Civil news: bulk uploading of bills on CCMS starts 17 June 2015
Users will be able to upload multiple bills on to the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS) from 17 June 2015.
Starting on 17 June 2015 we will open up the use of the ‘bulk upload’ function on the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS).
As a CCMS user, this function will save you time. It allows you to upload multiple bills from your own case management system – you don’t have to enter billing data on CCMS line by line.
Who will be able to bulk upload their bills?
You can see a list of pilot vendors on the Enhancing CCMS page of the website. Talk to your vendor to see if they are ready to upgrade your case management system.
Why should you consider using this function?
88% of survey respondents said that ‘bulk upload’ meant that the billing process in CCMS was quicker than the paper process. No-one thought it was slower.
Tina Nottingham from DMA Law said:
Recently I had to enter a large amount of bills via bulk upload. I was amazed at the turnaround of the billing. It was well below the time expected and it is something that every legal aid practice wants to see.
Scott Baldwin from St Mary’s Chambers, Nottingham, said:
Bulk upload is incredibly simple and can speed up how quickly you can bill cases. You also save money because you don’t have to create a paper claim and supporting documents, which then have to be posted out.
Other software vendors
We will also shortly be offering a CCMS test environment to all vendors and any firms who have their own case management system. This will be available for a provisional period of 10 weeks to help vendors and firms complete the development and testing of their systems. Let us know if you are interested – see further information.
Future improvements to billing
In direct response to CCMS user feedback, we recently published our planned enhancements on our ‘Enhancing CCMS page’ – see link below. These include improvements to the:
- PDF version of bills
- billing interview
Further information
Enhancing CCMS – once your system has been upgraded by your software vendor visit this page to download the:
- bulk upload quick guide
- Guide – CCMS Bulk Upload - Solving Issues
Bulk uploading bills – to see list of software vendors
software-vendor-support@legalaid.gsi.gov.uk – to register your interest in this test environment or to explore developing a compatible product