How purchasing works in Forz
In the Forz web app, Vendors, Purchase Orders, and Bills each have their own list in the sidebar (under More until you add them), and expenses sit under Reports. A typical order runs like this:
- Add the vendor. The organization name is the only required field. Enter a contact name and Forz creates the vendor’s primary contact from it.
- Create the PO. Start from the Purchase Orders list, from the vendor’s profile (the vendor is pre-filled), or from a sales order that needs materials. Link it to a project if the parts are for one.
- Send it. Email the PO from Forz or export a PDF. The status moves to Sent and the record notes when it went out.
- Receive what arrives. Click Receive for each delivery and enter the quantities per line. Stock goes up at the inventory location set on each PO line.
- Generate the bill. Select one or more receipts and Forz builds the bill from the received quantities and PO pricing. Mark it Open and it shows up in open-bill views and aging reports.
- Pay it. Record payments until the balance hits zero and the bill reads Paid.
Four records carry the work, and each does something different:
| Record | Where it lives | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | Purchase Orders list | A commitment to buy. No change to stock. |
| Purchase receive | The PO’s Purchase Receives tab | Records what arrived and adds it to stock at each line’s location |
| Bill | Bills list | What you owe the vendor, with payments and a running balance |
| Expense | Reports > Expenses | Costs outside the PO workflow, assignable to a project |
Purchase orders, bills, and vendors get plain sequential numbers (#100, #101, and so on). Settings > Record Numbering can give each of them a custom format with a prefix, year, or month, such as PO2609-001. Statuses come from your own Status Options, custom fields work on POs and bills, and saved views work on the Purchase Orders, Bills, and Vendors lists.
How contractors use it
HVAC: ordering equipment for a commercial install
Before scheduling a commercial HVAC installation, the dispatcher needs a condensing unit and line set from the distributor. She creates a PO for ABC HVAC Supply with a 5-ton condensing unit, a 50 ft line set, and two filter driers, links it to the customer’s project, and clicks Mark as sent. The PO now appears on the project’s Purchase Orders tab.
Plumbing: a shipment that arrives in two parts
A plumbing contractor orders 20 copper fittings and 10 PVC couplings. The copper fittings ship first, so the office records a receipt for those 20. The couplings arrive the next week and get a second receipt. The office can generate one bill from both receipts or one bill per shipment, and each bill covers only what came in.
Electrical: reviewing a supplier before a pricing talk
Before negotiating prices with Valley Electric Supply, an electrical contractor’s manager opens the vendor profile. The Purchase Orders tab lists every PO, open and completed, and the Bills tab shows payment history and outstanding balances.
Works with the rest of Forz
- Inventory management picks up every receipt at the location set on each PO line, and counts a bill and a receipt for the same delivery once.
- Projects list their purchase orders and count their expenses as materials on the Finance tab.
- Invoicing sells the same catalog items you buy on POs, and stock leaves when the customer invoice posts.
- The QuickBooks Online integration syncs items two-way, including unit cost and quantity on hand.
Setting it up? The Purchase Orders guide and the Bills guide walk through each screen.