Purchase Orders
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      Create a Purchase Order from an Estimate

      Seamlessly convert OnCost™ Estimate data into professional Purchase Order documents in ConstructionOnline™

      BACKGROUND

      Designed to simplify construction job costing, ConstructionOnline's OnCost Purchasing is the smart, streamlined solution for construction purchase order management. With multiple methods of creation—including from the project estimate, from approved change orders, and from scratch—construction companies can create detailed, accurate Purchase Orders in a way that best fits their financial management workflow. To ensure accurate and consistent records, the ability to create Purchase Orders directly from an OnCost Estimate allows companies to seamlessly & precisely integrate project costs into their financial management processes.

      This article contains the following sections: 

      1. Step-by-step instructions
      2. Video walkthrough
      3. Next actions
      4. Additional information

      STEPS TO CREATE A PURCHASE ORDER FROM AN ESTIMATE 

      1. Navigate to the desired Project via the Left Sidebar.
      2. Select the Financials tab and choose the Purchasing category. 
      3. Click the green (+) Create New Purchase Order button at the top of the Purchasing pane and select the "...from Estimate" option from the dropdown menu. 
      4. Within the "Create Purchase Order" window, step through the following tabs to enter Purchase Order information -  
        1. Purchase Order Details 
          1. Project: Link the Purchase Order to a specific ConstructionOnline Project
            1. If creating a Purchase Order within a Project, the current Project will be assigned by default and cannot be changed. 
            2. If creating a Purchase Order from the Company Overview, use the dropdown menu to link the task to a specific ConstructionOnline Project, if desired. 
              1. Projects appear in alphabetical order within the Project dropdown menu. 
          2. Title: Give your Purchase Order a title, or keep the automatically generated title
            1. The default title assigned pulls the number from the PO Number field, described below.
          3. PO Number: A unique identifier for the Purchase Order automatically generated by combining two numbers—the Project ID and a sequential number based on the number of Purchase Orders previously created within the Project
            1. This field cannot be modified. 
          4. Status: Utilize the toggle to set the Status of the Purchase Order
            1. By default, Purchase Orders are created with an "Active" Status.
            2. "Active" Purchase Orders can be marked as "Approved", allowing you to create Bills and/or Payments from the Purchase Order. 
            3. "Draft" Purchase Orders signify that the Purchase Order is not yet ready to be Approved and, therefore, cannot be connected to Bills or Payments. 
          5. Scope of Work: Define the specific tasks or services included in this Purchase Order
          6. Subcontractor/Vendor: Identify the subcontractor, supplier, or individual responsible for fulfilling the Purchase Order by beginning to type the desired name into the field
            1. This field is required. 
            2. Contacts that populate here are pulled from your ConstructionOnline Company Contact List. New Contacts must be added through the Company Contacts page and cannot be added when generating a Purchase Order. 
            3. Only one Contact can be assigned to this field.
          7. Due Date: Set the date your subcontractor needs to agree to the Purchase Order by, or set a deadline for receiving the goods or services specified in the document 
          8. Scheduled Start: Establish the planned start date for the work or services included in the Purchase Order
            1. This field is typically utilized for Purchase Orders defining subcontractor work.
          9. Scheduled Completion: Define the date of completion for the work or services in the Purchase Order 
            1. This field is typically utilized for Purchase Orders defining subcontractor work.
          10. Delivery Date: Specify the expected delivery date for materials or equipment included in the Purchase Order.
          11. PO Type: Categorize the Purchase Order based on its specific purpose or nature (i.e. Material, Labor, Material & Labor, Service, or Other)
            1. This field is unique to the Purchase Order feature and can be customized through the gear icon ⚙️.
          12. Trade: Specify the Trade or specialty involved in the Purchase Order (i.e. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.)
            1. This field can be customized. 
          13. Tags: Assign any predefined keywords or labels to the Purchase Order 
            1. This field can be customized. 
          14. Internal Notes: Provide any additional information or context related to the Purchase Order for internal use
        2. Included Items

          ⭐ At least one Item must be chosen or created in order to successfully create the Purchase Order.
          1. Choose the Items you wish to include on the Purchase Order by
            1. Choosing existing Estimate Items by marking the checkbox ☑️ next to the desired Item, Subcategory (to include all of the Subcategory's Items), or Category (to include all of the Category's Subcategories & Items).
              1. Estimate Item information can be updated on table provided. 
              2. To make Estimate Items more easily accessible within the table, Estimate Items can be filtered by All Classifications (the default), Material, Labor, Subcontractor, Equipment, Other, or Unclassified. They can also be searched for via the Search bar located at the top right of the table. 
              3. To use the Estimate Item's Adjusted Quantities, mark the checkbox next to ☑️ Use Adjusted Quantities located at the top right of the table.
                1. This option is marked by default. 
              4. To hide Estimate Items or rows with zero value, mark the checkbox next to ☑️Hide rows with zero value.
            2. Adding additional Items via manual entry or by importing Costbook Item(s)
              1. If choosing to enter items via manual entry, select the (+) Add Item button at the bottom of the table, and then fill in the desired Item Name, Description, Quantity, & Unit Cost on the table
              2. If choosing to enter Costbook Items, select the (+) Add Item button at the bottom of the table, and then click the arrow that appears at the very far right of the Item Name field. This will open the "Insert Item From Database" window where you can choose to insert individual Costbook Items into the Purchase Order.
        3. Link to Estimate
          1. If you chose existing Estimate Items within the last step, Items are automatically linked to the Estimate. 
            1. Items that are linked to the Estimate will be designated by a 🔗 link icon. 
          2. If you added new Item(s) in the last step, you can choose to link the newly created Item to your Project Estimate by selecting the desired Estimate Category, Subcategory, and Estimate Item from the dropdown menus. 
          3. Linked Purchase Order Item totals will appear within the Project Estimate in the Committed Costs column. Unlinked Items will not affect the estimate. 
        4. Attachments
          1. Upload any files, photos, or videos pertinent to the Purchase Order
      5. Once you have finalized the new Purchase Order's details, click the blue "Create" button.

      VIDEO WALKTHROUGH 

      NEXT ACTIONS 

      Activated upon the creation of your Purchase Order, ConstructionOnline's Purchasing Timeline provides a visual & actionable guide for the next steps you and your team should take in the Purchasing process. While ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module was designed with flexibility in mind, the Purchasing Timeline can help you and your team stay organized by highlighting the crucial stages that follow after Purchase Order creation, such as activating the Purchase Order, approving it, verifying the work completed, or creating a Bill or Payment. To learn more about utilizing the Purchasing Timeline and what comes next in the Purchase Order process, visit this article. 

      ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

      • Subscription Level: ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module is available for companies with current ConstructionOnline subscriptions at the Team, Business, and Enterprise levels.
      • Permissions: ConstructionOnline Company Users must have Purchase Orders, Bills, and Payments permissions set to "Can Create & Edit" or "Can Create, Edit & Delete" to create new Purchase Orders.
        • Purchase Orders, Bills, & Payments permissions are set and managed at the Company level. For more information on editing Company-Level permissions, visit this FAQ.
      • ClientLink™/TeamLink™ Access: ClientLink and TeamLink Users do not have access to the Purchasing feature via the Project Portal.
      • CO™ Mobile App: The Purchasing feature is exclusively available via browser access to ConstructionOnline. 
        • The Purchasing feature cannot be accessed through the CO™ Mobile App.

      HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

      • If you need additional assistance, chat with a Specialist by clicking the orange Chat icon located in the bottom left corner or visit the UDA Support Page for additional options.