Basementgrid v2.5 is out, and the main new feature is Submit Quotation. Vendors can now send their quote straight into the work order, and the approval that follows runs on its own. Please update your app to try it.
First, a look at how a quotation usually works, because it explains why we built this.
How it works today
The vendor sends a quotation by email or WhatsApp. The BM can’t just forward it to the council, because nobody knows what it’s for. So he writes the background first: what broke, why this vendor, why this price. Then it goes to the council members for approval, and he waits for a majority to reply.
When the work is done, he scans the vendor’s job sheet. He then sends the quotation, the job sheet and a screenshot or email of the council’s approval to the accountant, who creates the payment. After that the whole pile goes to the two approvers, usually the Treasurer and the Secretary, who approve the payment in the bank app.
Every step is a forward, and every forward can sit in someone’s inbox for a week. When someone asks where it’s stuck, nobody can say.
We had already turned most of this into a work order link, with timestamps and comments recorded in the app. In v2.5 the quotation itself moves into the work order too.
What’s new in v2.5: Submit Quotation
The vendor now submits the quote directly in Basementgrid, with the amount entered in the system. The BM reviews it and taps Accept. If the amount is under the approval threshold, the work order goes out to the vendor straight away.
If the amount is above the threshold, Basementgrid sends it to the council members for authorisation. The work order is only issued once the minimum number of approvals is met. The BM doesn’t forward anything or write a summary. The moment the council approves, the vendor gets the work order and can dispatch a technician.
When council members don’t respond
Most delays aren’t rejections. Someone just hasn’t got round to it. So Basementgrid follows up for you:
- After 24 hours, it reminds the council members who haven’t approved.
- After 48 hours, it reminds them again.
- After 72 hours, it escalates to the BM.
When the council says no
The BM is told immediately. From there he has three options: ask the same vendor for a new quote, switch to another vendor, or enter the price himself and issue the work order. Nothing waits on a reply, and the activity log shows exactly where the job is stalled and with whom.
After the approval: the rest of the job stays in the same work order
Once the work order is issued, the vendor’s technician clocks in at the site, does the job and submits proof of work, including photos taken on the spot. The BM reviews it, and the vendor submits the invoice against the same work order. The approvers then pay using the PayNow QR code, which carries the invoice amount and the vendor’s UEN, and the payment is marked as paid. Nobody scans a job sheet or forwards a pile of documents to the accountant, because the quotation, approvals, proof of work and invoice are already in one place with their timestamps.
Old way vs Basementgrid
- The quote: It used to sit in an email or WhatsApp chat. Now the vendor enters the amount in the work order.
- The background: The BM used to write the story behind the quote himself. Now the work order carries it, so there’s nothing to write up.
- Approval: The BM used to forward the quote and chase council members one by one. Now Basementgrid sends it, reminds them at 24 and 48 hours, and escalates to the BM at 72 hours.
- Records: There used to be a pile of scans, screenshots and forwarded emails. Now the quotation, approvals, proof of work and invoice sit in one work order with timestamps.
- When it stalls: Nobody could say where it was stuck. Now the activity log shows exactly where.
What’s next: creating a work order from a photo
We’re not stopping at quotations. The next version uses AI to make creating a work order much faster.
The BM takes a photo of the fault. The AI looks at it and suggests the title, the location and the asset for the work order. The BM checks the suggestions, fixes anything that’s off, and confirms. The work order is created and assigned to the vendor linked to that asset.
Today, creating a work order means typing a title, picking a location, finding the asset and choosing a vendor. For a BM walking the estate with a dozen things to log, that adds up. With the photo, most of the form is filled in before he starts typing. The BM still has the final say, because every suggestion can be edited before the work order is issued.
Update to v2.5
Submit Quotation only works if the people on both sides of the quote are on the latest version. Building managers, council members and approvers, please update your app. Vendors, please update too, so you can submit your next quote directly in the work order.
You can update from the App Store or Google Play, or get the app here: https://bgr.one/bxK80umibBb
Fix the process, not the people.
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