Custody plans are specified using the “Custody Plans” sheet.

Machine Records in the Equipment List are automatically synchronized with the Custody Plans sheet; i.e., Machine Records added or deleted from the Equipment List are automatically added to or deleted from to the Custody Plans sheet.

Purpose #

The Custody Plans sheet is used to specify the nature of the custody planned for each Machine Record in the Equipment List in terms of its custody type, custody period, and forecast employment for the Rate Period.

A Machine Record’s custody type is established by selecting one of three options: rented, leased, or owned. Custody type election determines how the cost of that Machine Record’s employment is calculated. Each custody type is linked to a set of CBS Component Cost Applicability rules specified in the Estimate Setup sheet. The calculated cost of any CBS component with a setting of “no” (cost is not applicable) is excluded when that Machine Record’s total cost is calculated.

A Machine Records’ custody period is established by specifying a start date and end date. Any start date after 1/1/1900 is valid. Any end date later than the start date is valid.

Forecast employment for the Rate Period (FERP) drives all cost and resource requirement calculations.

FERP has no effect on cost calculations UNLESS the custody period of the subject Machine Record OVERLAPS THE RATE PERIOD . FERP specified for months in the calendar ribbon that are not in the Custody Period are simply disregarded.

For example, for a 1-year duration estimate, if FERP is specified for the 12 months in the Rate Period, plus the 24 “extra” months in the system’s 36-month calendar ribbon, the FERP for the extra 24 months has no effect on the subject machine’s cost in the active estimate.

FERP can be specified using two methods. Both methods can be valued. One method must be elected as the basis of cost calculations. The elected method can be changed at any time.

• Specify Month Quantity
  • Forecast Employment for the Rate Period is specified by the month. This method enables more precise modeling of the Rate Period’s monetary costs and resource requirements. For example, if for a one-year rate period, you expect to employ a machine in the May through October period you can specify a unique value for each of the six months.

• Specify Lump Sum
  • Forecast Employment for the Rate Period is specified for the entire Custody Period as one lump sum. That quantity is automatically distributed or “spread” evenly by work day to each month in the Rate Period. This method takes less time to value but results in less accurate modeling of monetary cost and resource requirements for the Rate Period. For example, if for a one-year rate period, you specify a lump sum employment quantity of 1,200 hours, monthly employment is calculated to be 100 hours.

Tips #

• Because employment specified for those months in the Rate Period that the subject machine is not in custody is disregarded in cost calculations, it is best to specify employment for ALL months in the calendar ribbon, including all “extra” months. This way, if the Rate Period is changed and it overlaps the “extra” months in the calendar ribbon, the cost of the subject machine record can be automatically calculated. This is especially useful for updating charge rates on a rolloing 12 month basis.

• If multiple Machine Records are set up in the Equipment List for the same machine to model different employment cases, and if you want to forecast resource requirements like gallons of fuel and hours of maintenance and service labor for the fleet in the active estimate, then monthly employment forecasts for the duplicated machine records must not overlap. If they do, then the quantity of forecast resource requirements will be overstated because every hour of overlapped (duplicated) employment will drive false resource requirements.