Overview
The Budget Tool is a standardized spreadsheet that tracks all project revenue and expenses. Every project must use the standard template — no custom formats.
Budget Structure
The budget tool contains the following key tabs:
- Summary Tab: High-level overview of revenue, OOP spend, services, and margin
- OOP (Out of Pocket) Tabs: Detailed line items for all vendor/production costs, organized by category
- Services Tab: Internal team hours and rates
- Forecasting Tab: Revenue and expense projections
- Payment Tabs: AP tracking, invoice status, and payment history
- Project Data Tab: Project codes, vendor info, and reference data
Margin KPIs
- Production Margin Target: 25% on OOP spend
- Services Margin Target: 60-70% on services revenue
- Blended Margin: Varies by project size and complexity
Budget Update Rules
- Budget updates must be submitted to Finance for review before client submission
- All changes over $5K require Head of Production approval
- Client-facing budget versions must be approved by Account Lead and Finance
- Internal budget must be updated within 48 hours of any approved change
- Payment tabs must be kept current — this is the source of truth for AP
Tab Ownership
- OOP Tabs: Lead Producer owns and updates
- Services Tab: BDPM/Account Lead owns during pitch; transitions to Lead Producer post-award
- Payment Tabs: Lead Producer updates; Finance validates
- Summary Tab: Auto-calculated — do not manually edit formulas