The solution for House Builders and Housing Renovators

INTRODUCING 4PS4PS Construct is Europe’s premier solutionfor all types of users in the construction andproject engineering sectors.

Our solution is based on the tremendousrange of standard function offered byMicrosoft Dynamics NAV.

On top of this solid base, we havedeveloped all the additional functionalityrequired for house builders, installers, civilengineers and contractors.

The range of function available in 4PSincludes the following.

Sales and MarketingThis granule allows users to control theentire process of generating new business.

Winning completely new customers, sellingnew projects to existing customers or simplyaddng extensions to ongoing contracts –4PS supports your efforts.

Customer Relationship ManagementCRM allows users to define prospects,customers and vendors.

In addition, you can create and maintaincontacts, add activities and specifyattributes that are useful in targeting yourmarketing campaigns and mailings.

LeadsIn the Leads module, you can record detailsof projects that you want to win and for whichyou want to create a quick quote.

All the activities involved in preparing,creating and following up a quote are here.

From contacts to estimates to quotes, fromactions to features to activities – all aremonitored through this module.

In addition, the quote is prepared inconjunction with all the information held inMicrosoft Outlook or in Word.

This allows you to format the quotation in theway you want it to appear as you build upthe pricing.

Document Management4PS Construct includes a fully integrateddocument management solution.

Both outbound and incoming documents canbe saved.

4PS is integrated with Microsoft SharePointso that, with just one press of a button, youcan share documents with the project team,customers, suppliers and other interestedthird parties.

Provisional WorkThis granule allows you to generatespecifications and drawing lists for vendors

4PS Construct is the Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution for construction,installation and engineering contractors of all types.Our solution supports all of the business processes of those involved inbuilding or engineering projects – from finance to HR, from estimates tocontracts, from projects to payments – 4PS Construct does it all.

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and subcontractors, complete with versionmanagement, additional information andnotes.

If a request for a quotation is not returnedon time, the system will automaticallyescalate and chase the vendor for you.

For vendors or subcontractors that have notbeen selected, the system is able togenerate a ‘thank you, but no thank you’note.

Branch FunctionalityFor companies with several branches orsubsidiaries, the system offers centralCustomer Relationship Management.

This functionality allows you to managecustomer, vendor and other keyrelationships both centrally and within theindividual operating units, via an on-line link.

Estimating4PS Construct was specifically designed tooffer flexible and intuitive support for thecreation of estimates.

Because 4PS is such an open and flexiblesolution, you can utilise your own third partyestimation tool and import the costings intoour solution.

Alternatively, you can use our built-inestimation tool.

4PS offers a comprehensive database ofmaterials and labour norms.

Estimating allows the use of multiplereferences per item and supports industry-standard pricing updates (e.g. Luckins).

Estimates can be produced based on notional,actual, historic or standard costs, sales prices,special pricing or externally generatedcostings.

Using Bills of Quantity (BOQs), also known asRecipes in 4PS, estimates can be quickly andeasily generated for projects.

There is also the option to work with hourlyrates or work minutes.

An estimate can be easily subdivided into sub-estimates, organised into elements and costobjects.

Estimates can be easily converted into projectsfor budgeting, planning and procurement.

When creating the estimate, parts of it can besimply imported from a predefined template orcopied from another project.

You can use quantity sheets to determine the quantities. If required, quantities can beloaded from a drawing or the sheets can beimported from other applications such as Excelor an electronic measuring table.

There is the option to produce estimates usingyour own item files. A combination of recipes(BOQs), Luckins and your own items can beused to create an estimate quickly.

You can request quotes from third partiesduring the estimate process. On receipt of thequote data it is easy to import it into yourestimate. Using this data you can easily create a price comparison table and export it to Excel.

You can freeze the estimate and transfer it tothe budget – and, if authorised, you can stillmake changes.

ProjectsAt the heart of 4PS is the Projects granule.

Everything associated with the planning andprogress of a project is managed here.

Land Administration (Plot Management)This module lets you keep track of the value of parcels of land and changes in their value.

You can use this module to get a picture ofyour plots and monitor their value, owners,dimensions and costs.

The module is fully integrated with Projectsand Finance.

Project DevelopmentA builder who is developing a project can usethis module to define the initial setup costs,including interest, revenues, etc. – all recordedby time period.

Rental UnitsThis granule offers support for builders who letproperties including the recording of costs andthe generation of recurring billings.

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Unit PricesThis granule lets you easily calculate unitprices on the basis of costs and profitmargins, for use in invoicing.

BudgetsFor all builders it’s important to be able tocreate and then manage the project budgetas transparently as possible.

In 4PS Construct you can freeze the originalbudget then use it to refer back to at anystage.

After freezing the original budget it’s onlypossible to edit it using adjustment codes.

