Invoices

🎯 Goal of this section

The Invoices module is used for the structured recording, review, and tracking of all incoming invoices in the construction project.
By linking it to the associated contract, invoice data is automatically prefilled, retentions are taken into account, and actual costs are transferred into cost tracking.
This makes the Invoices module a central link between contract award and cost control.

Structure of the list view

The list view shows all invoices in tabular form.

Typical columns:

• Column – Description
• Title – Invoice name (e.g., R-231 Heinz Bau GmbH)
• Assign contract – Link to the corresponding contract
• Cost plan selection – Cost group (DIN 276)
• Creditor – Contractor / supplier
• Invoice number / date – Details from the invoice
• Invoice net / RE released net / RE released gross – Amounts before / after deductions
• Payment status – Indicates whether the invoice is reviewed, approved, or paid

💡 Tip:
Filters and groupings (e.g., by contract, creditor, or cost group) let you display invoices in a targeted way.
This makes partial invoices for a trade or project quick to analyze.

Detailed view of an invoice

The detailed view provides all input fields for recording, reviewing, and linking an invoice.

A) Assign contract

1. 1️⃣ In the Assign contract field, select the corresponding contract.
   → Without a link, the invoice cannot be assigned to any cost group or forecast.
2. 2️⃣ Then click Transfer information from contract.

This automatically transfers:

• Cost group (from Cost plan selection)
• Creditor
• Financing type
• Obligo / remaining budget
• Retentions and guarantees (if available)

💡 Note:
Through the contract link, smenso recognizes which amounts have already been awarded and paid.
This keeps the financial history fully traceable.

B) Invoice info

• Field – Description
• Cost plan selection – is automatically filled from the contract
• Creditor – transferred or manually selected company
• Invoice number / invoice date – Data from the incoming invoice
• Invoice type – e.g., progress invoice, partial final invoice, final invoice
• AZ (progress payment number) – Manually maintained field for the sequence (1, 2, 3 …)

💡 Tip:
The AZ field should be maintained consistently so that progress payments remain traceable in chronological order.

C) Cost block

• Field – Description
• Invoice net – Invoice amount excluding VAT
• Deduction / Deduction % – Manual deductions, e.g., cash discount
• Retention – Automatically calculated retentions from the contract
• Subtotal – Net minus deductions / retentions
• Previously received AZs – Amounts already paid (from previous invoices)
• RE released net / gross – Amount eligible for approval after all deductions

💡 Note:
smenso automatically applies the securities & retentions stored in the contract.
These reduce the invoice amount by, for example, a security retention or a warranty retention.

D) Review and approval

Each invoice can optionally be reviewed via an approval workflow:

• Level – Example
• 1 – Technical review – technical check by site management
• 2 – Commercial review – control by controlling or accounting
• 3 – Payment approval – final confirmation by project management

💡 The individual steps can be documented with comments or review notes.

Step-by-step: Create a new invoice

1. 1️⃣ Open the Invoices tab
2. 2️⃣ Click New
3. 3️⃣ Assign contract → select contract
4. 4️⃣ Transfer information from contract → automatically transfer data
5. 5️⃣ Fill in missing fields:
   • Invoice type, AZ, invoice number, date
   • Amounts / deductions / retentions
6. 6️⃣ Optional: Upload invoice document (PDF, scan, etc.)
7. 7️⃣ Save – smenso automatically updates the contract and cost tracking values.

Automatic calculations and relationships

• Area – Calculation
• Obligo – decreases with each new invoice
• Payment status – sums up all reviewed invoices
• Cost tracking (actual costs) – automatically updates based on the invoice data
• Retentions / guarantees – are applied automatically if stored in the contract

💡 Example:
A contract for €100,000 net, with a 5% security retention, receives an invoice for €20,000.
smenso automatically deducts €1,000 (5%), so RE released net = €19,000.

Interaction with contracts and cost planning

• Invoices are always assigned to a contract
• The contract is in turn linked to a cost group (DIN 276)
• This automatically feeds invoice values into cost tracking (actual costs) and into the forecast
• Retentions and remaining budgets stay up to date

💡 Practical benefit:
The system thus automatically maps the connection between planned value, awarding, payment status, and remaining costs.

Best practices

• Always assign the contract first – this automatically fills fields.
• Maintain the AZ field consistently – an important reference for tracking.
• Do not enter retentions manually – they come from the contract.
• Review invoices regularly – especially with regard to remaining obligo and budget consumption.
• Use approval workflows if review processes need to be documented.

🔗 Related topics

• Chapter 8 – Contracts
• Chapter 7 – Cost tracking
• Chapter 10 – Forecast & cash flow planning

💡 Practical note:
Automating data transfer from the contract eliminates manual duplicate entry of amounts and creditors.
This makes the entire invoicing and cost process more efficient, more traceable, and audit-proof.