Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes
Sections in this article:
- Definitions
- The Spend Dashboard
- Vendor Spend Summaries
- Contract Encumbrances Report
- Additional Reading
Note: To get started with the set up of the Spend module, see the Spend Module Configuration Guide.
Definitions
The following sections outline the key definitions for spend data.
Core Spend Fields
Core Spend fields are the metadata values you can populate to capture key information about your expenditure. These are prebuilt, and cannot be removed from the system. Fields marked with an asterisk* are mandatory for the spend record to be successfully created.
| Field Name | Data Validation | Additional Information |
| Vendor* | Name of the associated vendor | Must match an existing vendor record. |
| Date* | dd/mm/yyyy | Date that the payment/expense was made |
| Currency* | 3-letter currency code | Must already be configured in your tenant |
| Amount* | Decimal value | |
| Contract | Contract name | Must match an existing contract record that is linked to the vendor. If Reconciliation is enabled, Spend will be automatically linked to contracts for vendors with only one active contract. |
| Indirect Vendor | Name of vendor | Used to associate the indirect service provider (e.g. if your main vendor is a reseller, for example if buying laptops from an office-supply vendor, you could list Apple as the Indirect Vendor since they are ultimately providing the goods, but you are not directly paying them). |
| External ID | Text limited to 200 characters | |
| Account Code | Text limited to 200 characters | |
| Description | Text limited to 20,000 characters |
Spend Summary Fields
Spend summary fields are automatically calculated to provide quick insights into your expenditure. These are displayed in the vendor record and can be added as columns in the vendor list view.
Note: All calculations (except All Time Spend) will not include spend records dated in the future.
| Field | Details |
| Forecast: Contract Annual Value |
Forecast/Expected expenditure with the vendor for the current annual period. This is calculated from the sum of the Annual Values from all Pipeline/Live Contracts linked to the vendor. |
| Annual Direct Spend: All Entries |
Calculated from the sum of all spend entries in current period. |
| Annual Direct Spend allocated to Contracts | Calculated from the sum of all spend entries in the current period which have also been linked to a Live contract record. |
| Direct Spend |
Expenditure in the current annual Spend Period. This is calculated from the sum of all direct spend for the current vendor in the current annual spend reporting period. |
| Annual Direct Spend All Entries less Forecast |
Remaining expected budget for the current annual period. This is calculated from the sum of all Direct Spend from the current reporting period minus the sum of the Annual Values from all live contracts (i.e. Forecast: Contract Annual Value). |
| Indirect Spend |
Spend paid to another vendor where the current vendor is involved in delivering the goods or services. This is calculated from the sum of all spend entries within the current spend period, where the current vendor is listed as the Indirect Vendor. |
| Annual Direct Spend allocated to Contracts less Forecast |
Estimated remaining budget for contracted spend. This is calculated from the sum of *all Spend entries in the current period which have also been linked to a Live contract record, minus the sum of the Annual Values from all Pipeline/Live Contracts (i.e. Forecast: Contract Annual Value). |
| All Time Spend | Sum of all Spend entries, regardless of linked-Contract status, Spend Period, past or future date, Direct or Indirect |
*Spend Linked to Pipeline/Archived contracts will be excluded from all these Calculations.
The Spend Dashboard
The Spend Dashboard provides summaries and insights about the spend records across all vendors in Gatekeeper. Any user with the All permission can view this dashboard.
Dashboard Summaries
This table outlines the summary values presented at the top of the dashboard.
| Summary Title | Details |
| Forecast Spend | Sum of Annual Value for all live contracts. |
| Actual Spend | Sum of all spend records (in the current Annual Reporting period). |
| Direct Spend | Sum of all spend records, only counting for the Direct Vendor. |
| Indirect Spend | Sum of all spend records for vendors who are listed as the Indirect Vendor. |
| Vendor Overspend | Number of vendors where spend has surpassed the sum of their Contract Annual Values. |
| Contract Overspend | Number of contracts where spend has surpassed the Annual Value. |
Dashboard Graphs
This table outlines the graphs on the dashboard.
| Graph Title | Definition / Details |
| Spend by Vendor | A list of (up to) 12 of the top vendors by contract Annual Value. |
| Spend by Vendor Type | A comparison of all spend, using surface area to represent the percentage spent across vendor types. |
| Actual vs Forecast |
A gauge that acts as a visual indicator of how much budget remains by comparing what you’ve spent so far with your forecasted spend. |
| Direct vs Indirect | A comparison of how much is being spent directly with service providers vs with resellers. |
| Spend Under Contract | A comparison of how much spend has been allocated to a contract vs how much is only connected to a vendor record. |
Vendor Spend Summaries
Vendor Data Tab Summary
After you add spend records to a vendor, the Data tab will display related insights and calculations for the spend data.
See Spend Summary Fields Definitions for more information on these calculations.
Vendor Spend Tab
The Spend tab on a vendor's record lists all spend records linked to that vendor. From here, administrators can manually add or update a vendor's spend records.
Note: Spend records will not show in the tab of the Indirect Vendor.
Repository List Columns
In the vendor repository, some of the calculations and summaries can be added as columns in the list view. You can enable them then save this as a new Saved View:
To learn more about creating a saved view, see 📖 Configuring Contract and Vendor views.
Contract Encumbrances Report
The Contract Encumbrances report provides a view of all contract-linked spend for various date periods, so you can review and export information around forecast and actual expenditure.
To view this, click Reports from the navigation menu, then click Contract Encumbrances.
Additional Reading 📚
📖 Add Spend Data - Discover how to create spend records manually or via bulk update.
📖 Spend Module Configuration Guide - Learn how to configure and customise the Spend module to get insights into to your vendor expenditure.
📖 NetSuite Integration Guide - Learn how to configure the SuiteApp - our native integration with NetSuite which can be used to create spend records in Gatekeeper from paid Bills/POs.