Requesting estimates from multiple Vendors can be a critical part of the maintenance operation. The process below will outline the steps to create, assign, and manage estimate requests using Property Meld's Estimates feature.
This article will cover the necessary steps for requesting an Estimate from a Vendor, obtaining Owner approval, and approving a winning Estimate. The various stages and statuses of an Estimate are also discussed near the end of this article.
Please note:
- Estimates may only be requested prior to assigning the Meld to a Vendor.
- The Estimates feature is intended to be used for requesting estimated costs of repair for a Meld from multiple Vendors. Therefore, if a request is only sent to one Vendor, and is rejected by that Vendor, the Meld will not be able to be canceled or closed until a new Vendor submits their Estimate.
- If a Vendor rejects an Estimate request for a Meld, that Vendor will no longer be able to receive a new Estimate request on the same Meld, or be assigned to the Meld.
Here's a tutorial to help you get started using Estimates!
Requesting and Approving an Estimate: The Process
Navigate to the Melds screen and select the desired Meld.
Click the Estimates tab.
Click REQUEST ESTIMATE.
Please note, Estimates may only be requested prior to assigning the Meld to a Vendor.
Click Select Maintenance.
NOTE: Estimate requests will include the Meld Details, Maintenance Notes, and associated Files. The Estimate Due Date is optional.
Select the Vendors you wish to request Estimates from.
NOTE: Start typing a Vendor company name in the Search bar to bring up any names not readily selectable in the Vendor list.
Once all desired Vendors have been selected, click Send Request.
The Vendors will now appear under the Pending section of the Estimates tab on the Meld.
An Estimate card will be created for the Meld. Estimates are distinguished by the word "(Estimate)" in parenthesis in front of the Meld brief description and have a different ID number.
Estimates can be located using the search bar.
To filter for Melds with Estimates, click Estimates and select Has Estimates as part of your filtering criteria.
Once a Vendor has sent back their estimate, it will appear under Pending in the Estimates tab of the Meld.
Click Line Items to view a list of the Vendor's charges and, if necessary, apply a markup.
To apply markup, click the PM fee field.
Type the fee amount.
Click Save and Submit.
NOTE: the notes section is only editable to Vendors upon initial submission of the line items. The notes will not be visible to the Owner on an Owner approval request if the Hide Line Items option is checked.
When an Estimate is submitted by the Vendor, and does not require Owner approval, navigate to the Pending section of the Estimates tab on the Meld, select the winning Estimate, and click "Approve".
If the Estimate requires Owner approval, first click the box to select the Estimate.
NOTE: Owner approval can only be requested on an Estimate after the Vendor has submitted their line items.
Check Hide Line Items to not include this information in the approval request. When unchecked, the Owner will not be able to see your markup as a line item, but they will see the Vendor's line-item breakdown and the total cost.
Click REQUEST APPROVAL to send the request to the Owner using the Owner approval template that can be customized using the instructions in How to Customize Owner Email Notifications.
Pending Owner approvals will show in the Approval Requested section of the Estimates tab on the Meld. A pending Owner approval can be canceled.
Click Approved under the Estimates tab on the Meld to view an approved Estimate.
An Owner approval will also appear under the Info tab of the Meld card.
Once the Vendor's Estimate is approved, the Meld is automatically assigned to that Vendor.
Owner approvals may be acknowledged or restarted by the property manager if necessary. If restarted, the user will be prompted to enter a message and new dollar amount to submit to the owner.
Estimate Statuses
Estimates are managed under the Estimates tab of the Meld where they are separated into Pending, Approval Requested, and Approved stages. During these stages, an estimate will go through a variety of statuses.
Here are the statuses covered:
-
Pending Vendor Acceptance
-
In Progress
-
Vendor Rejected
-
Submitted
-
Pending Approval
-
Owner Rejected
-
Approved
-
Closed
Pending Vendor Acceptance:
Once an Estimate is requested, it will be sent to all Vendors selected. It will appear in a “Pending Vendor Acceptance” status and can either be accepted or rejected by the Vendors.
In Progress:
An Estimate will show "In Progress" when an it has been accepted but not yet submitted by a Vendor.
Vendor Rejected:
An Estimate will show "Vendor Rejected" when the Vendor has declined submitting an Estimate.
Submitted:
The "Submitted" status appears when a Vendor has submitted an Estimate proposal and is waiting for approval from the property manager.
Pending Approval:
After Owner approval has been requested, the Estimate will go into a "Pending Approval" status and remain here until the Owner has approved or rejected the Estimate.
Owner Rejected:
If the Owner rejects the Estimate approval request, the status will reflect as "Owner Rejected".
Approved:
Once the Estimate has been approved, it will move into the Approved section under the Estimates tab of the Meld. The "Approved" status will trigger the Meld to be assigned to the Vendor with the approved Estimate.
Closed
Once the actual Meld has been completed by the Vendor, the Estimate will move into a "Closed" status. A "Closed" status will also appear if an Estimate request has been canceled.