Time and expenses

Consultants log work dates, hours and billable flags against the relevant client and mandate. They record expenses with category, amount, billable flag and receipt link. Both records have Draft and Submitted statuses, allowing the manager to review the source activity before it informs commercial discussions. Expense categories distinguish travel, meals, lodging, software and other spend.

• Source record. time entries records dated hours by consultant, client and mandate. Expenses records the category, amount, billable flag and receipt URL against a consultant and mandate. Their submitted lists help the manager inspect source activity.
• Named owner. Consultant checks both references before submitting time or expenses. Engagement Manager compares submitted rows with the mandate budget and resolves incorrect links with the consultant.
• Visible outcome. Check the source status and linked evidence before the next person acts.

Agree how consultants choose the correct client and mandate, when time is due, and who checks billable classification. Retain original expense evidence as a linked attachment where appropriate. Use a short pilot period to compare the time and expense rows with the mandate totals before expanding to the full practice.

For example, a consultant spends time on a search and incurs travel costs for a client meeting. The consultant links both records to the same mandate and submits them. The manager compares the hours with the engagement plan and opens the receipt link for the expense. A missing receipt is visible on the submitted expense record; the manager asks the consultant to correct the source before using the expense in a cost review. The mandate totals show logged hours and expense total beside budget hours and fee value.

Compare the client and mandate on a time entry before using its hours in a search review. An expense has a mandate and consultant reference, so the manager should verify those against the receipt. Correct a wrong link on the source row before relying on mandate totals.

The client and mandate references on time entries should agree. A mismatch makes hours appear under the wrong search, even if the consultant and date are correct.

• Time Entries Awaiting Approval — Inspect submitted hours and their client and mandate references.
• Expenses Awaiting Approval — Check submitted costs, categories and receipt links against the search.

See the related process and review the record model.