For partial deliveries of building materials, procurement software should link every receipt to a purchase order line and keep arrival quantities, inspection results and exception handling separate. The first truck arriving should not complete the whole order, and a signed delivery note should not automatically make every item accepted and available for use.
For purchasing teams serving several sites, the aim is a shared record with clear responsibilities: site staff identify usable materials, buyers track outstanding supply, and finance reviews unresolved differences. See our guide to choosing materials procurement software for Canadian contractors for the wider selection process. This article focuses on receiving and inspection after an order is placed.
Separate order lines, delivery events and inspection results
A purchase order may contain several materials, each arriving in multiple deliveries. Link three records: the order line specifies what was bought, how much and where it belongs; the receipt captures what arrived on this occasion; inspection and exception records explain what was accepted and what needs action.
Order line: material code, specification, unit, ordered quantity, project and delivery point. Preserve conversion factors when ordering in boxes and counting individual units.
Receipt: delivery note number, arrival time, physical count, receiver and supporting photographs or documents. Flag a repeated delivery note for review before it creates duplicate stock.
Inspection: accepted, awaiting-inspection and failed quantities, responsible person and outcome. Where relevant, link manufacturing lots, colour batches and test documents to the materials received.
A delivery event is not necessarily a manufacturing lot. One truck may carry several lots, while one lot may arrive on separate trucks. Ask whether the software can record both identities.
Reconcile a 100-unit order before buying software
The following figures are demonstration data, not a customer case. The order is for 100 identical units. The agreed quantity remains unchanged, and damaged units must be returned and replaced.
First delivery: the delivery note says 60 units, but the receiver counts 58. Of these, 56 pass inspection and two are damaged. The delivery-note discrepancy is two; the order quantity that has not yet arrived is 42. Record the two damaged units separately from accepted stock.
After the return: preserve the original 58-unit receipt and record a two-unit return. Net retained and accepted quantities are both 56. Under this example's replacement agreement, 44 remain due: 42 not yet delivered and two replacements.
Second delivery: 44 arrive and all pass inspection. Gross receipts total 102, returns total two, net retained quantity is 100 and accepted quantity is 100. The replacement should not be mistaken for an unexplained over-receipt.
A single “total delivered” figure cannot explain this sequence. Retain gross receipts, returns, acceptance and open exceptions. If the buyer instead accepts damaged goods at a discount or agrees to cancel outstanding supply, record the approval before changing the fulfilment and settlement basis. Do not rewrite the original receipt to make the numbers balance.
This demonstration flow separates physical arrival from acceptance and preserves the original receipt when goods are returned.
Define when received materials become usable
Define signing for a delivery, quality acceptance and release to usable stock according to the business process. Materials requiring inspection can be recorded as arrived and held in a designated area until released. Failed quantities follow a quarantine or return process. Photographs provide evidence but do not replace contractually required inspection or professional assessment.
For example, Odoo's official failure-location documentation describes routing failed quantities to a designated location and passed quantities to normal storage. This illustrates a separation of quality outcomes; it does not establish that every procurement product offers the same capability.
On Canadian projects, the responsible project team should determine material acceptance criteria from the contract, applicable requirements and project specifications. Software records the criteria, document version, inspector and release decision. It does not replace professional acceptance or determine whether a material is safe.
Give shortages, over-deliveries and substitutions distinct outcomes
A shortage may need a revised delivery date. Damage may result in a return, rework or an approved discount. Excess supply may be rejected, held or approved. A generic “resolved” status without the decision and its consequences is insufficient for later reconciliation.
Shortage: link the order line and delivery note, with an owner, expected replenishment date and any effect on the site schedule.
Return and replacement: connect the original receipt, return evidence and replacement receipt. State whether the replacement is chargeable so that a free replacement does not become another purchase.
Over-delivery: apply agreed tolerances or approval rules. Do not assume every excess unit is usable or payable.
Substitution: retain the specification difference and approver. Do not reduce the original material's outstanding quantity before the substitute is authorized.
Closing an exception should explain who decided, on what evidence, and how quantities or amounts changed. Corrections or reversals should preserve the audit trail; permissions should limit overwriting original records.
Compare the order, receipts and invoice
A supplier invoice does not prove that the order has passed inspection. Finance needs to compare agreed quantities and charges with receipts, returns and invoiced items. Deposits, progress payments and retention follow the actual contract; “pay exactly what has arrived” is not a universal rule.
Odoo's official bill-control guidance distinguishes billing on ordered quantities from billing on received quantities. Ask providers to demonstrate their configuration, while checking whether a recorded receipt is distinct from quality release. A software payment recommendation is also different from a completed payment.
In the example, if all 44 units in the second delivery are invoiced at the normal purchase price despite two being agreed free replacements, finance should be able to inspect the linked return and replacement evidence. Whether to hold payment or request an amended invoice depends on the contract and finance procedure.
Use five steps to evaluate the supplier's demonstration
Create a 100-unit order. Enter a delivery note for 60, a physical count of 58, 56 accepted units and two damaged units. Check that each difference remains visible.
Return two units without erasing the original receipt. Verify why 44 remain due under the stated agreement.
Receive and accept 44. Trace gross receipts of 102, returns of two, net retained quantity of 100 and accepted quantity of 100.
Resubmit the same delivery note and attempt an unapproved substitution. Review duplicate warnings, permissions and approval history.
Enter an invoice that differs from the agreement. Check that finance can review the differences and attachments, then export the linked records.
Classify each result as available, configuration required, development required or unsupported, and include it in the delivery scope. Standardized forms may suit occasional receiving. Multiple sites, frequent split shipments and returns make linked records, permissions and exception tracking more important than a button labelled “Inspect”.
When discussing materials procurement requirements with HUACODE, bring a sanitized order, two partial delivery notes and one return example. Asking each provider to process the same sample makes the implementation boundary clearer than asking only whether partial deliveries are supported.
Sources checked on 30 October 2026. Quantities and flow diagrams are demonstrations; confirm product capabilities through a demonstration and agreed delivery scope.