Purpose
Have you just accepted work with a company that uses Aspire Software and the subcontractor portal? Let's get you and your team up and running in the subcontractor portal. Read below to get started!
Table of Contents
Training Video: Overview of Functionality
👀 Watch the training video and read the below article for more information on how to use your Subcontractor Portal!
Sections
Device Authorization
The first time that you, as a subcontractor, will log into Aspire, the contractor must authorize your device.
First, the contractor will provide you with the following information to authorize your device:
Username (email address)
Password
Company Code
The contractor may also provide a PIN for easier access in the future.
Once you have received this information, you will request device authorization by going to https://app.youraspire.com to display the Login screen as shown below.
Next, you'll enter the following information into the Login screen given by the contractor:
Once you have entered this information, and press the yellow arrow icon, Aspire will display the following screen:
At this point, communicate with the contractor that's you've request your device to be authorized.
A system administrator will authorize your login credentials and device. Once this is done, if you are on the same web screen, click the Refresh button to display the below screen:
Logging into the Subcontractor Portal
You can enter into the Subcontractor Portal by entering your PIN and clicking the yellow arrow icon shown above.
If you wish to log in using your email address and password, you can click the button labeled Click here to enter their email address and password to identify yourself on this device.
The login screen will be displayed as shown here:
Using The Subcontractor Portal
The Subcontractor Portal screen can represent three levels of entries and hierarchy:
(1) Routes that the subcontractor services
(2) Work ticket visits scheduled for the subcontractor under the routes
(3) Time or materials that the subcontractor has provided on the route
The image below shows the Subcontractor Portal screen for someone having three routes set up in Aspire:
Emanuel Plower Isaac – Columbia
Emanuel Plower Eliz – Columbia
Emanuel’s Shovelers – Columbia
Only the first two levels are depicted in the screen. This is what it will look like if four visits were scheduled for the your routes by the contracting company.
Visits are shown on the route if they have been scheduled on the Schedule Board. Additionally, if the Enable Tickets to Be Created from the Sub Portal option is enabled by your contractor, you can add additional visits for services you are set up to perform as described below.
A Partial Occurrence icon may be displayed next to services to be invoiced “Per Service” that allows you to indicate what percent of effort was required to complete the work.
Levels within the hierarchy may be collapsed or expanded by clicking the small triangle (a) to the left of each route or work ticket/visit or in the header.
The Export to Excel (b) in the footer exports the full content of the displayed day to an Excel spreadsheet.
Adding Visits to a Route
If the Enable Tickets to be Created from the Sub Portal option is enabled for the system, then the Add Visit icon (c) will be available to the left of the routes.
If you click the Add Visit icon (c), Aspire adds a line item underneath that route allowing you to add a service performed by that crew.
The line item provides a drop-down listing of opportunity services by property that you may perform.
The text of each combo-box option (e) consists of the property name followed by the opportunity service display name.
📌 Note: If the Enable Tickets to be Created from the Sub Portal option is disabled, then the Add Visit icon will be disabled for you.
Adding Time or Materials
When you click the Add Time or Material icon (d) that's left of a displayed work ticket visit, a line item will be added underneath that work ticket visit. This will allow you to add either crew member time or T&M materials applied for that visit.
The line-item provides a drop-down list containing options including…
Subcontractor Crew Members (f) – All contacts in the system that are tied to your company by the contractor that have no time on the selected work ticket during the specified day.
Material Items (g) – Any item identified by the contractor as a valid Subcontractor Expense for the selected service.
Adding Time
When a crew member (a) has been added to a visit, you can specify the time that the crew member spent. You can do so by changing the Start and End times, in which case Aspire will calculate the hours. Otherwise, you can disregard the Start and End times to directly type in the hours.
Once you have entered the proper hours for the crew member, they can accept the value by clicking the Accept icon (b) next to the entry.
⚠️ You must accept the time before logging out or the time will be lost.
If you accidentally add a crew member, you can immediately remove them by clicking the Delete Time icon ⛔ next to the entry.
Multiple added material items and time entries can be accepted or deleted at the same time by clicking the Accept/Delete icons at the header level, the route level, or the visit level.
The Start Time and End Time fields allow you to specify the date. This is intended to be used to enter time that spans two different days.
⚠️ If you set the date in this field to a date for which the contractor has closed the books, the Subcontractor Portal will not allow the you to save time.
When you have accepted the time, Time Entry becomes available to the contractor in Aspire.
Adding Materials
When an item (a) has been added to a visit, you can enter a number in the Quantity field.
Once you have entered the proper quantity, they can accept the value by clicking the Accept icon (b) next to the entry.
⚠️ You must accept the quantity before you log out or the value will be lost.
If you add an item accidentally, you can immediately remove it by clicking the Delete Time icon ⛔ next to the entry. Multiple added items and time entries can be accepted or deleted at the same time by clicking the Accept/Delete icon at the header level (not shown), the route level (c), or the visit level (d).
When Contractor Rejects Time and Materials
Once time and materials have been submitted to the contractor via the Subcontractor Portal, the contractor will review the entries, and accept or reject them.
If the contractor rejects the entries:
A Subcontractor Portal Notes icon (a) will be displayed next to the appropriate routes. Clicking this icon displays all notes (b) that have been included with denials for that route on the specified day (c) as depicted below.
You will be able to make corrections and resubmit.
3. The contractor may set up Aspire so that you will receive an email notifying you of any rejections as shown below.
Using Partial Occurrence for the Per Service Invoice Type
When you have logged into the Subcontractor Portal and a work ticket is displayed whose services have the Per Service invoice type, Aspire displays the Partial Occurrence icon (%) (b).
Clicking this icon displays the Partial Occurrence screen allowing you to specify the percent of actual work expected for the service as shown below. This value is made available to office staff to provide guidance when setting a partial occurrence value for the work ticket.
Logging Out of the Subcontractor Portal
To log out of the Subcontractor Portal, click the Logout icon (a) in the lower right-hand corner.
If you have added time or material lines for which the values have not yet been accepted, Aspire displays a warning message with three options:
Clicking Yes (green checkmark) will submit all time and materials for that day.
Clicking No (red X) will continue without submitting all time and materials for that day.
Clicking Cancel (black X) will return you to the Subcontractor Portal screen
