Copper moves every week. Compare wire prices size by size.
Send one RFQ for the wire schedule and every supplier's price per foot lines up size by size. Award best price gives each size to the cheapest quote, and the POs are generated, one per supplier.
Three places wire money goes missing
Each demo is the real app with sample figures in USD. RFQ means request for quotes; PO means purchase order.
- 01What we hear
“We bought another reel of #6 while 600 feet sat at the shop.”
Move leftover wire to the job that needs it
See what the shop and each jobsite hold before you buy. Pick where the spare wire is, the job that needs it and the footage, and the transfer is recorded as in transit until the job receives it.
Saves money|Wire you already own gets used before you buy more.
- 02What we hear
“The reel tag says 1,000 feet. The footage marks say 740.”
Receive the footage you measured, not the tag
Photograph the delivery ticket and pick the PO. The foreman keys the footage actually received; the line is marked Short with a note, and only what arrived is booked.
Saves money|Wire that never arrived never gets paid for.
- 03What we hear
“Copper went up after we ordered. The invoice came in at the new price.”
Pay the price on the PO, not this week's copper price
Every invoice line is matched against the PO price and what the field received. Wire billed above the PO price turns red, and the invoice can't be approved until someone records why.
Saves money|A price increase nobody agreed to is caught before the invoice is paid.
Keep the specification with the order
Record the size, grade and buying unit on each line, then use the order to check what arrives and what is billed.
- THHN/THWN-2 and XHHW-2 copper by AWG and kcmil · per foot or per reel
- MC cable by conductor count and size
- EMT, rigid and PVC conduit by trade size · 10' sticks
- Switchgear and panelboards by equipment tag and rating
- Disconnects and breakers by amperage
- Fittings, boxes, strut and cable tray by size
Electrical contractors
Before you start
Can each wire size and type be its own material?
Yes. Set up a material for each conductor you buy, by size, insulation and color, and buy it in feet throughout. Quotes, orders, receiving and invoices then compare apples to apples.
How do we record a short reel?
Key the feet actually received against the PO line and add a note or photo. The line is marked Short, the rest stays owed on the PO, and the supplier's invoice is matched against what you received.
Can we use wire left over at the shop or another job?
Yes. Check each location's stock, then create a transfer from the location with spare wire to the job that needs it. You choose the location and the footage; nothing moves on its own.
On the same project
Procurement for the other trades
Mechanical contractors
Quote valves line by line, see equipment dates beside jobsite dates and stop paying above the PO.
Framing & drywall contractors
Refuse broken board at the gate, deliver floor by floor and catch charges nobody agreed to.
Civil & drainage
Match quarry invoices to the loads you received, price trucking in and refuse cracked pipe.
Put your next wire schedule out to quote
Start with one RFQ on one job. Nothing else has to change on day one.