How to Bill Construction Milestones in CrmLeaf
Milestone invoicing is a core invoicing capability in all editions. In the Construction CRM edition it is the normal way to bill a completed stage of a build. BOQ utilization in the billing preview requires…
Availability: Milestone invoicing is a core invoicing capability in all editions. In the Construction CRM edition it is the normal way to bill a completed stage of a build. BOQ utilization in the billing preview requires the manufacturing add-on module, and material requisition amounts require the modules that produce them to be enabled.
Overview
Milestone billing raises a client invoice directly from a completed project milestone. In construction this is how a completed stage of the build is turned into money owed: the invoice is assembled from the material and labour the stage actually consumed, rather than from a flat stage price typed in by hand.
This article covers the construction-specific way to use milestone invoicing. The mechanics of the invoice itself are covered in the general milestone invoicing article.
How It Works
You complete the milestone on the delivery project, open milestone invoicing for it, review the preview of billable work the system has gathered, and create the client invoice.
Complete milestone → Gather billable work → Review preview and BOQ utilization → Create invoice → Milestone marked invoiced
- The invoice is created with invoice type milestone.
- The system gathers the milestone's billable work: approved but unbilled material requisitions, and approved but unbilled billable time logs on the milestone's tasks.
- The preview shows BOQ utilization - planned against used against remaining - when the manufacturing module is enabled, so you can see how much of the bill of quantities the stage has consumed.
- Amounts come from the underlying billable work: material requisition line totals plus time log earnings. The milestone's own cost figure is not the invoice amount.
- Source records are stamped with the invoice, so the same requisition or time log cannot be billed twice, and the milestone is marked as invoiced.
- Three guards apply: the milestone status must be
complete, the project must have a client, and the milestone must not already be invoiced.
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Complete a milestone on the delivery project.
- Review the billable work gathered for the milestone.
- Create the client invoice from the completed milestone.
- Read the BOQ utilization shown alongside the preview.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- A delivery project for the build, with a client attached.
- A milestone on that project whose status is
complete. - Material requisitions for the stage approved, so they are eligible to be billed.
- Time logs on the milestone's tasks marked billable and approved.
- A project BOQ if you want to see BOQ utilization, which needs the manufacturing module.
For Users
Step 1: Complete the milestone on the project
Confirm the stage's tasks are finished, then mark the milestone complete. A milestone that is not complete cannot be invoiced.
Step 2: Get the underlying work into a billable state
What to do: make sure the material requisitions for the stage are approved, and that the time logged on the milestone's tasks is marked billable and has been approved. Only approved and not-yet-billed records are gathered.
What to verify: nothing that belongs to this stage is still waiting for approval, because unapproved work is left out of the invoice.
Step 3: Open milestone invoicing for the completed milestone
What to do: from the completed milestone, start the milestone invoice. The system gathers the eligible material requisitions and billable time logs into a preview.
What to verify: the preview lists the requisitions and time logs you expect. If a line is missing, it is usually unapproved, already billed, or attached to a task outside this milestone.
Step 4: Read the BOQ utilization
What to do: review the planned, used and remaining quantities shown against the project's BOQ.
What to verify: the used quantity is consistent with the stage you are billing. A used figure well ahead of the programme usually means material was issued for later stages.
Step 5: Create the invoice
What to do: confirm the client and the currency, then create the invoice. Send it to the client and record the payment when it arrives.
What to verify: the milestone is now marked as invoiced, the source requisitions and time logs are stamped against the invoice, and the invoice appears in Invoices as unpaid until payment is recorded.
Expected Result
A client invoice is created from the completed milestone, valued from its approved and unbilled material requisitions and billable time logs. The milestone is marked as invoiced, the source records are stamped so they cannot be billed again, and BOQ utilization for the project reflects the material consumed.
Service Organisation Context
Billing a completed stage from the work it consumed is the closest confirmed parallel in CrmLeaf to the way a professional services organisation invoices a fixed-stage engagement. A consulting or implementation firm usually has no material requisitions, so the same milestone invoice draws on approved but unbilled billable time logs alone, which keeps the invoice tied to timesheet entries a manager has already approved rather than to a figure agreed months earlier. The general mechanics are documented in How to Invoice a Completed Project Milestone; this article covers the construction use of them. The same guards apply in either setting, including that the project must have a client attached.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- The invoice value is built from the work consumed. If your contract bills a fixed stage price instead, use the site's payment schedule as the commercial position and reconcile the difference deliberately.
- Approve requisitions and time logs before you bill. Work approved after the invoice is created is not on that invoice and must be billed later.
- A milestone can only be invoiced once. Additional work found afterwards is billed on a separate invoice.
- BOQ utilization depends on the manufacturing module and on a BOQ existing for the project.
Common Scenarios
Example: billing a completed slab stage. The slab milestone is marked complete. Its approved requisitions for cement, steel and aggregate, plus the approved billable time logs of the site crew, are gathered into the preview. BOQ utilization shows 38 percent of the concrete planned for the project has been used. The invoice is created and sent to the client.
Example: a late requisition. A requisition is approved the day after the milestone is billed. Because the milestone is already invoiced, that requisition stays unbilled and is picked up when the next milestone is billed.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone invoicing is not available for the milestone. | The milestone's status is not complete. | Mark the milestone complete, then try again. |
| The invoice cannot be created. | The project has no client attached. | Attach the client to the project, then bill the milestone. |
| The milestone cannot be billed a second time. | The milestone is already invoiced. This is by design. | Bill the additional work on the next milestone or a separate invoice. |
| The preview is empty or short. | Requisitions or time logs are unapproved, not marked billable, already billed, or belong to tasks outside the milestone. | Approve the work, check the billable flag, and confirm the tasks belong to this milestone. |
| BOQ utilization is not shown. | The manufacturing module is not enabled, or the project has no BOQ. | An Administrator enables the module; build the project BOQ. |
| The invoice total is not the milestone cost you expected. | Amounts come from requisition line totals and time log earnings, not from the milestone's cost field. | Review the source records; adjust rates or quantities at source before billing. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the invoice not the milestone's cost figure?
Milestone invoicing bills the work the milestone actually consumed. The amount is the sum of requisition line totals and time log earnings.
Can the same requisition appear on two invoices?
No. Source records are stamped with the invoice they were billed on, so nothing is billed twice.
Do I still need the payment schedule?
Yes. The payment schedule on the site records what the client has agreed to pay and when. Milestone billing raises invoices from completed work.
Can I edit the invoice after it is created?
The invoice behaves like any other CrmLeaf invoice once created, moving through draft, unpaid, partial, paid and canceled. Correct the source records rather than the invoice where you can.
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