This page is where procurement activity lives in SubBase. It brings together material requests from the field, vendor quotes, and confirmed purchase orders so teams can see what has been requested, what is in progress, and what has been delivered.
Purpose
The Orders tab plays a central role in SubBase by serving as the system of record for all material procurement activity, from early requests through confirmed orders and delivery tracking.
Overview
The Orders tab is designed to give teams a single, reliable view of everything related to ordering materials. Users land here to understand what has been requested, which vendors are involved, where items are in the workflow, and what still needs attention.
This page connects field requests, purchasing decisions, vendor communication, and delivery status into one continuous flow.
Who Can Do This
Access to the Orders tab depends on role and company configuration.
Admins and Purchasers typically have full visibility and control.
Users and Material Requesters may have limited access focused on requests and visibility.
Before You Start
Before using the Orders page:
Projects must already exist in SubBase.
Vendors and materials should be available in your system.
Your role permissions determine what actions and views you can access.
What You Can See and Do in the Orders Tab
When you open the Orders page, you see a table-based view of all orders and RFQs you have access to.
You can:
Switch between All Projects or a specific project using the project selector.
Search orders by name, number, vendor, or keyword.
Filter orders by workflow status such as Drafted, Requested, Quoted, Ordered, Shipped, Partially Shipped, or Delivered.
Sort columns to quickly scan priorities and timelines.
Each row represents an order or RFQ and gives immediate visibility into vendor, project, delivery date, and current status. Orders are also flagged when items may be missing or when delivery quantities do not fully match what was ordered.
Create RFQs and Orders
The Orders page supports two closely related workflows that serve different purposes in the procurement process:
Requests for Quote (RFQs) are used to collect and compare vendor pricing before committing to a purchase. RFQs are initiated from this page using the two-page icon and allow teams to evaluate options before selecting a vendor.
Orders represent confirmed purchase orders sent to a specific vendor. Orders can be created directly from this page using the + action available within the Orders table. This is separate from the global + (Quick Create) button in the blue navigation bar.
Although RFQs and Orders may look similar in the table, they serve distinct roles and move through different stages as materials move from pricing to fulfillment.
Filters, Views, and Table Controls
The Orders table includes several built-in tools that affect what you see on screen:
View options that let you switch between different perspectives such as all orders, your orders, or recent time-based views like last month.
A filter panel that controls filtering in the table.
Columns in the table reflect which fields are currently active in the filter panel, so different users may see different table layouts.
Download options to export the current view for reporting or review.
These controls allow teams to tailor the Orders page view to what is most relevant, without changing the underlying order data.
Icons and Indicators
Across the Orders page, visual indicators help communicate status and available context at a glance:
Status labels show where an order or RFQ is in its lifecycle.
Flags indicate when items may be missing or when delivery quantities do not fully match what was ordered.
Icons indicate the presence of invoices, delivery activity, or internal context without displaying files.
When hovering over an RFQ, a blue page icon may appear, indicating access to tools such as RFQ leveling, depending on the record type and your permissions.
These indicators are designed to surface important signals quickly without requiring users to open each order.
Vendor Communication and Attachments
On the Orders page, vendor communication and file visibility are intentionally limited to keep the table view focused.
From this page, users can:
Add a quick comment to a vendor directly from the comment field at the end of an RFQ or order row.
See indicators showing whether invoices are attached to an order.
Identify when delivery information is available and open delivery details directly from the table, if that column is enabled in the current view.
Attachments themselves cannot be viewed or added from the Orders table. Files such as quotes, confirmations, proof of delivery, or invoices are accessed inside the order record rather than directly from this page.
Relationship to Other Pages
The Orders page connects closely with other areas of SubBase to provide end-to-end visibility:
Delivery dates and order statuses surface on both the Calendar and the Dashboard, giving teams a timeline-based and summary view of order activity.
Materials listed on each order roll up into the Materials tab. When searching for or reporting on specific materials across projects, the Materials tab is the best place to do so.
Financial commitments and pre-negotiated material pricing and quantities may appear in Commitments. Orders created from those commitments still live on the Orders page, and the associated commitment is linked directly in the corresponding row of the Orders table.
Invoices link back to their originating orders for reconciliation. When multiple invoices reference a single order, they will all appear in the Orders table view, and selecting an invoice redirects you to that specific invoice record.
Troubleshooting
I do not see an order I expect
I do not see an order I expect
This is usually related to project selection or permissions. Confirm you are viewing the correct project and that your role has access to the order.
I cannot take action on an order
I cannot take action on an order
Some actions are restricted by role, permission, or by order state. For example, sent orders cannot be edited or split.
FAQs
Are RFQs and Orders managed in the same place?
Are RFQs and Orders managed in the same place?
Yes. Both RFQs and Orders live in the Orders tab but follow different workflows.
Can I see orders across all projects?
Can I see orders across all projects?
Yes. Selecting All Projects shows all orders you have permission to view.
Best Practices
Use status filters daily to focus on what needs attention.
Keep order names clear and consistent for easier searching.
Rely on the table view to monitor progress before opening individual orders.
Treat the Orders page as your primary source of truth for procurement activity.