Ordering for the job while prices move: purchasing and stock in one place

The everyday problem: what was ordered, and has it arrived?

Any business that buys materials for a job knows the questions. Was the part ordered? Did the whole order turn up, or only half of it? Is there one left on the shelf, or did someone take it for yesterday's job? Plumbers and electricians ask them every day, and so do air-conditioning installers, fit-out crews, IT businesses that install hardware and cleaning companies that stock supplies for contract sites.

Those questions matter more when prices keep moving. The ABS producer price figures for the September quarter 2026, released on 30 October, show input prices for house construction rose 1.0% in the quarter and 3.9% over the year nationally. Plumbing products were the largest contributor, up 3.7% in the quarter and 9.4% over the year, driven by plastic pipework and fittings. Copper pipes and fittings rose 9.5% in the quarter, which the ABS links to high global copper prices. Over the full year, electrical equipment prices were up 14.5%.¹

In Perth, house construction input prices rose 0.4% in the quarter and 3.6% over the year, with plastic pipework and fittings up 6.8% in the quarter.¹

It is not only builders' suppliers. In CCIWA's September quarter survey, 80% of WA businesses named rising costs as a barrier to growth, and 30% said they had been affected by supply chain disruptions.²

Costs that move also change the risk in a quote. WA Consumer Protection explains that an accepted quote is a binding price, while an estimate is an approximate cost that can change.³ If you quote a fixed price and then buy the materials weeks later, the difference comes out of your margin. Knowing what has been ordered, and what is already in stock, makes it easier to check prices before you commit.

In many small businesses, the answers sit in a supplier portal, an email inbox, a docket on the dashboard of the ute and the memory of whoever last went to the shelf.

How Purchasing and Inventory help

EasyDone has two features that work together here.

Purchasing keeps purchase requirements, supplier orders and received goods connected, so it is easier to answer what has been ordered and what is still missing. In practice you can:

see the purchase requirement behind the job;
prepare and review the supplier order;
record received items against the order.

Inventory shows your stock, what has already been reserved and what the next job needs. Product details stay close, so the team can find the right item. You can:

check available and reserved quantities;
find the product image and details;
see when more needs to be purchased.

Together they cover the path from "this job needs it" to "it is here". Inventory shows whether you already have the item, or whether it is reserved for another job. In Purchasing, you prepare and review a supplier order for what is missing, then record what actually arrived against that order.

There is also a document workflow that matches supplier emails to the right order. It requires configured mail and AI connections.

An example: a fictional Perth plumbing business

This is an example, not a customer story. Picture Banksia Plumbing & Gas: an owner, three plumbers, an apprentice and an office manager. They do maintenance, hot water replacements and small renovation rough-ins across the northern suburbs.

On a Monday the office manager has four jobs booked for later in the week, including a bathroom rough-in and two hot water replacements.

Check stock first. In Inventory, she sees the copper fittings for the rough-in on the shelf. Two of the pressure-limiting valves the hot water jobs need are already reserved for another job, so they are not really available.
Raise what is missing. In Purchasing, she sees the purchase requirement behind each job and prepares one supplier order for the valves and a hot water unit, then reviews it before it goes.
Look at the price before committing. One of the hot water jobs was quoted a while ago. Before sending the order, she rings the supplier for the current price, compares it with what was allowed in the quote and flags the difference to the owner. What to do about it is the owner's call, but nobody finds out after the invoice.
Record what arrives. On Wednesday only part of the order arrives. She records the received items against the order, so anyone can see the unit is still missing before the plumber drives out.
Plan the next order. Inventory shows when more valves need to be purchased, so the next order is not a surprise.

The same pattern fits an electrical contractor waiting on a switchboard, an air-conditioning installer reserving units for a busy summer, or an IT business holding hardware for a client's office move.

What it doesn't do

It is worth being clear about the limits.

Matching supplier emails needs set-up. The workflow that reads supplier documents and matches them to orders requires configured mail and AI connections. Without them, you record orders and deliveries yourself.
It doesn't set your prices or fix a quote. The software shows what was ordered and what is in stock. Deciding whether to absorb a cost rise, use an estimate or include a price review clause in your terms is a business decision. Get advice if you are unsure what your quotes commit you to.
It doesn't count the shelf for you. Stock figures are only as good as what the team records when items are used or received.
It isn't your supplier's system. Delivery dates and stock levels at the wholesaler still come from the supplier.

How to get started

Start with a short list: the materials you buy most often, the suppliers you order from, and where you keep stock today, whether that is a warehouse, a garage or the back of each van. Note how you currently find out that an order is incomplete. That list is a good starting point for a conversation.

EasyDone is built in Perth, and setup and support are personal. You can read more about Purchasing and Inventory, see how it works, or talk to us using the form below.