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Force accounts are a way to document work that a contractor performs outside of the original contract without having to wait for change order approval. With the Appia Force Accounts feature, you can record unexpected work for later reimbursement via change order.
Unlike daily reports, which record work performed on a particular day, force accounts allow for entries that record work performed across multiple days related to the same force account work.
Force account basics
To start a new force account:
- In your Appia project, open the Force Accounts tab from the sidebar menu.
- Click Add.
- Enter a name for the force account and, optionally, a location and description for it.
- Click Save.
On the new force account page, you will see the details you just entered. Appia will auto-fill the prime contractor.
To begin recording the work performed, click Add Work Entry and select the appropriate work type from the drop-down menu.
You can add as many work entries to a single force account as you need to. Any user with access to the project and a role of Inspector or above can add work entries to the same force account.
See the next section for details on the different work entry types available.
Any user with access to a project and a role of Inspector or above can find and add to force accounts on the project.
To find an existing force account, open your Appia project and click the Force Accounts tab from the sidebar menu.
If the force account is active, you will see it in the Active tab. If the force account has been closed out, click the Completed tab to find it.
Once a force account has been marked as complete, no changes or additional work entries can be made on it.
Force account details can be exported to a CSV file which will include the details of each work entry on the force account.
- Find the force account you want to export in the Active or Completed tabs of the Force Accounts page.
- Click on its expander menu or click on its title to open it.
- Click Export.
- Select the download destination and click Save.
When you are finished with a force account, click Mark as complete to close it out. The force account will move to the Completed tab of the Force Accounts page. No further changes can be made once a force account is marked as complete unless you mark it as active again.
You can also mark a force account as complete from its expander menu on the Active tab.
To reopen a completed force account:
- From the Force Accounts page, go to the Completed tab.
- Find the force account you want to reopen.
- Click on the expander menu.
- Select Mark as active.
The previously completed force account will appear on the Active tab and can be edited or added to.
Work entry types
There are four types of work you can record using a force account. Click to expand the following sections and learn about each type of work entry you can create.
Record the equipment used on a force account by clicking Add Work Entry and selecting Equipment.
Use the required text entry fields to record the following information:
- Date | The date the equipment was used
- Equipment Description | The type of equipment used
- Active Count | The amount of equipment in active use on this day
- Active Hours | The total amount of hours that all active equipment were in active use on this day
- Idle Count | The amount of equipment onsite but not in active use on this day
- Idle Hours | The total amount of hours that all idle equipment were onsite but not in active use on this day
Use the optional text entry fields to record the following information:
- Ownership | Record the name of the person or company that owns the equipment used
- Comments | A free text entry field to input additional details or context
When you're finished, click Add more Equipment to create another equipment work entry or click Save.
Record any items or materials used in the force account by clicking Add Work Entry and selecting Materials.
Use the required text entry fields to record the following information:
- Date | The date the materials were used
- Materials Description | The type of materials used
-
Quantity | The amount of materials used on this day
- Note: The quantity is directly related to the unit of the materials. So if you have a material measured in linear feet, you would record the linear footage of the materials used.
Use the optional text entry fields to record the following information:
- Unit | Although optional, recording the material's unit of measurement is helpful when referencing the quantity used
- Material ID | If the material has a unique identifier, like an item number, enter it here
- Comments | A free text entry field to input additional details or context
When you're finished, click Add more Materials to create another materials work entry or click Save.
Record any personnel (individual laborers or crews) related to the force account by clicking Add Work Entry and selecting Personnel.
Use the required text entry fields to record the following information:
- Date | The date the personnel worked
- Personnel Description | The type of personnel or crew
- Hours | The total number of hours that this personnel worked on this day
Use the optional text entry fields to record the following information:
- Overtime Hours | The total number of overtime hours the personnel worked on this day
- Worker Type | Specify the type of laborer included in this personnel
- Comments | A free text entry field to input additional details or context
When you're finished, click Add more Personnel to create another personnel work entry or click Save.
Record specialized or miscellaneous work performed by a third party on the force account by clicking Add Work Entry and selecting Third Party Specialized Work.
Use the required text entry fields to record the following information:
- Date | The date the third party work occurred
- Description | The type of third party work performed
- Amount | The lump sum dollar amount that the third party work incurred
Use the optional text entry fields to record the following information:
- Comments | A free text entry field to input additional details or context
When you're finished, click Add more Third Party Specialized Work to create another specialized work entry or click Save.
Attachments
Use the Attachments function to upload photos, invoices, receipts, or other documents related to the force account.
To add an attachment:
- From the force account page, find the Attachments section and click Edit.
- Click Add Attachments.
- Drag-and-drop a file from your computer to the pop-up modal, or click choose your files.
- If you opted to choose a file, a file explorer window will open. Find and select the file you want to upload, then click Open.
- Once the attachment appears in the editable Attachments section, you can change the attachment name or add a description to it.
- When you're finished adding and editing attachments, click Save.
Files attached to a force account can be downloaded by anyone with access to the force account by clicking the download icon next to an attachment's name.