Agency Delivery Zones/Delivery Fees (v5.0)

Modified on Wed, 20 Sep, 2023 at 9:14 AM

Agency Delivery Zones/Delivery Fees

Purpose of this document

Agency Delivery Zones and Delivery Fees functionality in Ceres provides food banks with the ability to designate Delivery zones and subsequently calculate delivery fees associated with a given Delivery Zone. If an Agency is assigned to a Delivery Zone, Delivery Fees will be calculated and charged to the Agency on Agency Orders. Ceres provides the ability to use flat rates, Delivery Fees per pound of product on the Agency Order, and a Tier structure to assign different rates based on the pounds delivered to the Agency on a given order. Automatic calculation of delivery fees can be configured by selecting this option on the Agency & Receivables Setup page.

Ceres Object release 5.00.00 is required for the functionality described in this document.

Table of Contents

Agency & Receivable Setup
Delivery Zones Setup
Delivery Fees Setup
Synchronizing Delivery Fees with Agency Express

Agency & Receivable Setup

Go to Departments à Agency & Receivables à Setup à Agencies & Receivables Setup.

To setup the parameters for delivery fees, enter the correct values for the following fields:

Delivery Charge Type – choose from G/L Account, Item or Resource
Delivery Charge No. – enter the appropriate value based on the delivery charge type selected.
Delivery Charge Description – Enter the description you wish to appear on Agency Invoices assessed a delivery fee.
Automatic Delivery Charge Calc. – Check this box if you wish to have delivery fees automatically calculated on agency invoices. Automatic calculation of the delivery fee will be based on the agency invoice having the correct delivery zone entered. Leave this field unchecked to force manual calculation of delivery fees at the time of invoicing.

Delivery Zones Setup

Go to Departments à Agency & Receivables àSetup à Delivery Zones.

A list of Zones and Fees will display. If none have been set up, you will need to click New to add a Delivery Zone and charges.

To enter a new record click on New from the Home ribbon. To edit an existing record click on the line you wish to change.

Enter a unique code for the Delivery Zone.

Enter the description of the Delivery Zone.

Enter a Minimum Delivery charge amount if you would like Ceres to apply a minimum delivery charge. Leaving the Minimum Delivery Charge equal to zero indicates no minimum delivery charge.

Enter a Maximum Delivery charge amount if you would like Ceres to limit the delivery charge to a maximum amount. Leaving the Maximum Delivery Charge equal to zero indicates no maximum delivery charge.

Once Delivery Zones are created, you will need to assign your Agencies to the correct Delivery Zone in order to have their delivery fee calculated on Agency Orders. Refer to the Agency Overview procedure for more information on Agency setup. The default Delivery Zone on the Agency will be copied to the Agency Order when the Agency is selected. You can override the default Delivery Zone on an Agency Order if needed. This next screen shows an example of the Delivery Zone on the Shipping FastTab of the Agency Card.

Delivery Fees Setup

Go to Departments à Agency & Receivables à Administration à Setup à Delivery Fees. You will see the menu for setting up Delivery Fees for the Delivery Zones established above.

To enter a new record click New. To edit an existing record click on the line you wish to change.

Enter the Delivery Zone or use the AssistButton to select from the list of available delivery zones.
Choose the Type of calculation from the following options:

Pound – define that a Rate ($) that will be charged for each pound shipped on the agency order.

Flat – define a Rate ($) will be charged as a flat rate regardless of the pounds shipped on the agency order.

Tier – This calculates like the Pound option, however you can specify in the Tier Pounds the minimum weight to qualify for this rate. Using this feature you can discount the delivery charge for large Agency orders to encourage delivery efficiency.

Note: Fees are associated with a given Zone. In order for the fees to be calculated, a Delivery Zone assignment must be made for the Agency ordering the product.

Synchronizing Delivery Fees with Agency Express

If you are using the Agency Express web ordering system, it is important to synchronize the delivery fees with Agency Express. This will enable an estimated calculation of the delivery fees on web orders entered through Agency Express. You should synchronize anytime you update the delivery fees table to insure that Agency Express is using the current delivery fees.

To accomplish synchronization select Actions à Synchronize Delivery Fees from the ribbon on the Edit à Delivery Fees Page.

Calculating Delivery Fees on Agency Orders – LEFT OFF HERE**

Delivery Fees do not automatically calculate on Agency Orders with a Shipment Method of Delivery, unless the Agencies & Receivables Setup “Automatic Delivery Charge Calc” field is checked. If using manual calculation, the order fulfillment process must incorporate this step if you charge delivery fees. The order must be in the “Open” status, since this will add a new line to the Agency Order.

To access the Calculate Delivery Charge function from within the Agency Order window select Actions à Functions à Calculate Delivery Charge as shown below.

A new line with type of GL Account will be added to the Agency Order Lines and will show on the Agency Invoice. If you charge fees, ensure that this calculation is completed before posting the Agency Order and Invoicing the Agency.