Parts control becomes difficult when each team sees only one piece of the transaction. Reception knows the job needs a part, the technician knows what was fitted, the supplier knows what was delivered, and accounts knows what was invoiced. Nobody can explain the whole chain without making several phone calls.
A useful workshop system keeps ordering, receiving, stock movement, job use and supplier accounting separate but connected.
Use the right document for each event
Four records that are often collapsed into one are actually different:
- Purchase order: what the garage authorised a supplier to provide.
- Goods receipt: what physically arrived and when.
- Supplier invoice: what the supplier charged and when payment is due.
- Stock movement: how quantity moved into, out of or between stock records.
One document cannot safely stand in for all four. An order may be partly delivered, a supplier may invoice separately, or an item may be returned after receipt.
Motorworks keeps purchase orders, receiving, stock movements and supplier accounts as related records.
Begin with the job or replenishment reason
Before placing an order, identify why the garage needs the part:
- a specific customer job
- replenishment of workshop stock
- vehicle-sale preparation
- warranty or rework
- equipment or internal use
A job-linked order makes it easier to carry cost and quantity through to the repair. A replenishment order should identify the receiving location and catalogue item. Avoid assigning every order to a placeholder job simply to satisfy the software; that produces misleading job costs.
Record supplier options without losing the chosen source
The same part may be available from several suppliers with different cost, lead time, brand or warranty. A catalogue can retain those options, but the purchase record should preserve the source actually chosen for that order.
Useful fields include:
- supplier and supplier part number
- workshop part number or description
- quantity and unit cost
- expected date
- delivery location
- linked job where applicable
- person who authorised the purchase
Changing the current catalogue cost later should not rewrite historical job or purchase costs.
Receive what arrived, not what was ordered
When delivery arrives, compare it with the open purchase order and record actual quantities. Handle:
- complete receipt
- partial receipt
- substituted item
- damaged item
- over-delivery
- back order
Do not mark the whole order received because the supplier docket is in the tray. Partial receiving preserves what is still due and prevents unavailable parts appearing as stock.
Where a job is waiting, the receipt can make the item available for issue to that job. The movement should show the receipt date, quantity, cost basis and source document.
Issue parts to the job explicitly
A part sitting on the bench is not yet a reliable job-cost record. Issue or add the item to the job with:
- quantity fitted or consumed
- sale price and agreed discount
- VAT treatment
- technician or staff user
- source stock location or job-linked order
The customer invoice should reflect what was actually supplied, not the original ordered quantity. Unused items need to return to stock or enter the supplier-return process.
Motorworks job cards connect labour, parts and notes to the repair, while stock movements retain the quantity history.
Handle returns as a reversal with a reason
Deleting the original receipt or job line hides what happened. A return should create a new dated record linked to the original movement or purchase.
Record:
- item and quantity returned
- source job, receipt or stock location
- reason
- condition
- supplier return reference
- expected supplier credit
- actual supplier credit when received
Keep the operational return and the supplier credit distinct. Shipping a part back does not prove the supplier has accepted a credit, and receiving a credit does not by itself prove stock quantity was corrected.
Use stocktakes to explain differences
A stocktake compares recorded quantity with physical quantity. It should not simply replace the number.
For each variance, retain:
- quantity before count
- physical count
- adjustment quantity
- reason or investigation note
- location
- person and time
Repeated variances on the same item may point to unrecorded job use, receiving errors, unit-of-measure problems or catalogue duplicates. The adjustment history gives the workshop something concrete to investigate.
Keep supplier accounting connected
After receiving, accounts still needs to record the supplier invoice, due date, credit notes and payments. Match the supplier reference carefully and protect against duplicates.
A supplier statement should be reconcilable to:
- supplier invoices
- supplier credits
- payments and allocations
- open balances
Motorworks supports aged-creditor and purchase-daybook views as part of supplier account control. The garage’s accountant should confirm how those records are exported or posted to the formal ledger.
Keep tax-supporting purchase records
Revenue says businesses should continuously keep records used to calculate tax, including purchase receipts, sales invoices, nominal ledgers and accounting books. Its VAT guidance also requires full and true records supporting VAT-related transactions.
Read Revenue’s business record guidance and VAT record guidance. A purchase-order system supports this process, but the garage still needs the supplier invoices and accounting records required for its circumstances.
A weekly exception list
Instead of counting every washer on Friday evening, review the transactions most likely to need action:
- overdue open purchase orders
- partial receipts with no expected date
- received items not issued to stock or job
- job parts with no cost
- supplier returns awaiting credit
- duplicate supplier invoice references
- negative stock quantities
- stocktake adjustments without reasons
- completed jobs with ordered parts still outstanding
Exceptions turn stock control into a manageable routine. The goal is not a perfect-looking quantity; it is a history that explains the quantity.
Book a Motorworks demo to follow one part through order, receipt, job issue, customer invoice and supplier payment.
Official sources
Reviewed against the linked Revenue guidance and current Motorworks workflow on 2 September 2026. Confirm accounting and VAT treatment with your adviser.
