If you are using the e-billing features of Collaborati Spend Management (CSM), you can send budget requests to vendors for approval. Each combination of vendor and project (a Matter or Dispute) uses one budget request. The cost estimates for an approved budget post to the appropriate Account records for that project.

After a vendor receives a budget request and enters their cost estimates, they submit the request back to you, the client. When CSM receives the budget request, it can go through an approval workflow, much like invoice approvals do. Instructions for handling workflow are found in Workflow.

Depending on your CSM configuration, TeamConnect can automatically generate and send budget requests to vendors when activating the accounts for a matter. See the CSM Administration Guide for this configuration process.

You create budget requests manually or you receive them from Collaborati. If you receive them from Collaborati, see Budget Requests Created by Vendors for more information. If you create budget requests manually, refer to the following flowchart. Click areas of this flowchart for more information.

You can access budget requests from several locations in TeamConnect:

•CSM Settings

•A portal pane in your home page

•A Matter or project record

•A Vendor record

•Pending approvals

•Budgets Requests link under Finance