BuildOps Inventory helps you track the materials, consumables, and supplies your team keeps in stock across your business, including warehouses, stockrooms, and technician vehicles.
With Inventory, you can answer key day-to-day questions like:
How much of each item is currently in stock
What quantity has already been reserved for upcoming work
What is still available to use or transfer
What materials were used on a job and what they cost
Inventory can provide strong visibility into your materials, but it works best when it is set up thoughtfully and maintained consistently. Because stock accuracy depends on daily workflow discipline, we recommend assigning clear ownership for reviewing transactions, monitoring quantities, and keeping counts current.
Core Inventory Concepts
Item Types
Each item in your Item List has a type that controls whether BuildOps tracks stock quantities for that item.
Item Type | Quantity Tracking | Best Use |
Inventory | Yes | Stocked materials that are regularly replenished |
Non-Inventory | No | Materials ordered as needed and not kept in stock |
Fee | No | Charges, add-ons, or billing-only line items |
Item types cannot be changed after an item is created. If an item was created with the wrong type, archive it and create a new item with the correct setup.
Warehouse Types
A warehouse in BuildOps is any place where stock is stored.
Warehouse Type | Description |
Static Warehouse | A fixed location such as a stockroom, branch, storage area, or trailer |
Truck / Vehicle Warehouse | A warehouse assigned to a technician vehicle for mobile inventory use |
If multiple technicians share one vehicle, they can share the same truck warehouse.
Quantity Fields
Inventory uses three key quantity values:
Field | Meaning |
Qty On Hand | Total quantity currently in stock at a location |
Qty Reserved | Quantity committed to a specific job or project |
Qty Available | Quantity available to use or transfer |
Qty Available is calculated as Qty On Hand minus Qty Reserved.
Valuation Methods
Inventory valuation determines how BuildOps calculates item cost when stock is issued.
Method | Description |
Average Cost | Uses the running average cost of units on hand |
FIFO | Uses the oldest stock first |
LIFO | Uses the most recently received stock first |
Standard Cost | Uses a fixed item or vendor-defined cost. It pulls the cost from the item list. |
For project materials where exact purchase price matters, shipping directly to the job site instead of routing through warehouse stock may help preserve expected job costing.
Setting Up Inventory
A successful setup starts with the right sequence.
1. Set Up Your Item List
Make sure all items you want to track already exist in the Item List.
You can organize items using categories and subcategories to make them easier to find, especially in the mobile app. You can also configure minimum and maximum quantities to guide reordering and stocking decisions.
BuildOps does not currently send automatic alerts when stock drops below the minimum quantity, so those values should be monitored regularly.
2. Create Inventory Templates
Inventory templates help standardize truck stock. A template defines which items and quantities should typically be loaded onto a specific type of vehicle.
When creating a new truck warehouse, you can apply a template to pre-populate the expected loadout. You will still need to enter the actual on-hand quantities for that specific vehicle.
3. Create Warehouses
After your items and templates are ready, create your warehouses in BuildOps.
When setting up a warehouse:
Choose whether it is a static or truck warehouse
Give it a clear name
Apply a template for truck warehouses if needed
Assign truck warehouses to the appropriate mobile user
Enter current on-hand quantities based on a physical count
Only Inventory-type items can hold tracked quantities in a warehouse.
Purchase Orders and Receiving
Purchase Orders bring material into stock, and the Ship To field determines how inventory is handled.
Ship To Option | Inventory Effect | Common Use |
Warehouse | Increases warehouse stock when the receipt is posted | Stock replenishment |
Job Site / Manual Address | Does not affect warehouse stock | Direct-to-job materials |
Vendor Pickup | Can be assigned to truck stock if needed | Technician pickup |
When receiving a PO:
Open the Purchase Order and create a receipt
Confirm the correct receipt warehouse
Enter the received quantities
Post the receipt
Posting the receipt is what increases stock. Saving alone does not update quantities.
Inventory Transfers
Transfers move stock from one location to another without consuming it.
