Question:
What is the checkbox that appears next to Original Amount on Commitment Items used for? It seems to be checked by default. Can I make it unchecked by default?
Answer:
That checkbox is the Item Cap checkbox. When it is checked on a Commitment Item (which is the distributed default), Pay Requests that include that Item cannot be approved if the amount requested for that Item will exceed 100% of the Commitment amount. In V2020+, you can change the default for the Item Cap through the DocItemConfig | DefaultFieldList rule.
The Item Cap
The Item Cap checkbox for each Item is found if you expand the Item. If your intention is to cap payments to the Commitment amount, and your site is using the system default of ON, then you do not need to touch this checkbox on any Item.
Item Cap checked ON:
When the Item Cap is checked (ON) and the Pay Request exceeds 100% of the Commitment amount on an Item, Spitfire will either display the following message (prior to V2020) or display a red asterisk (V2020+) so that you may realize that you need to the change the amount to not exceed 100%. Otherwise, the Pay Request will not allow approval.
Current Request Amount + Approved Request Amount should not exceed Subcontract Amount.
To uncap the Item:
If you wish to uncap an Item when you get the Pay Request message or asterisk, you need to
- Remove that Item from the Pay Request.
- Open the corresponding Commitment and expand that Item.
- Uncheck the Item Cap checkbox and save.
- Go back to the Pay Request and add in the Item again. You will then be able to exceed 100%
Item Cap unchecked OFF:
When the Item Cap is not checked (OFF), Spitfire will allow the corresponding Item on the Pay Request to exceed 100%, but will still display a warning message (some amounts exceed the contracted amount) when the document is save. This is an informational message only; the Pay Request will allow approval.
To default the Item Cap on Commitment Items to OFF (unchecked):
If you usually want to allow Pay Requests to exceed 100% of the Commitment amounts, you can use the DocItemConfig | DefaultFieldList rule, as such:
To set a soft cap on Commitment Items:
It is possible to cap the Item amount but allow some wiggle room. You can specify the dollar amount a capped Commitment Item could exceed the committed amount through the BudgetConfig | SoftLineCap rule. (Note that if your site is integrated with an accounting system, you should consult Spitfire Support before setting up this rule.) An example of the rule to allow $200 over the committed amount is:
