Purchasing

Your available areas and actions depend on your access level. If an area or action is not visible, ask your 3PM Command administrator to review your Purchasing access.

Key concepts

• Supplier Products store the product information used when preparing a purchase order, including the SKU, description, Unit, Supplier, site, account numbers, cost, Mark Up, and sale price.
• Purchase Orders contain supplier details, cost tracking, addresses, Items, totals, and Special Instructions. A purchase order can be associated with a Project, Asset, Stock, or Workshop, depending on your setup.
• Items are the products or stock items being purchased. For each item, you can enter a Description, Quantity, Unit Cost, Unit, account, and tax rate. The item Total Cost is calculated from Quantity multiplied by Unit Cost.
• Stock is selected when a purchase is intended for inventory. In a purchase order, choose a Stock Item and select the relevant location where required.
• Work Orders are not maintained in the Purchasing area. When a purchase supports workshop activity, use the Workshop cost-tracking choice on the purchase order, then manage the related Work Orders in the Work Orders area.
• Bills can be filtered by cost assignment, including Unreconciled, assigned, and receipted. A bill can also be assigned to PROJECT, ASSET, WORKSHOP, or STOCK costs where those choices are available.

How to manage Supplier Products

1. Open Supplier Products in Purchasing.
2. Select Add to create a Supplier Product.
3. Enter the product details, including SKU, Description, Unit, Catalogue Type, Supplier, site, Account Numbers, Cost, Mark Up, and Sale Price as applicable.
4. Save the Supplier Product.
5. Select a Supplier Product to open its details. Use the available tabs to review Overview, Pricing, Inventory, Custom Fields, and History.
6. To update a Supplier Product, open it and select the edit action.
7. To temporarily remove a Supplier Product from the normal list, use Archive. Use Unarchive to make it available again.
8. To remove it permanently, use the delete action and confirm the deletion.

You can also import Supplier Products using the import controls and download the import template. Existing Supplier Products can be exported when export access is available. Archived Supplier Products are hidden unless you turn on the archived view.

How to manage Stock

Purchasing does not replace the Stock area. Use the Stock area to maintain stock quantities, locations, and inventory activity. Use Purchasing when you need to buy stock:

1. Create a purchase order and select Stock in Cost Tracking.
2. In Purchase Items, select Add Item.
3. Choose Stock Item rather than Product.
4. Select the stock item and the relevant location when prompted.
5. Check the Description, Quantity, Unit Cost, and Unit.
6. Complete the remaining purchase order steps and save it.

If you are buying a supplier product for future stock use, maintain the supplier information in Supplier Products, then select the appropriate Stock Item when preparing the purchase order. Review inventory quantities and stock movements in Stock.

How to manage Work Orders

Work Orders are managed outside Purchasing. Purchasing supports the cost-tracking connection:

1. Start a purchase order.
2. In Cost Tracking, choose Workshop when the purchase supports workshop activity.
3. Complete the supplier, address, Items, totals, and Special Instructions.
4. Save and submit the purchase order according to your organization's approval process.
5. Open the Work Orders area to create or update the related Work Order.

If your workshop uses an external work-order service, follow the connection and access rules configured by your administrator. Purchasing continues to hold the purchase order details, while Work Orders remain in their own area.

Tips & things to know

• Selecting a Supplier Product can fill the item Description, Unit Cost, and Unit automatically. Check these values before saving.
• New purchase order items start with Quantity 1 and Unit Cost 0. Update both values before completing the order.
• Changing the Quantity or Unit Cost of an existing item is recorded as a variation and may require approval before it takes effect.
• Use Supplier Address and Ship To Address to check where the order is coming from and where it should be delivered.
• Add delivery notes under Special Instructions so the supplier receives the information needed to complete the order.
• Purchase orders show status tabs such as REQUESTED, ISSUED, STANDING, and BILLED when those statuses are available in your account.
• Use the Items tab on a purchase order to check the Description, Product or Stock selection, Quantity, Unit Cost, Unit, and Total.
• A purchase order can be emailed to the supplier from its details. Check the recipient and attachments before sending.
• Bills include an Items tab and can include Allocations and Documents. Use the cost assignment controls to keep bill costs matched to the correct activity.
• Archived Supplier Products are not shown in the standard list. Turn on the archived view when you need to restore or review one.

FAQ