User Personas: Admin | Project Manager | Field User
Small tools, consumables and expendables bought in the field are easy to lose track of. They are low value individually, they are bought under time pressure, and the receipt usually lives in somebody's truck. Left undocumented, they turn into unexplained cost at the end of the job.
eSUB Fusion tracks these purchases through the Purchase Order tool, so the spend lands against the right project and cost code without the field user having to build a full PO.
To perform the actions described in this article, you must have the appropriate Purchase Orders permissions. See the Permissions table at the end of this article.
Use the links below to jump to a topic:
- Why Track Field Purchases This Way
- Choose Your Method
- Method 1: The Pre-Populated Purchase Order
- Method 2: Field Users Create Their Own Purchase Orders
- Permissions
- FAQ
Why Track Field Purchases This Way
A Purchase Order is not just paperwork for a vendor order. It is the mechanism that commits cost to the project, which is what makes the spend visible on job cost reporting before the invoice arrives from accounting.
Running field purchases through a PO gives you three things a shoebox of receipts does not:
- The cost lands against a specific project and cost code, so it shows up in the right bucket
- The receipt image is attached to the record, so the backup is findable months later
- The spend is committed as it happens, rather than appearing as a surprise at closeout
| A Purchase Order commits costs to the project for every cost category except Labor. Labor cost comes from Daily Reports and the project rate template instead, so do not expect field labor to appear here. |
Choose Your Method
There are two ways to track field purchases. Which one suits you depends on how much autonomy you want your field users to have, and that is mostly a permissions decision rather than a technical one.
|
Method 1: Pre-populated PO | Method 2: Field-created PO |
Who creates the PO |
The office, in advance. | The field user, at the point of purchase. |
What the field user does |
Attaches a receipt and an amount to a PO that already exists. | Creates the PO, enters PO Lines, list prices and cost codes, and receives against it. |
Field permissions needed |
Minimal. No ability to create or job cost a PO. | Full PO create and edit rights. |
Best when |
You want cost coding controlled by the office. | Your field users are trusted with cost coding and you want fewer office steps. |
Method 1: The Pre-Populated Purchase Order
The office creates an empty PO against the project, with a vendor but no PO Lines. Field users then attach receipts to it from the mobile app as purchases happen. This is the preferred workflow when you do not want field users creating and job costing POs themselves.
Create a Pre-Populated Purchase Order
User Personas: Project Management | Admin
This is done by an office user. For full detail on Purchase Orders generally, see the Purchase Orders article.
- Select Projects on the global navigation menu, then select the desired project from the list
- Select Purchase Orders from the slide-out menu, then select Add Purchase Order on the action button
- Fill in the fields as desired, ensuring a Vendor is entered. The vendor can be specific or generic
- Select Save
| You do not need to create a PO Line to begin tracking receipts and small purchases. An empty PO with a vendor is enough for the field to start attaching receipts against it. |
Record the Purchase in the Field
User Personas: Field
This is done by the field user on the eSUB mobile app, once a purchase has been made. For more on working with Purchase Orders on a mobile device, see the Purchase Orders (Mobile) article.
From the PO log on the mobile app:
- Select the pre-populated PO, then select Record Shipment from the action button
- Select Date and choose the date on the receipt
- Enter the total dollar amount under Invoice Amt
- Use the media icons to attach a photo of the receipt
- Add any comments if necessary
- Select the checkmark in the upper right corner to save
| Have the field user photograph the receipt at the counter rather than at the end of the day. Receipts fade, get wet and go missing, and the purchase is much harder to reconstruct a week later from a card statement. |
Review Receipts and Commit Purchases
User Personas: Project Management | Admin
Back in the office, reviewing the receipts recorded to date determines how much of the project budget is committed against these purchases.
- Open the pre-populated PO from the project Purchase Orders log
- Review the recorded shipments and their attached receipts
- Apply the appropriate cost codes so the spend lands in the right budget category
- Save your changes
|
Create a "Lump Sum - Dollar" (LS$) unit of measure by navigating to Settings > Units of Measure to easily commit your costs. When creating your PO Line item, enter a "Qty Ordered" amount of 1 LS$.
|
Method 2: Field Users Create Their Own Purchase Orders
User Personas: Field
If your field users hold the applicable permissions, they can create and manage Purchase Orders entirely from the eSUB mobile app. That includes entering PO Lines, list prices and cost codes, as well as receiving shipments against the PO.
This removes the office step, at the cost of putting cost coding in the hands of the field. It suits crews who are already comfortable with job costing and creates rework where they are not.
For steps, see the Purchase Orders (Mobile) article.
Permissions
| Permission | What it allows | Who needs it |
| Purchase Orders - General Permissions | Create, view and edit Purchase Orders. | Office user in Method 1. Field user in Method 2. |
| Purchase Orders - Edit Receiving Tab | Record shipments and attach receipts against a PO. | Both methods, office and field. |
| Purchase Orders - Share | Send the PO to a vendor. | Office user. |
| Purchase Orders - Change Status to Complete | Close out a PO once all purchases against it are recorded. | Office user. |
| Purchase Orders - Change Status to Void | Void a PO that should not have been raised. | Office user. |
If a user cannot see an action described in this article, review their Purchase Orders permissions. Admins manage these from User Permissions.
FAQ
Which method should we use?
It comes down to whether you want your field users cost coding. Method 1 keeps that control in the office and asks very little of the field, which is why most companies start there. Method 2 is fewer steps overall but assumes the field will pick the right cost code. See Choose Your Method.
Do I have to add a PO Line before the field can use the PO?
No. A PO with a vendor and no lines is enough for the field to begin attaching receipts. Lines and cost coding can be applied later during review.
What if we do not know the vendor in advance?
A vendor is required, but it can be a generic one. Many companies set up a general supplier contact for exactly this purpose, so that pre-populated POs can be raised before anyone knows which store the crew will use.
Can one PO cover a whole month of small purchases?
Yes. Multiple shipments can be recorded against a single pre-populated PO, each with its own date, amount and receipt image. How you group them is a bookkeeping preference, though one PO per vendor per month tends to stay readable.
Do these purchases show up as committed cost?
Yes, for every cost category except Labor. Labor is committed through Daily Reports and the project rate template instead. See Why Track Field Purchases This Way.
See also: Purchase Orders · Purchase Orders (Mobile) · Set Up Your Project for Job Cost Reporting