Record a purchase
Open Tech → Purchases → NEW in Thermal →
What it's for
Record a purchase captures a counter run — parts bought at a supplier for a job, outside a purchase order. Recording it on the spot is what stops a crumpled receipt in a glovebox becoming a cost nobody can allocate.
Reach it from the field app when buying parts for a job, at
/tech/purchases/new.
Tabs
The form has no tabs. It is one short capture screen.
Panels and controls
- Vendor — where it was bought, "Home Depot".
- Payment method — how it was paid, "Card •••• 4242", so the office can match it to a statement later.
- What was bought — "PVC fittings".
- Amount — "0.00".
- Notes — "Anything the office should know".
- Receipt photo — the evidence. This is the field worth being disciplined about: a purchase without a receipt is an argument waiting to happen.
- The purchase is attached to the job it was for, which is what lets the office allocate the cost.
Works offline
The form is built to work without a signal, which is exactly the condition in most supply-house car parks. A purchase recorded offline is held on the device and sent when a connection returns — Sync shows what is still waiting. That is why the form needs a stable offline id, and refuses one it does not recognise.
Refusals
- "A linked staff account is required." — the sign-in has not been connected to a staff record.
- "This job isn't assigned to you." — purchases can only be recorded against your own jobs.
What it accepts
| Field | Format | Required | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Free text — "Home Depot" | Yes | |
| Payment method | Free text — "Card •••• 4242" | No | What the office matches against a statement |
| Description | Free text — "PVC fittings" | Yes | |
| Amount | Dollars, e.g. 0.00 | Yes | |
| Notes | Free text | No | "Anything the office should know" |
| Receipt photo | An image | No, but strongly advised | The evidence behind the cost |
| Job | The job it was for | Yes | Must be assigned to you |
How to configure it
- Purchasing settings decide whether field purchases need approval and above what amount.
- Job costing settings decide how an allocated field purchase lands on a job's margin.
- The office side is Field purchases, where the purchase is approved and allocated.
Who can see it
This screen is part of the field app. Technicians see it on their own phone or tablet, and can only record purchases against their own assigned jobs.
Office roles approve and allocate them on Field purchases.