defined within cashflows controlsheet: i.e. which months the values from each claim appear in as the actuals for a particular month.
Users can also select a Date Field to drive monthly cashflow actual values
By default, the Due Date is used.
Alternatively, users can add a custom date field on the claim form, which can be set as the active date for cashflow actions.
Choose between Pending + Approved or Approved Only for which Claim values should be used as actual figures.
Pending + Approved = will include Claims which are pending and approved for a given month using the date field configuration mentioned above
Approved only = will only include claims in an approved status.
This flexibility allows for more accurate cashflow tracking based on organisational preferences.
Users can create multiple cashflows for the same budget by setting up a new Cashflow Control Sheet for each instance.
To do this you can click on the Copy option for a cashflow to copy all the settings for a particular Cashflow control sheet.
This supports tracking different cashflow perspectives or timeframes within a single budget.
Once created, each Cashflow Control Sheet appears as a separate menu item under the Control Sheets menu, allowing easy access and management.
Navigate to Contracts Admin → Control Sheets, where a new sub-folder called Cashflows has been added.
This folder is dedicated to cashflow management, enabling quick access within the control sheet structure.
Visibility Based on Permissions
Access to the Cashflows folder is controlled through module matrix permissions.
Only users with the appropriate permissions will be able to view and interact with cashflows.
Single or Multiple Cashflows View
When a user clicks on Cashflows, they will be directed to either:
The single cashflow for the project, if only one exists.
A list of cashflows, if multiple cashflows are available, allowing the user to select and view each as needed.
The Cashflow page provides a detailed view of cashflows tied to specific budget lines, enabling both automated and manual adjustments to support accurate financial tracking.
The lines and values on the Cashflow page are derived from the budget lines of the selected budget specified in the configuration page.
The cashflow control sheet will display these columns from the budget
Item number
Code (if available)
Line item description
Final Forecast Cost
Certified to Date
Cost to Complete
The next set of columns displayed will be the Cashflow profile type
Start and Finish dates (as configured in the earlier section
 |
When conducting cashflow analysis and projects there are 3 options available for each row
S-Curve Analysis
Description: The S-Curve method in cashflow forecasting allows for the visualisation and analysis of cumulative costs over time, typically starting slow, increasing rapidly during the peak construction phase, and then slowing down again as the project nears completion.
Usage: Helps in understanding the overall financial progress and ensuring that spending aligns with project milestones. It adjusts dynamically based on actual costs and forecasts the remaining budget in line with the S-Curve pattern.
S-curve values are configurable. Click here to learn more about how to do this. |
Even Distribution
Description: Even distribution spreads the projected costs evenly across the project timeline. This method assumes that costs are incurred uniformly over the project duration.
Usage: Ideal for projects with consistent financial outlays, this method simplifies forecasting and helps in maintaining a steady cashflow, avoiding peaks and troughs in financial requirements.
Manual Distribution
Description: Manual distribution allows project managers to input specific cost values for each period manually. This method provides the highest level of customisation and control over the cashflow forecast.
Usage: Suitable for complex projects with irregular spending patterns, this method accommodates unique financial arrangements and adjustments as the project evolves.
You can apply any of these profile to a row of the Cashflow by simply changing the drop down option. This will adjust the values for the future months based on the option selected
Users can add new lines at the bottom of the cashflow to input manual adjustments.
Positive and negative amounts are supported, providing flexibility for both revenue and expense tracking.
Click on the Append Row option to add a new row
Based on the configuration provided here the actual values from claims can be added to the Cashflow by clicking on the Update from Budget
Once you include the actual values, the Cost to Complete will be adjusted to reflect the actual values and the cashflow projects will be automatically adjusted based on the remaining months and values for each row Cost to complete column in the cashflow.
Actuals are shown below with adjusted cashflow projects for each month
Variances are highlighted in a new column, showing changes in red when there is a difference.
The variance highlighted here is the difference between the Cost to complete value and the projected cashflow data for each row.
Heading rows on the Cashflow page can be expanded or collapsed, allowing users to view or hide detailed line items as needed for a clearer view of overall or specific data.
Ability to bulk select rows and apply start/end dates or cashflow profiles.
Benefits:
Efficiency: Quickly update multiple lines, saving time on repetitive tasks.
Consistency: Apply uniform changes across multiple data points, ensuring consistency in cashflow projections.
Cashflow data can be exported to Excel and accessed via REST API.
API can be accessed here - https://auweb06.au.itwocx.com/cxR/api/help/index#!/ControlSheet/ControlSheet_GetCashFlow
Benefits:
Accessibility: Easily share cashflow data with external stakeholders or integrate with other systems.
Flexibility: Export data for further analysis or reporting in external tools.
Cashflows can be approved similar to subcontract control sheets, with an approval button and Excel snapshot saving.
Benefits:
Record Keeping: Maintain a snapshot of approved cashflows for audit and compliance purposes along with using snapshot data for further data manipulation and graphical representation.
Ability to filter columns
Users can copy and paste values for individual cells, similar to current control sheets.
Configurable S-Curve with adjustable intersection and slope values.
By default these will be the s-curve values
S-curve intersection (t) = 0.6
S-curve slope at intersection (s) = 1.6
You can adjust these in the Control Sheet config page along with the rounding decimal place value.
Benefits:
Customisability: Fine-tune cashflow projections to more accurately reflect project-specific spending patterns.
Precision: Generate more accurate financial forecasts tailored to the project's cashflow dynamics.
Adjusting for Index is a powerful feature in the Cashflow Control Sheet that allows users to fine-tune monthly forecasts based on specific index values. By applying index percentages, users can model financial adjustments for underperformance or overperformance in projected cashflows, ensuring more accurate and dynamic budget management.
Enhanced Forecast Accuracy:
Reflect real-world financial scenarios by adjusting cashflow projections based on performance indices.
Flexible Financial Planning:
Support both positive and negative adjustments to align forecasts with evolving project conditions.
Granular Control:
Apply adjustments at a monthly level, enabling targeted revisions without impacting unrelated periods.
Improved Decision-Making:
Use dynamically updated forecasts to make better-informed financial and operational decisions.
A new configuration option has been added to toggle the visibility of the Index Row on the Cashflow Control Sheet.
Default Setting: The index row is visible.
If turned off, the index defaults to 100% (1) for all months.
The Index Row appears at the top of the cashflow grid.
Users can enter an index value (percentage) for each month:
Actuals: Always fixed at 100% (1).
Forecast Months: The total of the index values must equal the number of months in the cashflow.
The revised forecast is calculated using the index values for each month:
Factors < 100% (Negative Adjustments):
Calculate the negative percentage (e.g., 80% = -20%).
Determine the negative amount (e.g., 20% of $100,000 = $20,000).
Total the negative amounts and calculate the weighted negative distribution across affected months.
Adjust the monthly forecast for negative months accordingly.
Factors > 100% (Positive Adjustments):
Calculate the positive percentage (e.g., 110% = +10%).
Proportionally distribute the positive adjustments based on the total negative impact.
Adjust the monthly forecast for positive months accordingly.
Users can update forecasts using one of two options:
Update Actuals: Calculates the revised forecast using the latest actual numbers and index values.
Update Revised Forecast: Recalculates the forecast amounts using updated index values.
The system validates that the total of the index values matches the total number of months in the cashflow:
If the values do not align, a validation message will appear, preventing updates until corrected.