Purchasing

Once the Product Code / Account plan has been created, you should develop a purchasing strategy to plan which purchases will be carried out for each individual product code/account.

In AIMZ, you can create and allocate different purchasing packages. This gives you better control over which deliveries and costs are included in the project and ensures that the final forecast is always based on an up-to-date and accurate foundation.

In the Purchasing menu, several actions are available. Below is an overview of the most important ones, which are described in more detail in the following sections:

In AIMZ, Purchasing is defined as all planned or executed commitments in the form of agreements with suppliers or subcontractors who deliver goods or services to the project. These may be agreements planned for the future or purchases that have already been completed.

For each account/product code, you can create one or more purchases, and conversely, a single purchase can be linked to one or more accounts/product codes.

In AIMZ, we distinguish between two main types of purchases:

Purchases are used for simple, one-time procurements where payment from the main contractor to the supplier occurs once, and the contractual relationship ends thereafter.

Examples:

Such purchases often function as budget items, where the user adjusts the budget depending on how much of the purchase should affect the final forecast.

For this type of purchase, there is usually no need to follow up on changes or other allocations.

Contracts are used for more comprehensive deliveries where there is a formal agreement between the main contractor and the subcontractor—typically fixed-price contracts or contracts governed by a defined target price.

This often applies to subcontracted work performed over time, with payment made according to an agreed payment schedule.

Contracts are used when the agreement is regulated according to Norwegian Standards (e.g. NS 8415) and where there is a need to continuously follow up on changes, allocations, and forecast development.

Before purchases are created for an account/product code, the revised budget forms the basis for the final forecast. Once you create purchases for an account, the purchases take over this role. This means that the sum of all purchases registered on the account forms the basis for the final forecast for that account/product code.

When a planned purchase is created, you must specify a Planned amount. The purpose is to control how much of the budget for the account/product code is allocated to that purchase.

When the purchase is later completed, the actual amount is registered on the purchase. This amount then replaces the contract budget in the calculation of the final forecast.

When creating purchases for an account/product code for the first time, it is important to distribute the entire budget across relevant elements—if you want to maintain the final forecast—for example:

If the full budget is not distributed, the final forecast may be reduced compared to the original forecast for the account/product code.

To create a new contract, do the following:

For each account/product code, specify either:

To create a new purchase, do the following:

For each account/product code, specify a cost that affects the final forecast for the account—and thus for the entire project.

If incorrect information has been entered or if the properties of a purchase change during the project, the purchase can easily be edited.

To remove a purchase entirely, click Delete to permanently delete it.

By clicking the purchase name in the table, a summary view opens. This summary displays the key parameters for the purchase and provides insight into the project’s final forecast at any given time.

Just like the final forecast at account level, the final forecast at contract level is continuously changing. Changes arise due to altered project assumptions—whether planned or unforeseen.

How complex it is to calculate a change in the final forecast depends on how much information is available to determine the actual cost.

In the contract view in AIMZ, you can manage the final forecast by creating financial links to the contract. For each contract, you can create and edit:

For purchases, a more simplified overview is shown compared to contracts. Here you get access to:

This view provides a quick overview of both the cost basis and the documentation for the purchase.

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