Trading Overview
The Trading module enables your organization to sell materials to customers independently of project management. It is part of the CRM functionality and is designed for businesses that routinely buy and sell stocked items alongside their construction or facilities management operations.
Access the Trading module from Execute > Trading in the main navigation menu. Trading functions are also accessible through the CRM section.
Why Use Trading?
Many construction and infrastructure companies maintain material inventories that they sell directly to customers outside of active projects. The Trading module provides a streamlined workflow for these supply-based transactions, handling the complete cycle from order creation through fulfillment and returns.
Rather than forcing supply-only transactions through the project management pipeline, Trading gives you a dedicated, lightweight process that still integrates fully with inventory, procurement, and finance.
Core Capabilities
| Feature | Description | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Orders | Create and fulfill customer material orders with automatic pricing from active catalogs | Streamlined order-to-delivery process |
| Catalogs & Pricing | Manage product catalogs with cost prices and selling prices for all tradeable materials | Consistent, centralized pricing |
| Customer Returns | Process returned materials with automatic restocking, credit notes, and accounting entries | Full financial and inventory reconciliation |
Trading Workflow
The typical trading workflow follows these stages:
- Set up a catalog — Define which materials are available for sale and configure cost and selling prices for each item.
- Activate the catalog — Make the catalog active so that sales orders can pull prices automatically. Only one catalog can be active at a time.
- Create a sales order — Select a customer, add materials and quantities, and let the system auto-populate prices from the active catalog.
- Submit for approval — Route the sales order through your configured approval workflow.
- Fulfill the order — Issue materials from stock to complete the order. If stock is insufficient, convert the order to a Material Requisition to trigger procurement.
- Process returns (if needed) — Handle any customer returns with automatic restocking, credit note generation, and accounting adjustments.
Key Integration Points
Trading does not operate in isolation. It connects with several other JobNext modules to ensure data consistency across the organization.
| Integration | Description |
|---|---|
| Procurement | Stock availability is checked during order fulfillment. Materials are issued from and returned to inventory. |
| Procurement | Approved sales orders can be converted into Material Requisitions when stock is insufficient, feeding into the standard procurement process. |
| Finance — Receivables | Sales invoices generated from fulfilled orders are tracked in accounts receivable. |
| Finance — Vouchers | All trading transactions automatically generate the appropriate accounting entries. |
| Preconstruction | Trading is part of the customer relationship management flow, linking sales activity to customer records. |
Keep your catalog prices current and remove discontinued items promptly. An accurate catalog ensures that sales orders are priced correctly from the start, reducing the need for manual price adjustments and approval delays.
Getting Started with Trading
If you are setting up the Trading module for the first time, follow this recommended sequence:
- Ensure your materials are defined in the Material Master.
- Create and configure a catalog with cost and selling prices.
- Activate the catalog to make it available for sales orders.
- Set up approval workflows for sales orders if required.
- Begin creating sales orders for your customers.