Introducing Mobile Purchase Orders: Order Parts From Any Work Order, Right From the Field

You're on the roof servicing an HVAC unit. You open the work order, check the parts list, and the filter you need is out of stock. Until now, you had three options: leave the job and find a computer, text your manager and hope someone files it, or promise yourself you'll do it later. All three cost you time, and the last one usually means the PO never gets created at all.

That gap is closed. Purchase Orders now can be managed entirely out in the field within the UpKeep mobile app. Create the PO right from the work order, pick a vendor and quantities, and send it for approval before you climb back down. It's live today for users on iOS and Android.

What Are Mobile Purchase Orders?

Mobile Purchase Orders brings PO creation and tracking into the UpKeep mobile app, so the person who discovers a missing part is the person who orders it. Technicians raise the PO in the moment, and purchasing and admins receive requests that arrive complete, on time, and linked to the work that needs them.

This is not the desktop PO form shrunk onto a phone. It's a mobile-first flow built for the moment you realize you need a part: standing at the asset, one hand free, limited time. You start where you already are, inside the work order, and you're a few taps from a submitted PO.

What You Can Do

Create a PO straight from a work order. Tap Create Purchase Order in the work order details and the out-of-stock parts are already filled in. Give it a title, select a vendor, set the date you need the parts by, and adjust quantities. Need something else? Add more parts to the same order.

Start a PO from anywhere. Not every parts need begins on a work order. Open the + menu and create a purchase order from wherever you are in the app.

Track every PO at a glance. Open the purchase order list from the More screen to see every PO and its status: awaiting approval, approved, fulfilled, or declined. When an admin approves or declines on the web, the status updates on your phone.

Never order the same part twice. A PO raised from a work order shows up on that work order. Anyone who opens it can see what's already been ordered, so duplicate orders stop before they start.

See what's been delivered and where. Check which parts have arrived and the address they shipped to, right from the PO.

Use it on iOS and Android. Available today for every mobile user, on both platforms.

Why We Built It

Purchase orders are a core workflow for teams that manage parts, inventory, and vendors. Until now, that workflow lived entirely on desktop. The people who actually discover that a part is missing or running low, your field technicians, had no way to act on it from the app they use all day.

Mobile PO creation has been one of our most requested features, and the reason is simple. Every trip back to the office is downtime. Every text to a manager is a request that can get lost. Every "I'll file it later" is a PO that quietly never happens, disconnected from the work order that needed it. And when a PO does get filed, there was no way to see it from mobile, so teams ordered the same part twice.

We designed this release around the specific moment a technician needs a part, from inside the work order they're already working on. That's where the value is, and that's what you asked for.

How It Works

Open a work order in the UpKeep mobile app and tap the new Create Purchase Order button in the work order details. Fill in a title, select a vendor, and set the due date for when you need the parts. Choose quantities for the parts already on the work order, add any others you need, and include notes for purchasing. Review the order and submit it.

The PO enters Awaiting Approval, the same approval process your admins use on the web today. Nothing changes on their side. The PO appears in the purchase orders section of that work order, and in your PO list under the More screen, where you can follow it from approval through fulfillment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Purchase Orders

Who can create purchase orders from mobile?

Technicians can create and submit POs directly from the mobile app. You no longer need administrator access on desktop to get a parts order started.

Does this change how POs get approved?

No. A PO created on mobile enters the same Awaiting Approval status and follows the same approval process your team uses on the web today. Admins approve or decline as they always have, and the status updates on mobile.

Do I have to start from a work order?

No. Starting from a work order is the fastest path because the out-of-stock parts are already filled in. You can also create a PO from anywhere in the app using the + menu.

How do I keep two people from ordering the same part?

A PO created from a work order appears on that work order. Anyone who opens the work order sees the PO and its status before they order, so duplicates stop before they start. You can also check your full PO list under the More screen.

Can I see where parts were delivered?

Yes. Open a PO to see which parts have been delivered and the address they shipped to.

Which platforms is it available on?

Mobile Purchase Orders is available today on both iOS and Android.

Try Mobile Purchase Orders Today

Mobile Purchase Orders is live now for UpKeep customers on iOS and Android. Update the UpKeep app, open a work order, and tap Create Purchase Order the next time a part is missing. Your purchasing team gets a complete request in seconds, and your technician gets back to work. Not an UpKeep customer yet? Sign up for a free trial or book a demo and see how purchasing works when it starts from the field.

Not an UpKeep customer yet? Sign up for a free trial or book a demo and see what your team could be running by the end of the day.