Escalating Master Contracts

Master contract escalation is similar to maintenance contract escalation. The escalation fields are the same in the Master Contract window and the Maintenance Contract window. The escalation information defaults to the assigned maintenance contracts and is sometimes editable.

1. Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager.
2. Select a customer and zoom on Customer ID field.
3. Select the Master Contract button.
4. Enter the master contract escalation information. Your entries in the Escalation Frequency, Escalation Notification Days, and Escalation Date fields roll down to all maintenance contracts covered by the master contract. The Escalation Frequency and Escalation Date fields cannot be changed at the maintenance contract level. If you make changes to the Escalation Frequency, Escalation Notification, or Escalation Date fields in the Master Contract window, you receive a message warning you that the changes overwrite the existing maintenance contract information. You can select to proceed or you can cancel. Marking the checkbox to automatically escalate the master contract will roll down to the maintenance contracts assigned to the master contract. This option can still be changed at the individual maintenance contract level. The setup of escalation indexes and escalation details is the same as described for maintenance contracts.
5. Select Escalation.

The Master Contract Escalation window summarizes the escalation information for all contracts attached to the master contract. Changes made in this window roll down to all maintenance contracts. You can assign global escalation indexes, an escalation notification date, and escalation approval to all maintenance contracts under the master contract by making changes in this window.

Escalation indexes only appear in the five fields if they're consistent through all attached maintenance contracts. A blank field could mean that there is no escalation for that category, or it could mean that the indexes are not all the same.

Only values deliberately set in the master contract escalation window roll down to attached maintenance contracts. Empty fields will not be rolled down. Because a field could be blank in the Master Contract Escalation window, even though there is data in the same field at the maintenance contract level, you should use caution when rolling down new values.

Assume the escalation index used for one labor category is used for all five labor categories.

For master contracts only, the Escalation Index lookup window contains an entry "C" which clears all index entries for a specific cost category. By choosing the "C" index for a category, that category will be blank in all attached maintenance contracts. You would use this if you want to leave a category intentionally blank in all attached maintenance contracts as well as the master contract.

After you build the escalation, a red circle appears next to any cost category that did not have an escalation index detail set up correctly.

If a master contract has an assigned maintenance contract that had a red circle next to an escalation index in the Maintenance Contract Escalation window, there will also be a red circle next to the escalation index in the Master Contract Escalation window.

Committing Master Contract Escalation

When you commit escalation for a master contract, the system checks the validity of all assigned maintenance contracts.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Routines > Service Management > Maintenance Contract > Build Escalation.
2. Enter a Year and Month to commit.
3. Select Commit. All maintenance contracts assigned to the master contract display in the Process Master Contracts scrolling window. You can select to view all maintenance contracts or only those that have a caution or an invalid designation.
4. Address all problems in the maintenance contracts that impact processing. The indicator in the Valid field designates whether the contract will be processed. You can use the hide/show button to view all fields in the scrolling window. Fields containing problems are marked so that you can correct the problem. You can double-click a maintenance contract to open the Maintenance Contract window with the selected contract displayed.
   • Green
     A green indicator displays if the maintenance contract is valid, and will be processed. This means the contract contains forecast costs, has been 100% billed and 100% recognized, the amount billed equals the contract amount, and the contract has valid escalation indexes.
   • Yellow
     A yellow caution indicator displays for contracts that may require further review before committing. The process will still be committed even though the caution indicator is present. Maintenance contracts displaying a yellow caution indicator will still be committed, but you may want to address their problems. The contract will have a caution indicator if either of the following is true: 
     • The amount billed does not equal the contract amount.
     • The contract is not 100% billed and recognized. 
   • Red
     A red invalid indicator displays for maintenance contracts that have problems that must be corrected before the process can be committed. Maintenance contracts displaying a red invalid indicator will not be committed until the problems are corrected. You cannot escalate a master contract that has an invalid maintenance contract attached. All attached maintenance contracts must display a green valid indicator or a yellow caution indicator before the process can be committed. The following conditions make the contract invalid (one or more): 
     • The contract is closed.
     • It does not contain forecast costs.
     • The contract has invalid escalation indexes. 
5. Select Print to print the Master Contract Process report.
6. Select Commit to continue processing all validated master contracts. Invalid contracts are temporarily removed from the window. If you make changes to a maintenance contract by zooming on the Contract No. field, you must select Redisplay in the Master Contract Process window to update the window with your changes.