Start with a list you can actually order from
A mood board explains the direction. An order list must identify the exact product. Give each item a stable reference, such as LIV-01 for a living-room chair, and keep that reference on the specification, quote and supplier order. If the finish changes, update the version rather than creating an unconnected second item.
For each piece, record the room, supplier, model, finish, dimensions, quantity and quoted price. Add delivery and installation where they are separate. In larger projects this information often sits within an FF&E schedule: furniture, fixtures and equipment. A small residential studio can use the same approach without turning the list into a complicated database.
- Item reference, room and exact specification.
- Quantity, supplier quote and quote expiry date.
- Quoted price, whether tax is included, and any separate delivery or installation costs.
- Approval owner, order deadline and required delivery date.
- Supplier-confirmed lead time, payment conditions and current status.
Work backwards from installation
Start with the date the item is needed on site. Then allow for delivery arrangements, the supplier's lead time, order processing and the client's decision. Ask when the lead time starts: the order date, receipt of a deposit, approval of drawings or confirmation of a fabric choice. These can be different dates.
For a worked example, suppose a chair is needed in week 12. The supplier confirms six weeks from receipt of the deposit to delivery. You allow one further week before installation and one week for approval and payment. The decision is therefore due by the start of week 4, with the deposit received by the start of week 5 and delivery targeted for the start of week 11. These are planning assumptions, not typical industry lead times; check the actual calendar, holidays and supplier capacity.
Tie the delivery to the relevant project stage. A pendant light needs the electrical details settled before installation. A fitted cabinet may need final site measurements before production. Moving an installation date should trigger a review of the related order and approval dates, rather than leaving an old deadline hidden in the list.
Separate a selection from an approved purchase
Use a short status sequence: shortlisted, awaiting approval, ready to order, ordered, delivered and installed. Show a delayed or disputed item clearly instead of forcing it into a completed status. Delivery and installation are separate milestones: a box in storage is not a finished room.
Before ordering, obtain confirmation of the exact specification, the price being approved and who is placing and paying for the order. Keep the dated approval with that item. The BIID's client guide stresses agreeing the scope of services at the outset; make the purchasing responsibility equally clear in the project record.
Keep the budget and order connected
Assign the purchase to an existing budget item. Record the agreed order value once, then link later documents and payments to that purchase. A deposit changes what has been paid; it does not create another chair or another full order cost.
If the client chooses a more expensive finish, show the difference and any delivery effect before placing the revised order. Keep the earlier quote for context. If the client buys directly, mark that responsibility clearly so the item stays visible in the programme without becoming a duplicate studio purchase.
Plan the last few metres of delivery
Check access, lift dimensions, unloading, storage and who receives the goods. Confirm who inspects the delivery and follows the supplier's process for reporting damage or missing parts. Use the supplier's actual terms rather than assuming a standard reporting period.
Review open purchases weekly: what needs approval, which dates are confirmed, what has changed and who takes the next action. Send the client a short decision list with deadlines instead of the entire working register.
Bring the plan into your project workspace
In Formendi, use supplier orders alongside the project budget and schedule to keep the purchasing plan close to the work it affects. Start with the items that have the longest confirmed lead times, then add the smaller purchases. Explore the sample project to see how orders, costs and stages fit together.