BlueCollar supports consuming inventory into projects and adjusting it directly from the project record. For the broader set of specialized capabilities, see Specialized Processes.
The standard path for moving inventory through a project is:
Sales Order → Item Fulfillment → Invoice → Return Authorization (RMA)
A Return Authorization itself has no GL impact — the accounting comes from the documents created against it:
Important: every inventory transaction — including Item Receipts from RMAs — must carry the correct BlueCollar Project segment. It's easy to miss on RMA item receipts, and when it's missed the company-level GL is still correct but the project cost reports are not. If returned-inventory cost isn't reversing on a project, check the project segment on the item receipts first.
Material T&M rules are triggered when inventory is received from a Transfer Order into a location flagged as a project location (the Project Locations preference). Rules can price by native NetSuite Customer Price, a Cost Markup %, or a target Gross Profit %. See Time and Materials Billing for the full rule model.
The Material Requisition tool is embedded on the project record's Materials tab. It lets project teams create inventory adjustments directly from the project, consuming materials with the right cost-code allocation. It's controlled by the Render Materials App global preference and the MATERIALS permissions (view requires MATERIALS_VIEW_LIST at FULL; creating adjustments requires MATERIALS_CREATE_INV_ADJUSTMENT at FULL).
Each line captures:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Location | Warehouse/location dropdown |
| Item | Items available at the selected location |
| Average Cost / Quantity on Hand | Shown once an item is selected (read-only) |
| Cost Code | Budgeted cost codes for the project, filtered by item |
| Adjusted By | The quantity to adjust (see serial/lot handling below) |
Changing the location resets the item; changing the item updates its average cost and quantity on hand, and filters the available cost codes.
Serialized and lot-tracked items can't have a quantity typed directly into Adjusted By — instead you click Adjust Quantity to open a serial/lot modal. The rules there protect inventory integrity:
When you save, lines that share the same account, location, and cost code are combined into a single Inventory Adjustment record (fewer transactions). The adjustment posts to each item's COGS/expense account — so if an item's expense account is misconfigured, its adjustment posts to the wrong GL account.
Note on lot tracking for fungible materials: lot tracking is possible in NetSuite but impractical for interchangeable, unmarked construction materials (e.g., crane mats) that move between projects and can't be physically tied back to an original lot. For those, lot tracking generally creates more overhead than value.