Control Sheets - Cashflow

Cashflows in RIB CX

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The Cashflow Forecasting feature in RIB CX allows users to compare the Final Forecast Cost with the Certified to Date amounts, providing a clear and accurate view of financial progress. Users can allocate remaining costs over future months using various distribution methods, including even distribution, S-Curve, or manual adjustments.

This streamlined functionality empowers project managers to efficiently monitor projected costs and maintain comprehensive financial oversight, ensuring better planning and control throughout their projects.

Configuring Cashflow Control Sheets

New Cashflow Option in Control Sheet Configuration

• 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.

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Cashflow Control Sheet Settings

• 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 sheet.

You can then select the start and end dates for your cashflow analysis period. This will determine the months available in your Cashflow Control Sheet for your analysis.

Custom Configuration for Actuals Calculation

• Users can configure how "Actuals" are defined within cashflows control sheet: 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.

Multiple Cashflows per Budget

• 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.

Cashflow Display in Control Sheet Menu

• 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.

Cashflow Analysis

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.

Cashflow Lines Based on Budget Lines

• 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

1. Item number

2. Code (if available)

3. Line item description

4. Final Forecast Cost

5. Certified to Date

6. 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

Cashflow Scenario Analysis Profile Types

When conducting cashflow analysis and projects there are 3 options available for each row

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

Manual Adjustments

• 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

Managing Actuals (Claims)

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

Variance Analysis

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.

Tools Available

Expand/Collapse Rows

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.

Bulk Row Operations

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.

Export and API Access

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.

Approval / Snapshot

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.

Column Filtering

Ability to filter columns

Copy and Paste Functionality

Users can copy and paste values for individual cells, similar to current control sheets.

Advanced Configurations

S-Curve Configurations

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.

Index Adjustment

What is Adjusting for Index?

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.

Benefits of Adjusting for Index

• 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.

Configuration Option for Index Row

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.

Index Row on Cashflow Control Sheet

• 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.

In the example below, I have adjusted the month of May-25 to be 75% of the original forecast

And I have added back an extra 25% each for the months of Jun-25 and Jul-25. Which means the total index is now 25% over hence the index percentage are shown in red.

To resolve this you can distribute the percentages equally

Updating Forecasts

• Users can update forecasts using one of two options:

  1. Update Actuals: Calculates the revised forecast using the latest actual numbers and index values.

  2. Update Revised Forecast: Recalculates the forecast amounts using updated index values.

Validation

• 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.