Repairs order management overview
An order comprises one or more tasks - work instructions - that will be allocated to a contractor in response to a confirmed repair request. Each task describes a specific component of the work required and is linked to a specific Schedule Of Rates (SOR) code and description. System settings and progression rules control the fulfilment of the order, ensuring that all prerequisite stages of the repair are in place and that only accredited contractors for the correct trade types can be allocated to it. The status of the order can also be recorded and tracked at each key stage of the fulfilment process. For more complex and extensive repairs, perhaps transcending different trade types, it is quite common for multiple orders to exist for a single repair request. For example, a tenant may report a water leakage emanating from the bathroom, which is seeping through the kitchen ceiling and damaging the fitted units. In progressing the repair, focus will not only be given to the source and containment of the leak but also the likely damage to the ceiling - requiring a plaster - and making good the kitchen units - requiring a joiner or kitchen fitter. All these different tasks will be added to a combination of orders ready for contractor allocation. System preferences controlled by the end user ensure that the rules governing the creation of orders matches their own working practices, as summarised below:
Until a contractor is selected to carry out the works order, the associated repair tasks can be amended or deleted. Once the works order has been issued, any changes and additions to the tasks can only be applied by processing an order variation. By way of example, a contractor may identify that additional tasks, not perceived during the initial inspection, are required to complete a repair. Provided the Financial Status has not been progressed to Fully Invoiced or the Order Status set to Cancelled, a variation can be processed to the original works order. Otherwise, any additional tasks added to the repair request would constitute a new order, issued separately to the contractor. Keeping track of variations to an order is made easy through the Variations tab, where the number and nature of variations are listed.
Housing organisations will invariably operate a rechargeable repairs procedure in order to ensure that expenditure is managed effectively and also to contribute to the efficient and effective maintenance of their property stock. A tenant may reasonably be asked to pay for repairs through the recharge procedure in a variety of circumstances: (1) Damage to a property has resulted from wilful neglect, misuse or abuse by the tenant, their family or other visitors; (2) When a tenant vacates their property, one or more repairs are required in order to return it to an acceptable standard. Within Civica Cx Housing it is possible to streamline the recharge process such that when a relevant works order reaches a predefined status (e.g. completed, fully invoiced, etc.) a sundry charge can be automatically applied to the corresponding rent account, derived from the inherent SOR tasks. This level of automation is achieved through the creation of a scheduled event - Repair Recharge Awaiting Processing - where the system will post to nominated rent accounts those rechargeable costs that have been incurred and are being stored in a holding area, ready for processing.
Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of repairs order management, including:
In addition, separate help articles focus on the prerequisite configuration components required to process recharges via a scheduled task, specifically: