The purpose of this guide is to provide instruction for configuring and using the Freight Management features.
Freight Management Terms & Definitions
Term | Definition |
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Delivered Freight Types | |
Freight Purchase Order | |
Freight Purchase Order Line Item | |
Freight Variance GL Account | |
Shipment | |
Source Transaction | A Source Transaction identifies the transaction that originated the Freight Purchase Order. This will either be the Sales Order, Sales Return, or Inventory Transfer transaction. |
Freight Management FAQ's
FAQ | Answer |
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What are all the transactions involved with Freight Management? | To fully use the Freight Management features within NorthScope, the following transactions are used: - Sales Order, Sales Return, and/or Inventory Transfer: To record the expected freight amount. Expected Freight amounts are recorded on one or more Freight Legs, on the Shipment page of these transactions.
- Purchase Order: To create the object to match expected/accrued freight amounts to the actual paid freight amounts.
- AP Invoice: To record the payment of the actual freight bills and post any freight variance amounts to the General Ledger.
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What transactions are used to auto create freight Purchase Orders? | Freight Purchase Orders can be auto generated against the following transactions: - Sales Orders
- Sales Returns
- Inventory Transfers
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What conditions must all exist for a Freight PO to be created? | |
Where are expected freight amounts entered? | Expected freight amounts are entered on the Shipment page of a Sales Order, Sales Return, or Inventory Transfer. Amounts can be entered for each Delivered Freight - Freight Type for each Freight Leg of the Shipment. |
How are Freight Purchase Orders created? | Freight Purchase Orders are auto-created when a Sales Order, Sales Return, or Inventory Transfer transaction that is configured to create a Freight Purchase Order, with a Freight leg on a Shipment that contains an estimated freight amount for a Carrier that is also configured to create a Freight Purchase Order, is posted. |
Can Freight Purchase Orders be edited? | Some header fields of a Freight Purchase Order can be edited but only the Ln., Line Description, and Line Comment fields can be edited for a Freight Purchase Order Line Item. Freight Purchase Orders cannot be deleted, they can only be closed. Freight Purchase Order Line Items cannot be removed but new purchase order lines can be added. However, manually entered lines will not impact the Freight Variance amount that is computed when the AP Invoice is posted. |
What happens when an A/P invoice for a "freight" bill is posted? | When an A/P Invoice, entered against a Freight Purchase Order, is posted the following things occur: - Any variance between the AP Invoice amount and the Freight Purchase Order amount (the amount of the accrued freight from the source transaction) is offset to the 'Freight Variance GL Account' assigned to the Transaction Class.
- The Status of the Freight Purchase Order is changed to "Closed"
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What happens if a Freight Purchase Order is manually Closed? |
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How do users fix mistakes? | - A source transaction is posted with an incorrect freight accrual (e.g., it should have been $100.00 but was posted for $100,000). The mistake was caught before the AP Invoice was entered/posted
- Do nothing because the accrued freight amount will be "trued up" when the AP Invoice is posted.
- Enter an 'Accrue & Reverse' journal entry to correct the mistake. This should be done only if the AP will not happen in the same period as the source transaction and the mistake is of financial significance.
- Do NOT make a 'Manual' Journal Entry to correct the accrued freight account as this would only temporarily correct the balance. When the AP Invoice is posted, the debit to the accrued freight would be based on the original "incorrect" amount, resulting in an incorrect balance in the accrued freight balance. This should only be done if the Freight Purchase Order is also being edited, at the same time, to ensure any freight variance will be based on the new amounts.
- Do NOT edit the Freight Purchase Order as this would only impact the AP Invoice / Freight Variance amounts. This should only be done if a 'Manual' Journal Entry was also made, at the same time, to correct the balance in the accrued freight account(s).
- A freight bill was paid, that should have been linked to a Freight Purchase Order but was not. As a result, the accrued freight account is understated
- Delete (or Close) the Freight Purchase Order
- Make a 'Manual' Journal Entry to reflect what the Freight Variance should have been.
- If the actual invoice had been more than the Freight Purchase Order, then Debit the 'Freight Variance' account(s) and Credit the 'Accrued Freight' account(s) in the amount of the variance.
- If the actual invoice had been less than the Freight Purchase Order, then Debit the 'Accrued Freight' account(s) and Credit the 'Freight Variance' account(s) in the amount of the variance.
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Planning Checklist
This section identifies the areas to consider and configure before assigning costs for the first time.
- Determine how Freight Purchase Orders will be managed going forward.
- Will they be used for all Sales Orders, Sales Returns, and Inventory Transfers or only some?
- Will they be used for all Carriers or only some?
- For the transactions they will be used for, do you have processes in place to ensure no applicable transactions are posted without estimated freight?
- Are there any other transactions that post to a freight accrual account? If so, do you need to setup a new Freight Accrual account(s) to keep the manual entries separate from those linked to a Freight Purchase Order?
- Ensure all applicable “freight” related GL Accounts are created in the General Ledger.
- Sales Freight Expense: One or more accounts to record delivered freight expenses from Sales transactions.
- One "Delivered Freight Expense" account can be used for both Sales and Inventory
- Two "Delivered Freight Expense" accounts can be created to separate Sales and Inventory
- Multi "Delivered Freight Expense" accounts can be created to separate as needed (Fresh vs Frozen or Salmon vs Crab)
- Transfer Freight Expense: One or more accounts to record delivered freight expenses from Sales transactions.
- The same comments from above apply
- Freight Accrual Control Account(s) - Used for delivered freight accruals on transactions that create Freight Purchase Orders. One or more accounts to record delivered freight accruals from posted Sales and Inventory transactions that auto create Freight Purchase Orders. The balance in this account(s) should match the balance of open Freight Purchase Orders.
- This account(s) should have the Control Account Type of "Freight" assigned to signify the details of the account are maintained in a subsidiary ledger.
- One "Freight Accrual" liability account can be used for both Sales and Inventory
- Two "Freight Accrual" liability accounts can be created to separate accrued sales freight from accrued transfer freight
- Freight Accrual non Control Accounts - Used for delivered freight accruals on transactions that DO NOT create Freight Purchase Orders. One or more accounts to record delivered freight accruals from other transactions (e.g., manual journal entries, manual AP invoices) .
- This account(s) should NOT have the Control Account Type assigned, as the balance will not tie out to a subsidiary ledger.
- Freight Variance: One or more accounts to post freight variances to.
- This account(s) should be included in the Cost of Goods section of the Income Statement.
- This account will be Debited anytime the paid invoice exceeds the accrued freight amount
- This account will be Credited anytime the paid invoice is less than the accrued amount
- One "Freight Variance" account can be used for both Sales and Inventory
- Two "Freight Variance" accounts can be created to separate freight variance between Sales and Inventory
- Assign the Freight Accounts to each 'Inventory' Item on the GL Accounts tab of the Item Record View.
- Sales Freight Expense (Debit):
- Sales Freight Accrual (Credit):
- This should be the non Control Account for freight that is used to record 'accrued freight' on Sales Order Shipments that DO NOT auto-create Freight Purchase Orders. The account used for Freight Purchase Orders is set on the Sales Transaction Class.
- Transfer Freight Expense (Debit):
- Transfer Freight Accrual (Credit):
- This should be the non Control Account for freight to record 'accrued freight' on Transfer Shipments that DO NOT auto-create Freight Purchase Orders. The account used for Freight Purchase Orders is set on the Transfer Transaction Class.
- Ensure all applicable non-inventory "Freight” related Item Codes are created in the Item Master.
- When Freight Purchase Orders are created, line items are added based on which Delivered Freight Rate Types contain expected freight amount(s). Each Delivered Freight Rate Type charge must be mapped to a non-Inventory Item. The same Item can be assigned to each Delivered Freight Rate Type for both Sales and Transfers or they each can have unique item codes assigned.
- Add one or more non-inventory Item Codes to be used for Freight + Surcharge Amounts
- Add one or more non-inventory Item Codes to be used for Handling Amounts
- Add one or more non-inventory Item Codes to be used for Other Charge Amounts
- Ensure there is a Purchase Order Class configured for Freight Purchase Orders.
- It is recommended, but not required, to use a distinct Purchase Order Class for Freight Purchase Orders. Purchasing → Configuration → Transaction Class
- Sales Order & Sales Return Transaction Classes. Configure the 'Freight Matching' section on the Transaction Class Record View for each Sales Order and Sales Return Transaction Class you will be managing with Freight Purchase Orders. Sales → Configuration → Transaction Class
- Auto-Create Purchase Orders for Delivered Freight: Set to "No" until you are ready for the cutover but configure the remaining items now for the Transaction Class(es) that will participate in Freight Purchase Orders.
- Sales Freight Accrual GL Account: Assign the Freight Accrual Control Account that will be used for automated Freight Purchase Orders.
- Freight Variance GL Account: Assign the GL Account that will be used to manage variances between expected and actual freight amounts.
- Purchase Order Class: Assign the Purchase Order Class used for Freight Purchase Orders
- Purchase Order Item ID for Freight + Surcharge Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Purchase Order Item ID for Handling Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Purchase Order Item ID for Other Charge Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Inventory Transfer Transaction Classes. Configure the 'Freight Matching' section on the Transaction Class Record View for each Transfer Transaction Class you will be managing with Freight Purchase Orders. Inventory → Configuration → Transaction Class
- Auto-Create Purchase Orders for Delivered Freight: Set to "No" until you are ready for the cutover but configure the remaining items now for the Transfer Class(es) that will participate in Freight Purchase Orders.
- Transfer Freight Accrual GL Account: Assign the Freight Accrual Control Account that will be used for automated Freight Purchase Orders.
- Freight Variance GL Account: Assign the GL Account that will be used to manage variances between expected and actual freight amounts.
- Purchase Order Class: Assign the Purchase Order Class used for Freight Purchase Orders
- Purchase Order Item ID for Freight + Surcharge Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Purchase Order Item ID for Handling Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Purchase Order Item ID for Other Charge Amounts: Assign the Item ID to be used
- Carriers. Configure the 'Freight Matching' properties for the Carrier(s) that participate in Freight Purchase Orders. Sales or Inventory → Setup → Carriers
- AP Vendor Name: Assigns the Vendor to be used on the associated Purchase Order record.
- Enable for Sales Freight Purchase Orders: Set to "Yes" to make the Carrier eligible for participation in Freight Purchase Orders for Sales Orders and Returns
- Enable for Transfer Freight Purchase Orders: Set to "Yes" to make the Carrier eligible for participation in Freight Purchase Orders for Transfers
Cutover Plan
This section identifies the steps necessary to begin using the Freight Management features once all the items in the Planning Checklist have been completed
- Ensure the Freight Accrual Control Account(s) have no balance.
- Set the "Auto-Create Purchase Orders for Delivered Freight" Property to "Yes" for all the Sales, Returns, and Transfers that will auto create Freight Purchase Orders
Ongoing Freight Management (after the cutover)
These steps should be followed prior to closing each Fiscal Period or as needed
- Ensure the total balance in the accrued freight Control Accounts matches the total value of the open Freight Purchase Orders ← We do not have an easy way (report) to do this
- Balance in the freight Control Account(s) as of a Period End
- Balance in open Freight Purchase Orders
- 'AP Amt. Remaining' column in the Purchase Order Line List View, when the Purchase Order Line List View is filtered to only include freight purchase order lines with a Purchase Order Date <= period end date.
- Getting this out of the Purchase Order Line List View may be a challenge. Users will need to add the new "Source Transaction" and then open the Column Filter Tool for that column and set it to either "Is not null", "Is not empty", or "Has value"
- This is where a new Freight Control Account Subledger inquiry or report should be added
Auto-Creating Freight Purchase Orders
This section provides details on how Purchase Orders are auto-created from the Freight Management feature. Freight Purchase Orders can be created from:
Purchase Orders that are automatically created when posting Sales and/or Inventory transactions containing delivered freight (Freight PO's), and their associated line items, have different edit rules from manually created Purchase Orders and/or manually added line items. This section identifies the values, where they came from and the edit rules for each field of an "Open" Freight Purchase Order.
Click here to see help on Manually created Purchase Orders.
Header Toolbar
The Toolbar Icons shown have different functionality for Freight Purchase Orders vs. manually entered Purchase Orders. The functionality of the toolbar Icons not specified in this section work the same across all Purchase Order types.
Icon | New behavior |
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Delete | Freight Purchase Orders cannot be deleted. If a Freight Purchase Order is no longer needed the Status must be set to "Closed". If a user attempts to delete a Freight Purchase Order, the message "[PO#] is a Freight Purchase Order and therefore cannot be deleted. Freight Purchase Orders can only be closed." will appear. |
Mass Update | If a Freight Purchase Order is manually closed, a journal entry will be auto created to Debit the freight liability account and Credit the Freight Variance account. This ensures the Accrued Freight Control Totals remain in balance. This feature is not yet complete. |
More Actions | Selecting the option 'RV: Source Transaction' opens the record view for the Sales Order, Return, or Transfer transaction that created the Purchase Order. This is only applicable to Freight Purchase Orders as manual Purchase Orders do not have a source transaction. |
Home Tab
The title row for a Freight Purchase Order is constructed differently. It is Formatted as:
PO #: [PO #] Created from [SourceTransactionType]: [SourceTransactionID] Shipped from: [Load Header Site Name]
Field | Default Value / Source | Edit Allowed |
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Purchase Order Class | Source transactions 'Purchase Order Class' | No |
PO # | Source transaction's Transaction ID If more than one PO is generated from the same transaction, each subsequent PO is created as the Source transaction's Transaction ID - Leg #. | Yes, but since this defaulted from the Source Transaction's ID, users should be careful when changing. |
Ordered (date) | Based on the Transaction Type of the Source Transaction - Sales Order - 'Actual Ship' date
- Return - 'Actual Ship' date
- Transfer - 'Transferred On' date
| Yes, but since this defaulted from the Source Transaction's Date, users should be careful when changing. |
Requisition # | Blank | Yes |
Vendor Name | Vendor assigned to the Carrier that is assigned to the source transaction's shipment. | Yes, but since this defaulted from the Source Transaction's Carrier, users should be careful when changing. |
Site Name | Assigned as Blank, even if there is a 'Default PO Site' on the Purchase Order Class. This is because the intent of this field is to identify the Site where product will be received, not where it was shipped from. | Yes, but it will have no impact on the Purchase Order or AP Invoice. |
PO Type | Assigned as 'Single Invoice and Receipt', even if the 'Default PO Type' is set to "Multiple Invoices & Receipts" on the Purchase Order Class. | No, 'Single Invoice and Receipt' is the only supported option for Freight Purchase Orders |
Comment | Based on the Transaction Type of the Source Transaction - Sales Order & Return - this will be set to the Customer Name
- Transfer - this will be set to "From [Sending Site ID] to [Receiving Site ID]"
| Yes |
Ship Via | Blank | Yes |
Buyer | Blank | Yes |
Status | Defaults from the 'First Status POs can be Received or Invoiced' property value assigned on the Purchase Order Class. | Yes |
Properties Tab
Field | Value | Edit Allowed |
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Group: 1 |
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Purchase Contact Name | Blank | Yes |
Ship Attention To | Blank | Yes |
Reference | Blank Shipment # - for Freight PO's created from Sales Order Shipments. | Yes |
Receive By | Blank | Yes |
Expire By | Ordered (date) + 1 Year | Yes |
Group: 2 |
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Payment Terms | From the 'Payment Terms' assigned to the Vendor. | Yes |
Discount Percent | From the 'Discount Percent' assigned to the Payment Term. | Yes |
Discount Days | From the 'Discount Days' assigned to the Payment Term. | Yes |
Due Days | From the 'Due Days' assigned to the Payment Term. | Yes |
Attributes Tab
Attribute Values are not auto assigned on Freight Purchase Orders.
Item Grid: Toolbar
The Toolbar Icons shown below have different functionality for Freight Purchase Orders. Toolbar Icons not specified in this section maintain the default behavior.
Icon | New behavior |
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Remove Items | Only line items that were manually added to a Freight Purchase Order can be removed, line items that were auto-added to a Freight Purchase Order cannot. If a line item that was auto added Freight Purchase Order is marked for deletion, the message: “Only lines with a Line Source of Manual can be removed. " will appear. |
Item Grid: Columns
Field | Default Value / Source | Edit Allowed |
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Ln | Defaults based on the Line Type, in the following sequence: 10. Freight + Surcharge - 20. Handling
- 30. Other Charge
| Yes, for all PO Lines. |
Item Type | Identifies the 'Item Type' assigned to the Item ID. | Never |
Item ID | Based on the values specified on the Source transactions 'Purchase Order Class' for: - Purchase Order Item ID for Freight + Surcharge Amounts
- Purchase Order Item ID for Handling Amounts
- Purchase Order Item ID for Other Charge Amounts
| Not for auto-added/linked freight Purchase Order lines. |
Item Description | Identifies the 'Item Description' assigned to the Item ID | Never |
Line Description | The Line Description defaults based on the Shipment's Delivered - Freight Type: - Freight + Surcharge Amt.: Freight + Surcharge
- Handling: Handling
- Other Charges: Other Charge
| Yes. The line item will still be linked to the Delivered Freight Type |
Line Comment | Blank | Yes, for all PO Lines. |
Line Source | Identifies how the line items were added to the transaction. The options include: - Manual: it was manually added by a user
- Freight: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated freight charge
- Freight-Handling: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated Handling charge
- Freight-Other: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated Other freight charge
| Never |
Qty Ordered | Defaults to "1' for each Delivered - Freight Type line item. | Not for auto-added/linked freight Purchase Order lines. |
UOM | Always default to "Each" | Not for auto-added/linked freight Purchase Order lines. |
Price | Sum of the Freight Type amount. | Not for auto-added/linked freight Purchase Order lines. |
Amt. Ordered | Calculated as [Qty Ordered] * [Price]. | No, this is a calculated field. |
Purchase GL Account | Defaults from the Freight Accrual Account specified on the Source Transaction's Transaction Class | Not for auto-added/linked freight Purchase Order lines. |
Distributed To | Blank | No - because it was auto added from a Shipment Leg |
Line Vendor | Blank | No - because it was auto added from a Shipment Leg. |
Entering AP Invoices linked to a Freight Purchase Order
This section identifies the values, where they came from and the edit rules for every field of an open (unposted) AP Invoice that has been linked to a Freight Purchase Order.
Click here to see help on Manually created Invoices.
Home Tab
Field | Default Value / Source | Edit Allowed |
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Transaction Class | Manually selected by the user. | No |
Trans ID | Auto assigned from the AP Invoice's Transaction Class | No |
Vendor Name | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. Edit is not allowed after the initial Save. | No |
PO # | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. Edit is not allowed after the initial Save. | No |
Reference | Defaults from the value on the source Purchase Order. | Yes |
Doc No | Defaults to blank. This should be set to the Transaction Number specified on the vendor's invoice. This is required to Approve / Post. This may or may not be the same as the PO #. | Yes |
Doc Date | Defaults to blank. This should be set to the Invoice Date specified on the vendor's invoice. This is required to Approve / Post. This may not be in the same GL Period as the source shipment. | Yes |
Comment | Defaults from the Comment on the Purchase Order. If the Source Purchase Order was from a: - Sales Order & Return, this will be set to the Customer Name
- Transfer, this will be set to "From [Sending Site ID] to [Receiving Site ID]"
| Yes |
Status | Defaults to "New" | Yes |
Freight PO Amt. | Identifies the accrued freight amount (Freight Purchase Order amount). This label and text box are only visible for Invoices entered against a Freight Purchase Order. | No |
Freight Variance Amt. | Identifies the variance between the accrued freight amount (Freight Purchase Order amount) and the actual amount (AP Invoice amount). This label and text box are only visible for Invoices entered against a Freight Purchase Order. | No |
Properties Tab
Field | Default Value / Source | Edit Allowed |
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GL Date | Defaults to blank. If blank on Approve and/or Post this will be set to match the Doc Date. | Yes |
Doc Date | Shows the value from the 'Doc Date' on the Home tab. | No, not from here. Only editable from the Home tab. |
Payment Terms | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. | Yes |
Discount Percent | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. | Yes |
Discount Days | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. | Yes |
Due Days | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order. | Yes |
Discount Amount | Auto calculated from the 'Doc Date' and the 'Discount Percent'. | No |
Discount Date | Auto calculated from the 'Discount Days'. | No |
Due Date | Auto calculated from the 'Due Days'. Users can override this date and set their own. | Yes |
Pmt./Apply Hold | Defaults to blank but can be set to Yes. | Yes |
Attributes Tab
Attribute Values are not auto assigned on AP Invoices.
Item Grid
This section identifies the line item fields that pertain to, and/or behave differently for, line items associated with a Freight Purchase Order.
Field | Default Value / Source | Edit Allowed |
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Ln. | Defaults based on the Line Type, in the following sequence: 10. Freight + Surcharge - 20. Handling
- 30. Other Charge
| Yes |
Item Type | Identifies the 'Item Type' assigned to the Item ID. | No |
Item ID | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. Based on the values specified on the Source transactions 'Purchase Order Class' for: - Purchase Order Item ID for Freight + Surcharge Amounts
- Purchase Order Item ID for Handling Amounts
- Purchase Order Item ID for Other Charge Amounts
| No |
Item Description | Identifies the 'Item Description' assigned to the Item ID | No |
Line Description | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. The Line Description defaults based on the Shipment's Delivered - Freight Type: - Freight + Surcharge Amt.: Freight + Surcharge
- Handling: Handling
- Other Charges: Other Charge
| Yes |
Line Comment | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. | Yes |
PO Ln. | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. | - If the 'Line Source' = Freight, Freight-Handling, or Freight-Other then No
- If the 'Line Source' = Manual then Yes
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Line Source | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. Identifies how the line items were added to the transaction. The options include:- Manual: it was manually added by a user
- Freight: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated freight charge
- Freight-Handling: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated Handling charge
- Freight-Other: auto added to a Freight Purchase Order to represent an estimated Other freight charge
| No |
Quantity | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. | Yes |
UOM | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. | Yes |
Price | Defaults from the Source Purchase Order Line. If the Price is edited for a line item that was auto-added on a Freight Purchase Order, it will result in a Line Item Variance. | Yes |
Amount | Calculated as [Quantity] * [Price] | No |
Purchase GL Account | Defaults from the Source Transaction's Transaction Class Property, either the 'Sales Freight Accrual GL Account' or 'Transfer Freight Accrual GL Account'. | - If the 'Line Source' = Freight, Freight-Handling, or Freight-Other then No
- If the 'Line Source' = Manual then Yes
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Distributed To | Blank | - If the 'Line Source' = Freight, Freight-Handling, or Freight-Other then No
- If the 'Line Source' = Manual then Yes
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Line Vendor | Blank | - If the 'Line Source' = Freight, Freight-Handling, or Freight-Other then No
- If the 'Line Source' = Manual then Yes
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1099 Type | Defaults from the Vendor | Yes |
1099 Amount | Identifies the amount applicable to the Vendor's 1099 statement amount. This is a numeric text box that is not required and defaults as follows: - If the 1099 Type is set to "No 1099", the 1099 Amount is blank and not editable.
- If the 1099 Type is set to any value other than "No 1099" the 1099 Amount will default to the "Amount" value for the corresponding line item but can be overwritten to a value less than the "Amount" value. If a value is entered that is more than this amount, it will default back to the "Amount" value for the line item. This is always editable even after the transaction is posted.
If the 1099 Type value is updated to "No 1099", the 1099 Amount value will be cleared, and if a 1099 Amount is entered manually by the user when the line item is added, the 1099 Amount will not default from or be updated to the line "Amount". | Yes |