OpenAir Script for Translating Subcontractor Time Entries Into Expense Reports

Some OpenAir tasks aren’t overly complex but are still ripe for automation. These tasks aren’t always something that everyone needs. For instance, our “Translating Subcontractor Time Entries Into Expense Reports” script is an excellent example. It’s pretty straightforward, and somewhat of a niche need, but for the companies that have requested this script from us in the past, it’s helped free teams from tedious tasks.

For those companies that are using both OpenAir and the NetSuite system, this script can eliminate the need for manual transcription of vendor timesheets for billing. This script helps reduce the steps required to get sub-contractors paid and customers appropriately billed.

What the Subcontractor Time to Expense Report Script Does

Managing a subcontractor’s time seems like it should be clear-cut at first glance. If you’re using OpenAir and NetSuite, the standard integration will create NetSuite vendor bills from vendor expense reports. The challenge comes when you have vendor timesheets. This is something that the standard integration doesn’t handle, but the right OpenAir script can.

If vendors are entering timesheets, the process to create vendor bills in NetSuite is manual, lengthy, and as prone to errors as any manual task. It requires waiting for the vendor to invoice you, then truing up the vendor invoice to the actual time entered.  What if, instead, you could create an expense report off the timesheet itself? The payable could then flow from OpenAir to NetSuite for both time and expenses.  This eliminates the need for the vendor to send you invoices, or for you to have to wait to receive their invoice.

Top Step has created a script that does exactly that. Once a subcontractor enters their hours into OpenAir, the script is triggered based on a setting within the user record. The hours are calculated against the defined rate in the user profile, and an expense report is generated.

Approvals within OpenAir for the time and expense can be customized for auto-approval or manual, depending on your company’s needs, and the expense is applied to the project’s budget. This also provides a clean way to validate subcontractor invoices against time worked and report the hours toward the project for future estimation and other analysis.

Conclusion

This script may seem like a niche example of an OpenAir customization – but that’s precisely the point. OpenAir is a powerful professional services automation solution that can be customized and configured within the application and through scripting, can give you greater functionality. The tasks that can be automated, even those that may seem highly specialized to your organization, can be coded to save you time and money.

Top Step has been helping companies fit their NetSuite OpenAir implementation to their needs for years, and we have a long list of happy clients to prove it. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have a need to have a script created that will increase your team’s efficiency and productivity.