SM uses rate templates to determine the labor, material, equipment, and non-material purchase rates used when capturing work completed on work orders (in SM Work Orders).

You can assign a rate template to a service site and the system will default that rate template each time you create a work order for the service site. If you do not assign a rate template to the service site, work orders will default the rate template as follows:

• For customer work orders, the system defaults the rate template specified for the customer in SM Customers. If no rate template is specified in SM Customers, no rate template defaults and you must assign a rate template before you can enter work completed lines.

• For job work orders, the system defaults the rate template as blank and you must assign a rate template before you can enter work completed lines.

If you charge the service site different rates for labor, equipment, materials, and non-material purchases based on specific criteria, you can set up override rates using the SM Rate Override Base form (accessed by clicking the Override Rates button). Override rates will only be applied if the criteria defined for an override rate matches the information entered on a work completed line in SM Work Orders. If no match is found, the system will use the rate template assigned to the service site to determine the rates to use.

For more information about setting up override material rates, see Material Rate Overrides.