When a part is not held in any of your stock locations, Commusoft raises a purchase order with a supplier. You can see those orders on the job, send them on, and start the collection from them â without ringing the office to ask where something is.
Note: A purchase order can only be raised for a part that already exists in Commusoft. If the part is not on your system, ask your office to add it first â it cannot be created from the app.
Finding purchase orders on a job
âĄď¸ Open the job > tap the More menu > Purchase order
Every purchase order raised against the job is listed here. If nothing has been ordered, the screen reads "There are currently no purchase orders saved".
What an order shows
Tap an order to open its Order summary. The banner at the top shows:
Purchase order created
Expected availability from â when the parts are expected
Collect from â where to collect the parts. If the parts on the order have different delivery methods, this shows Mixed delivery information
Below the banner you'll see the Po number, the Supplier name and the Parts on order with their quantities. Pull up the panel at the bottom of the screen to see the Grand total.
Emailing and downloading an order
From the order summary you can:
Email PO â sends the order to the supplier using your company's default message.
Edit (pencil icon) â opens the Email screen, where you can change the From address, To address, Subject and message before you send it. The purchase order PDF is attached. Tap the arrow at the top right to send.
Download (download icon) â saves a PDF of the purchase order to your phone. You'll see "File downloaded. Please check your files".
Which of these you can use depends on your role:
Engineer and Engineer with diary â can send the order with Email PO, but cannot edit the email or download the PDF.
Engineer with invoicing, Senior engineer, Owner/Manager and office staff â can use all three.
Note: If your role does not allow it, tapping edit or download shows "You don't have permission to perform this action". You can still send the order to the supplier with Email PO.
Collecting the parts from the order
You do not have to go back to the home screen to collect. Tap Pickup parts at the top right of the order summary to start the collection for the items on that order. Parts ordered with Collect from supplier also appear on your pickup and drop-off list. The collection itself works the same way as any other â see How to collect parts in the mobile app.
Ordered parts on the job
âĄď¸ Open the job > Parts
Parts on a purchase order are listed under Ordered from Vendor. Tap a part to see what you can do with it:
Ordered from Vendor: Available marks the part as arrived, and View/Edit opens its details.
Available: Install records the part as fitted, Returned to supplier moves it to Parts not required, and View/Edit opens its details.
Cancel at the bottom of each menu closes the menu. It doesn't cancel the part.
One thing worth knowing about VAT
If your technicians view or use parts on the mobile app, purchase orders have to be raised VAT exclusive â it is the only setting the mobile app supports. That is set by the office. If parts on a job are not showing the figures you expect, it is worth mentioning.
Common questions
Can I raise a purchase order from my phone?
Can I raise a purchase order from my phone?
Yes, indirectly. Request the part from the Parts section of the job and tap Fulfil part. If no stock location holds enough of it, a new purchase order opens for you to fill in â supplier, delivery date, delivery method and the part's costs. The part has to exist in Commusoft first. See How to request a part in the mobile app.
Why can't I download a purchase order or change the email?
Why can't I download a purchase order or change the email?
You can't download a purchase order or change its email if your role is Engineer or Engineer with diary. You can still send it to the supplier with Email PO, using the default message. If you need either option, ask your office about your role.
How do I know if a part has been ordered?
How do I know if a part has been ordered?
Open the Parts section of the job. Parts on a purchase order are listed under Ordered from Vendor until they're marked Available.
The purchase orders screen is empty.
The purchase orders screen is empty.
Nothing has been ordered against this job. If you were expecting something, check the part under Parts â it may have been allocated from stock rather than ordered â or ask your office.
Can I cancel an order I raised?
Can I cancel an order I raised?
No, you can't cancel a purchase order or an ordered part in the app. Ask your office to cancel it. The Cancel option in the part's menu only closes the menu.
Can I return parts to the supplier from the app?
Can I return parts to the supplier from the app?
Yes, once the part is Available. Open the job's Parts, tap the part and choose Returned to supplier. The part moves to Parts not required, and your office deals with sending it back to the supplier.