Common examples include:
Main warehouse to technician truck
Technician truck back to warehouse
One warehouse to another warehouse
To create a transfer:
Select the item
Choose the source location
Choose the destination location
Enter the quantity
Complete the transfer
Transfers cannot be edited or deleted after completion. If a mistake is made, create a new transfer to reverse it.
Inventory Issues (Issuance)
An Inventory Issue is the transaction that records what item was used, where it came from, and which job or project it was used on.
Issues are what decrease inventory quantities.
Issue Statuses
Status | Meaning |
Draft | Created but not finalized |
Posted | Finalized and stock has been decreased |
Voided | Reversed |
Saving an issue does not reduce stock. Posting the issue does.
How Issues Are Created
For service work, issues are often created automatically when a technician adds inventory items during a mobile visit.
Issues can also be created manually by office staff when needed, such as for corrections, adjustments, or missed usage entries.
Mobile Workflow for Service Technicians
In the mobile app, technicians can:
Open the visit
Go to the Inventory section
Add inventory items used
Select quantity
Complete the visit
The app typically defaults to the technician’s assigned truck warehouse.
Technicians can still log usage even if available quantity is zero or negative. This helps ensure work is documented in the field, while count corrections can be handled later by the office team.
Office Review Workflow
After a technician completes a visit, office staff can review and post the related Draft Issue.
Posting the issue updates stock quantities for the source warehouse or truck. In service workflows, job cost is generally recorded when the item is added on mobile, while posting ensures the inventory count stays accurate.
Projects and Inventory
Project inventory workflows are different from service workflows.
Key Differences
There is no mobile inventory workflow for projects
Project inventory activity happens on the web
The Bill of Materials is used to plan and track expected materials
Bill of Materials
The Bill of Materials, or BOM, is the planning list of materials expected for a project.
From the BOM, you can:
Add planned items and quantities
Track fulfilled and remaining material needs
Create issues from stock
Create purchase orders for project materials
Allocating Materials to a Project
There are two common paths:
Create an Issue
If material is already in stock, you can issue it directly from a warehouse to the project. Once the issue is posted, stock decreases and cost is applied to the project.
Create a PO
If material needs to be purchased, create a PO from the BOM and ship it directly to the job site or another appropriate destination. This helps preserve actual project material cost.
Service Jobs vs. Projects
Workflow Area | Service Jobs | Projects |
Mobile inventory workflow | Yes | No |
How issues are created | Usually auto-generated from mobile usage | Usually created from the BOM or manually |
Planning tool | Not applicable | Bill of Materials |
Who posts issues | Office team | Office team |
Best Practices
To help keep inventory accurate:
Remember that saving is not the same as posting
Review Draft Issues regularly
Use the correct Ship To option on purchase orders
Set up item types carefully from the start
Use transfers to move stock between locations
Reconcile negative quantities with regular review and count corrections
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: A technician used items on a job, but stock did not decrease. Why?
A: The related issue is likely still in Draft status. Stock is only reduced when the issue is posted.
Q: Why didn’t I get a low-stock alert?
A: BuildOps does not currently support automatic low-stock alerts. Minimum quantities are visible in the system and should be monitored manually.
Q: Can I add stock back using an Issue?
A: No. Issues only reduce quantities. To increase stock, receive and post a PO receipt or make an inventory adjustment.
Q: Why is the quantity field locked at 0 for an item in a warehouse?
A: That item is likely set up as a Non-Inventory type. Only Inventory-type items track stock quantities.
Q: Can I upload a Bill of Materials from a spreadsheet?
A: Not at this time. BOM items must currently be added individually.
Q: What is the difference between Inventory and Equipment Tracking?
Inventory tracks quantities of stocked items. Equipment Tracking tracks individual assets, such as specific tools or equipment units.
Q: Is a negative quantity always an error?
A: Not necessarily. Negative quantities can happen when usage is recorded before replenishment or before counts are corrected. Regular review helps keep stock accurate.