This will give you a clear overview of all thechanges that have been made, with everyone of them tracked by date and by theperson carrying out and authorising thechange.

The budget consists of a number ofattributes.

• work components or elements

• cost types (labour, material, subcontracting,plant, sundry costs)

• cost objects (carpentry, brickwork,plastering, electrical)

You define the degree of detail incorporatedinto your estimates and then your budgets.

ExtensionsTo change the scope of the original project,users raise an extension, which creates anadditional contract with any changeshighlighted separately as extension entriesfor inclusion in the budget.

You can also set a status against anyextension to flag how it is to be dealt with.For this type of contract you can set up anduse standard instalment schemes.

Buyer ManagementFor residential building, 4PS offers the abilityto store house models, house types, optionsavailable and other related information.

For each option you can record a cost thatautomatically updates the budget and price ifthe option is selected by any buyer.

ComplaintsIf you receive complaints about a project,these can be registered and followed-up inthe complaints module.

Complaints can refer to current projects or toprojects that have already been completed.

You can also easily perform analyses bycharacteristics such as type of complaint,degree of urgency, cause, etc., for reportingpurposes.

If you work in residential construction, thereare many ways to do this – by housing typeor buyer, for example, with buyer notes andrepair assignments.

Generating a small snagging project fromwithin Complaints Management is simple.

Project ControlMonitoring projects is a strong area in 4PS.

Time SheetsThere are a number of options for the entryof time sheets – normal hours, overtimehours, leave registration, external workers'hours, direct hours and indirect hours.

These can be posted into our fully integratedpayroll system or exported to your ownchosen payroll package.

4PS offers a time sheet portal. This meansthat, wherever you are, you can always enteryour time sheet using an internet connection.

4PSConstructHousingProgressProgress levels are used to record theprogress of the work on any project, either inactual quantities or using percentages.Progress percentages can be entered atvarious levels in a project, from the totalproject to individual budget lines.

There are also several methods forforecasting the hours required to complete aproject or element of a project.

For example, the forecasting method 'still todo' is where the site manager or projectleader indicates how many hours they thinkmay still be needed to complete the task,based on the current progress.

The projection entered is used in projectcontrol for calculating the forecast result.

To be able to report in accordance with theinternational accounting standards (IFRS),4PS provides the option to see the profitposition and to include it in financial reports,based on the forecast result and progresslevel, to give an interim result per project.

ReportingUsers can choose one of many informationformats (figures, charts, diagrams) andretrieve an overview of the progress of asingle project or of several projects. In theseoverviews, the budget hours and costs arecompared to the actual hours and costs.

4PS offers several ways to calculate theoutcome on projects – using the recordedprogress levels, projections and revenues.

You can filter data to see it displayed in manydifferent ways. You can send it out to Excel oremail it to staff, customers or subcontractors.

All transactions are date and time stamped.This allows you to compare the budget at aparticular point in time, even a point in thepast, with the actual status as it is now.

Site managers or QS can get an online viewof the progress of the project wheneverneeded, hold project meetings using oneversion of the truth and control projects at alllevels – main project, sub-project,department, contract amount, extension, WIPposition, purchases, revenues, interim result,projections and progress levels.

Subcontractor ManagementThis module offers function that enables usersto manage relationships with subcontractorsincluding prequalification, evaluation, ordermanagement and performance monitoring.

The function offered covers all types ofapplications, retentions and discountmanagement, with the ability to handlecomplex tax requirements.

4PS Construct also offers full CIS control andverification of subcontractors.

PurchasingPurchasing is a crucial part of any projectand 4PS offers a lot of functionality tosupport you in this area.

To process items to be purchased for anyproject, budget items can be exported to afunction called ‘purchase actions’.

Using purchase actions you can requestquotes from potential suppliers, comparingeach using price comparison functionalitybuilt into this part of the software.

Attributes can be associated with eachvendor to allow you to automatically select aset of vendors to use as part of the quotationprocess – attributes such as region code,product group or delivery timescale.

The most favourable purchase quote can beautomatically converted into a PO. Forquotes that are not used, you canautomatically print a thank you letter.

This function offers you a seamless link toMicrosoft Excel to help you manage thecosts and quotes involved.

There is also the option to record deliverynotes or subcontractor completion notesagainst an order. These deliveries are thenused to match against the purchase invoice.

There is also a document managementsystem for purchase documents, such asdelivery notes, which is integrated with Word.

The purchase document is linked to the POand can be maintained in 4PS Construct.This gives you total freedom in formatting thepurchase order in Word should you need toadd extensive text.

Users also have the option to rate vendors.

You can assess their performance based onobjective information, such as delivery datesand accuracy of the order, or subjectiveinformation, such as friendliness or level ofcustomer service you feel they offer overall.

