With this release, you can now create custom material line items directly within a Purchase Order. These items are tracked in inventory but are flagged as a special order item, perfect for one-time purchases or materials you don’t want to keep as regular stock.
How to add a special order/custom material in a PO
- Go to Purchasing > Purchase Orders.
- Click Create New.
- Fill in the basic PO information (supplier, job, required by date, etc.).
- Under Add Item, select Create new material.
- Toggle Set as special order item.
- Enter the material details (name, description, quantity, unit cost, etc.).
- Save and send the PO as usual.
What happens after creation
- The material will appear in the PO with a “Special Order” tag.
- It will also show in the catalog as inactive until the PO is received and reconciled.
- When the PO is reconciled, the material will appear in the stock location or job where it was received showing the “Special Order” tag.
How it behaves in inventory
- Once the special order material is consumed (used in a job or marked as transferred/consumed), it will remove itself from inventory and deactivate in the catalog automatically.
- This ensures that one-time items don’t clutter your catalog or inventory long-term.
- If needed, you can edit the item later and remove the “special order” flag to turn it into a regular material.
Example use case
You need to order a unique replacement part that’s not in your catalog and may never be ordered again.
- Add it as a special order material in the PO.
- Reconcile it into your stock or directly into the job.
- Once consumed, it disappears automatically from your active inventory.
Video Tutorial
✅ This feature gives you flexibility to handle ad-hoc or one-time purchases without bloating your catalog, while still ensuring everything is properly tracked through Ply.