RRB Billing by Activity Type (Consultant Roles) and Quotation Output in Professional Services

[mlasya85]

Hi Experts,

We are in the professional services industry and will use RRB for billing. Our client needs billing summarized by consultant role (Senior, Junior, Project Manager, Analyst, etc.) instead of WBS. I believe this can be done via DIP profile summarization by activity type, but would like confirmation?

Second, they also want the quotation to show a service package (e.g., “Cloud Implementation”) with a breakdown of consultant roles and hours, even though SD usually only has a single service line item. Is this best achieved through a custom output form expanding the DIP profile, or is there another standard approach (like Easy Cost Planning)

Thanks for any advice from those who have handled similar setups!

[mlasya85]

Hi @Ken_michling So just to confirm my understanding — are you saying we would actually need two DIP profiles One DIP profile used at the quotation level, which would summarizes from tasks labor resources, planned hours, and planned costs from Project when I run DP90 and then it can be generated into the quote output form based on SD settings. Then, when the quote is converted to a sales order, it would use essentially the same billing material, but we’d need a second DIP profile assigned at the sales order level, and run DP91 would then control how the customer debit request is generated.

[Ken_Melching · Accepted solution]

When configuring RRB the primary action is to set up the Dynamic Item Processor (DIP), this is the billing engine that is used for quoting and invoicing.

Refer to SAP Note- 301117 - "Enhanced documentation for dynamic item processor (DIP)" which is extremely helpful.

The summarized quote and invoice is all determined by how you set up the DIP.  The summarization you require is standard RRB.

You are correct, during normal invoicing the Sales Order Line Item is a "dummy" line that just contains the DIP Profile.  For Quote creation the DIP is specified on the PS project.

Through the DIP you can set up the creation of a Sales Quotation from the planned quantities and values on the PS Project. 

For either quoting or invoicing the Output Form is determined via standard SD configuration and master data.

[mlasya85 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Ken_michling

So just to confirm my understanding — are you saying we would actually need two DIP profiles

• One DIP profile used at the quotation level, which would summarizes from  tasks labor resources, planned hours, and planned costs from Project when I run DP90 and then it can be generated  into the quote output form based on SD settings.  
• Then, when the quote is converted to a sales order, it would use essentially the same billing material, but we’d need a second DIP profile assigned at the sales order level, and run DP91 would then control how the customer debit request is generated.

[Ken_Melching · Accepted solution]

You don't need 2 DIP Profiles, the same Profile can do both the Quote and the Invoicing. It's in the first step in the configuration. Go to that SAP Note and download the attached PDF, it tells you how to configure the profile.

[mlasya85 · Accepted solution]

I understand that quotation creation in PS can be done via RRB using DP90 with a DIP profile set to ‘quotation creation and sales pricing,’ and later invoicing/debit memo can be handled with a DIP profile for ‘billing and result analysis.’ Just to confirm—this is the right setup if I want PS to generate both quotations and debit memos through RRB, correct?

[Ken_Melching · Accepted solution]

That is correct

[mlasya85 · Accepted solution]

@Ken_michling For a quote with three items in quote & SO—labor, travel, and subcontract—entered as manual conditions: 1. Can RRB generate the quote by activity type (e.g., PJM) and also show travel cost as a text item or based on WBS text? Can RRB summarize these items with two different characteristics in DIP? 2. For planned hours and costs for travel to flow into the quotation when running DP90, should I plan at the WBS level using Cost Element planning or using Internal Activity planning and cost activity for travel?

[Ken_Melching · Accepted solution]

The simplest and most common way to set up the DIP is to primarily use Cost Element and Activity Type as the characteristics to use in Material Determination.  You plan travel costs on a cost element and you plan labor using an activity type, then when you run RRB it creates the quote accordingly.

What do you mean when you say manual conditions?  Conditions don't come until the Sales Document is created.

Have you read through the DIP PDF attachment on the SAP Note?