Procure Materials and Track POs

Use this workflow when a job needs materials ordered, tracked, received, or escalated. Procurement is a schedule and margin workflow, not just an office task.

Workflow outcome

At the end of this workflow, the material need should be tied to a job, vendor, price expectation, PO status, delivery timing, and any schedule risk created by the item.

Start in Procurement to see which material and PO items need attention before they block construction.

Step 1: Identify the material need

Open Procurement when DispatchIQ, CascadeIQ, a job detail page, or the field team surfaces material risk.

Confirm:

1. Which job needs the material.
2. Which phase depends on it.
3. Whether the material is builder-managed or subcontractor-supplied.
4. Whether the item came from a BOM, contract extraction, field request, or manual entry.
5. Whether the item has a required-by date.

If the job uses mixed material handling, be explicit about ownership. A PO should not be created for an item the subcontractor is supposed to buy unless the builder has intentionally changed the plan.

Use Vendors to confirm the supplier record before PO work depends on that company.

Step 2: Confirm vendor readiness

Open Vendors when supplier details, pricing, contacts, or delivery reliability need review.

Check:

• Vendor name and contact details.
• Product categories or supplier type.
• Preferred ordering method.
• Delivery or pickup notes.
• Any pricing or catalog assumptions.
• Any issue history the team tracks.

Clean vendor data makes PO follow-up easier and keeps procurement risk visible to operations.

Use the Price Book to keep material pricing and catalog assumptions current before proposals and POs rely on them.

Step 3: Check price and catalog assumptions

Open Price Book when a material price, catalog item, or estimate assumption needs confirmation.

Use it to:

1. Confirm the material exists in the catalog.
2. Review current pricing.
3. Add or update material records when needed.
4. Note variance-sensitive items before quotes or POs are approved.
5. Keep vendor and item naming consistent.

If a price is uncertain, mark it as a risk rather than hiding it in the PO.

The PO lifecycle view shows where each purchase order stands and which items need follow-up.

Step 4: Create or review the purchase order

Open PO Lifecycle for the active purchase order workflow.

Review or fill:

• Job.
• Vendor.
• Material line items.
• Quantities and units.
• Expected price.
• Required-by date.
• Delivery or pickup instructions.
• Approval status.
• Receiving status.
• Notes for schedule impact.

Do not approve a PO that conflicts with the job's material handling plan, quote assumptions, or current schedule.

Use Inventory when material availability, staged stock, or receiving status affects whether a phase can proceed.

Step 5: Track delivery and receiving

After a PO is active, keep the lifecycle current.

Update:

1. Ordered date.
2. Confirmation status.
3. Expected arrival.
4. Actual receipt.
5. Partial receipt or backorder notes.
6. Damaged, missing, or substituted items.
7. Schedule impact.

If delivery slips, update the job or schedule risk immediately. Procurement risk becomes construction risk when the phase date stays unchanged.

Step 6: Feed procurement risk back into operations

Close the loop with DispatchIQ, CascadeIQ, and the job record.

Escalate when:

• Required material will miss the scheduled phase.
• Vendor pricing changes margin.
• A substitute needs approval.
• The subcontractor expected builder-supplied materials that are not ready.
• Inventory does not match what the schedule assumes.

Related screens

Portal area	Use it for
Procurement	Material watch items and procurement risk.
PO Lifecycle	Purchase order status, approval, receiving, and follow-up.
Vendors	Supplier contacts and vendor readiness.
Price Book	Material catalog and pricing assumptions.
Inventory	Available, staged, or received material visibility.
Jobs / Job Detail	Job-level material context and schedule impact.
CascadeIQ	Schedule decisions affected by procurement readiness.