Actual Costs

Actual costs are the records that capture what a project is truly spending during execution.

What an Actual Cost Record Includes

Amount
Transaction date
Supplier reference
Invoice number
Invoice date
Notes
Approval status
Source linkage — to a module, material, labor item, expense, or commitment line

Evidence and Substantiation

Each actual cost entry tracks its substantiation status. An entry is substantiated when it has supporting evidence — an invoice, reference number, or supplier link. Entries without evidence are flagged as NeedsBackup.

Variance summaries report both provisional (all entries) and substantiated (entries with evidence) totals. There is no hard block on unsubstantiated entries — they contribute to provisional variance but are clearly labeled.

Best Practices

Capture actuals with as much source context as possible
Attach invoice records and supplier references to each entry
Link actuals to the relevant commitment lines when available
Review pending items before treating them as accepted actuals
Keep the commitment bridge visible: procurement variance (commitment vs. baseline) is separate from execution variance (actual vs. commitment)