Use this guide to create a subcontract or Purchase Order, build and protect its SOV, prepare contract documents for approval and e-signature, manage invoices and payments, download a PDF, and understand accounting consequences.
Start here
- Create a subcontract or PO: Create a Commitment or Purchase Order.
- Start from an awarded bid: Create Commitments from bids.
- Build the billing lines: Build, import, and lock the SOV.
- Send for approval and signature: Prepare a Commitment for e-signature.
- Process billing: Use invoices and payments.
- Download, void, or delete: Use Commitment actions.
- Something is blocked: Troubleshoot Commitments.
Create and structure
Create a Commitment or Purchase Order
- Open Commitments.
- Select Add Commitment, or open its dropdown and select Add Purchase Order.
- Choose the vendor company.
- Enter the contract number, title, dates, and scope.
- Save, then build the SOV and confirm retention.
- Add attachments or prepare the formal contract document.
Use a Commitment for subcontracted scope that needs contract administration, an SOV, retention, changes, and progress invoices. Use a Purchase Order for purchased goods or a simpler vendor agreement. A Purchase Order is stored with Commitments and starts at zero retention.
Search by company, title, number, or type. A Purchase Order can't serve as the Prime Contract.
Create Commitments from bids
- Open the received bid package.
- Select the awarded bids.
- Open Bulk Actions and select Create N Commitment(s).
- Review the companies and amounts.
- Confirm.
- Open each new Commitment and complete scope, coding, retention, signers, SOV lines, and documents.
Constructable skips a company that already has a Commitment on the project and identifies it in the dialog. Review the existing contract before creating another one for the same scope.
A Commitment created from a bid is a Draft starting point, not an executed agreement.
Build, import, and lock the SOV
Add SOV lines manually or import a CSV on desktop web. Confirm:
- Description
- Cost code and cost type
- Subproject, when used
- Amount
- Retention
Lock the SOV after the contract structure is approved. Unlocking requires Unlock the SOV for editing on a commitment and should correct the SOV itself. New scope after approval belongs on a Change Order.
SOV lines can be read-only because the SOV is locked, the Commitment is executed, a Change Order created the line, or invoice activity exists. Use the disabled control's explanation before changing history.
Note: Recoding a line after billing begins splits invoice history. Correct a Change Order-created line through its Change Order.
Set retention and contract details
The organization's Default Retention Percent supplies the starting rate for new contract lines. A Purchase Order starts at zero retention. Authorized users can set a different rate on individual lines while status and invoice history allow it.
Keep the contract's scope, dates, attachments, insurance requirement, and SOV together. These values appear in contract administration, Change Orders, invoices, Payment Applications, and reports.
Approval and status
Prepare a Commitment for e-signature
- Finish the Draft Commitment and SOV.
- Select Actions → Prepare for Esigning.
- Upload the contract document.
- Configure approvers, signers, recipients, and signature fields.
- Optionally require the signer to provide insurance before signing.
- Confirm and send.
Configured approvers act in order while the contract is Awaiting Approval. It then moves through Out for Signing, Ready to Countersign, and Fully Executed.
Notifications follow the configured approval and signing order. While the e-signature flow is active, status can't be changed manually.
Commitments can also be Under Revision or Void. Editing after execution requires Edit commitments and change orders after they have been executed and may not update an accounting document already created from the execution.
Understand status consequences
- Draft: contract details and SOV are being prepared.
- Awaiting Approval: configured approvers are reviewing in sequence.
- Out for Signing: a signer owes the next action.
- Ready to Countersign: the other party signed and the countersigner is next.
- Fully Executed: the contract document flow is complete.
- Under Revision: the agreement is being revised.
- Void: the record remains in history but isn't active.
Use a Change Order for approved scope or value added after execution. Don't unlock the SOV or edit the executed contract merely to make new scope fit.
Billing, documents, and connected work
Use invoices and payments
The Invoices block shows progress billing against the Commitment SOV. The prior invoice normally must be Approved before the next can be created. See How to use Invoices for submission, blocked states, approval, lien waivers, and Payment Applications.
The Payments block records cash allocated to Approved invoices:
- Select Add Payment.
- Enter date, method, reference, and amount.
- Allocate payment lines to invoices.
- Save and verify remaining amounts due.
Allocations that cover an invoice move it to Paid. Reducing or deleting a Payment can reverse that status. Payment does not change the Commitment value.
Create and review Commitment Change Orders
Create vendor Change Orders inside a Change Event and select the affected Commitment. Add cost-coded lines, retention, subproject, amount, and supporting documents.
When a Change Order becomes Fully Executed, its lines become available on the Commitment SOV for billing. Billable On separately controls when its amount counts in billable reporting. See How to use Change Events.
Use Commitment actions
From Actions:
- Prepare for Esigning appears for a Draft without an active signing flow.
- Download PDF compiles the Commitment or Purchase Order PDF.
- Delete Commitment opens a destructive confirmation.
Use Void when the agreement should remain in project history but stop being active. Before deleting, review the confirmation and dependent financial records. Deletion is not the normal correction workflow for an executed or invoiced agreement.
Accounting and troubleshooting
Understand Commitment accounting sync
Sage Intacct can exchange Commitments, Purchase Orders, Change Orders, SOV lines, and invoices according to configured document types and mappings. Executing a Commitment can create the corresponding Sage purchasing document.
Some outbound Sage flows create the document but don't send later edits. Editing an executed Commitment in Constructable can therefore require a deliberate correction in Sage.
QuickBooks cost sync is generally invoice- and cost-driven rather than contract-driven. Approved vendor invoices can become Bills or Vendor Credits according to the configuration.
Use the integration control to inspect the existing link. Fix and retry a failed link instead of creating a duplicate contract or invoice.
Procore financial migration is a one-time implementation transfer, not a live sync. It can bring Commitments, SOV lines, Change Orders, Billing Periods, invoice submissions and lines, invoice attachments, and payment-related lines from a Procore export.
Review the migration validation report before relying on imported balances. The transfer skips:
- Change Orders tied to more than one Change Event
- Void or terminated Commitments and Change Orders
- Rejected Change Orders
- Zero-dollar lines
Purchase Orders arrive as Commitments, and projects where one vendor has several Commitments aren't supported. Work entered later in Procore doesn't continue to Constructable.
Troubleshoot Commitments
Commitment is missing
Confirm the Financial package, View commitments and purchase orders, company-level access, project, search, and type filters.
An awarded company was skipped
It already has a Commitment on the project. Review that contract before creating another.
An SOV line can't be edited
Check lock, execution, Change Order source, and invoice activity. Use a Change Order for later scope.
Prepare for Esigning is missing
The Commitment must be Draft, no active signing flow can exist, and the user needs financial write access.
Status can't be changed
An active e-signature flow controls it. Complete or resolve the approval and signing sequence.
A subcontractor can't create the next invoice
Check for SOV lines, the prior invoice's approval, a newer invoice, Billing Period access, and the user's company-level Submit invoices for approval permission.