Smart Contractor allows you to track inventory for Products.

A Product is the material or object that is used for an item in a job estimate.

For example, the product for the "Window 1" estimate item might be "30x30 Vinyl double pane slider window", and the product for estimate item "Window 2" might be "30x40 Vinyl double pane slider window".

The Product specifically identifies the material or object that will be purchased for use in fulfilling the estimated job item. Products are what are ordered in Purchase Orders. Products can also be used to track the inventory of the product that you store in a warehouse.

To track the inventory of a product, first you must create one or more "Warehouses". In Smart Contractor, a Warehouse is actually a type of Vendor. To create a Warehouse, add a new vendor in the Edit Vendor/Sub form and set the prompt for Type to "Warehouse". If you have more than one warehouse, create a separate warehouse record for each warehouse, and give each a different name ("Warehouse 1", "Warehouse 2", etc.).

Then, to enter the inventory count for a Product, go to the Edit Product form, and add or edit the product record. In the Inventory grid, select the warehouse in the Warehouse column, and enter the count and cost of the inventory on hand. Click OK to save.

You can use the Print Product Listing report to print a list of all products you have entered.

You can use the Print Inventory Listing report to print a list of all products for which you have inventory (and the count and cost of the products in inventory).

Once you have recorded the inventory count for a product, the Smart Contractor program will automatically check the warehouse(s) for inventory in two parts of the program:

1. When you select the product in the Edit Estimate form. If the product is found in the inventory of a warehouse, the program will display a note telling you that you have inventory in the warehouse for that product, and asking if you want to use the inventory for the estimate. If you click Yes, that warehouse will be selected as the vendor for the product, and the inventory cost per unit (entered in the cost column of the Inventory grid in the Edit Product form) will be copied to the estimated cost.
   
2. When you create a purchase order in the Create Purchase Orders form. When job items (with a product assigned) are loaded into the item list, if an item does not already have a vendor assigned, the program will check to see if there is inventory for the product available in any warehouse. If sufficient inventory is available, the warehouse will be assigned as the vendor for that item.

Note: When checking for available inventory of a product, Smart Contractor will not include the count of the product that has been "reserved" (purchase ordered) by other items (in the same job or other jobs). Inventory of a product is "reserved" when the product has been purchase ordered from the warehouse. A purchase order from a warehouse is entered in the Create Purchase Orders form, and is exactly like any other purchase order except that the vendor is the warehouse.

Smart Contractor will reduce the warehouse inventory count of a product when you enter a "purchase" for that item from the warehouse in the Enter Purchases form. When you select a warehouse in the prompt for Vendor in the Enter Purchases form, Smart Contractor will subtract the purchase quantity from that warehouse's inventory. If you delete the warehouse purchase entry, Smart Contractor will automatically add back to the warehouse's inventory.

The "Inventory Listing" report shows the count of product inventories for each warehouse, and any "reserves" (purchase orders) against the inventory. "Reserves" appear immediately below each product listed. Each reserve line shows the count of the product that has been reserved, and the name of the item and job for which it has been reserved.