You can set preferred criteria and then addweightings for each criterion to allow thesystem to automatically calculate scores.

This can be done per project or acrossmultiple projects.

PlantEveryone has issues surrounding the controlof plant. Whether it’s your own equipment orhired in, it needs to be managed.

Monitoring locations, availability andmanaging the logistics of allocating andmoving plant to projects as required is allpart of the function offered in this granule.

Whether it’s controlling the costs applicableto the use of your own equipment or thecharges you incur on hired plant, 4PS willhandle it.

Plant helps you to manage your plant ortools through registration, charging toprojects, carrying out inspections andcalculating the depreciation applicable.

Both the logistic aspects, like rental orders,location, planning, transport and issuing, andthe financial aspects, like costs andrevenues, are supported.

Using 4PS you will always know where anyplant is located, what it costs, how much it isgenerating in revenue and its status – if itcomplies with safety regulations, if it isworking or in repair.

The plant module is fully integrated with theother 4PS Construct modules.

Machinery can be purchased using thepurchase module, depreciated with the fixedasset module and charged to projects via theproject module and financial administration.

Invoicing4PS Construct supports various invoicingmethods – cost plus, instalments andadvances.

Instalments are automatically generated forthe initial contract amount, extensioncontracts and extension options.

For residential building you can carry outautomatic calculations of interest. The resultof these calculations can be convertedautomatically into a sales invoice.

There is also the option to invoice projects orwork orders on the basis of cost plus.

The work order functionality is especiallyhandy for small jobs.

For larger customers that undertake longterm, major works contracts, there is theoption to record multiple addresses andcomplex price agreements.

Applications and RetentionsThe construction industry has complex billingarrangements and specific relationships withclients and their agents that are difficult tomanage effectively without the right software.

4PS handles all of this for you.

• Client billing – applications for payment,certification and invoicing

• Project retentions and discounts

• Complete client transaction history andaudit trail

Cost Value Reconciliation (CVR)The 4PS Progress and Forecast functionallows accurate data to be extracted into aCVR sheet directly from the NAV database.

Spreadsheet templates can be created forthe user to carry out their valuationcontaining all the up-to-date information from

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For more information about our products and services, please call: 01675 432400,email us at: sales@metaphorix.co.uk or visit our website: www.metaphorix.co.uk

the costing module and any other relevantareas.

Once the process is complete the valuationis recorded against the job.

From this point on you can then report on theCVR on either a job-by-job basis, on a rangeof jobs or on all jobs.

Financial Administration4PS offers a fully integrated financial suite.Whether it is about posting, processing orconsolidation, the system handles it all.

The integration is so tight that it is impossibleto create differences between the generalledger and your project administration – datais only ever entered once.

Subtotal overviews, columns with numbersand comparisons are created online themoment you retrieve the enquiry or report.

In addition, the system is very easy to useand gives tremendous control – the reportand enquiry options are particularly strong.

Payroll & HRAn integrated payroll and HR system isimportant to ensure that salaries get paid,that time gets recorded and that tax ismanaged properly.

That’s why we integrated 4PS with theleading Dynamics NAV payroll option –MiraclePay.

For those of you with a different payrollsystem, we offer an export of the keyinformation you will need to run payrollthrough your third party offering.

THE 4PS APPROACHWe know how vital your business system isto the successful running of your business.We also know that your custom is the life-blood of our business.

That’s why we have a unique approach toproviding systems that delivers all thefunction you need – now and in the future.Our approach to providing systems marriestwo key concepts.

Firstly, we want to provide all the functionthat our customers in the construction andengineering, infrastructure, civil engineeringand plant sectors need to run their businessefficiently.

We do this by constantly adding function toour solution – function that has been definedand requested by our existing customers asbeing essential to them.

Secondly, we ensure that every singlecustomer can take advantage of thefunction we add by adopting a policy of a‘single version’ of 4PS Construct.

Any function we add at the request of ourcustomers is added to the standard versionof 4PS – no modifications and no bespokeversions whatsoever.

The Benefits

Economies of scaleWe get the economies of scale of addingfunction to a single version.

When our customers have a good idea, webuild it into our solution once and onceonly. This saves time and cost, helping usdeliver the latest technology with theminimal of cost and effort.

Staying up to dateYou get the knowledge that your system willalways remain current.

New function will always be compatible withyour version of 4PS because you have thestandard product installed – the same asevery other one of our customers.

Low-cost upgradesWe both get the benefit of a smooth, low-cost upgrade process that allows everyoneto move forward quickly and painlessly.

The Microsoft Solution4PS offers you the opportunity to benefitfrom innovations introduced by Microsoftand integrated into 4PS. Examples includeSharePoint, SQL Server and the latestOffice and Windows platforms.