Choose the contractor account you need from the supplier
Ask the supplier to explain its cash and credit account options. For a pay-at-purchase arrangement, confirm when payment is due and which methods it accepts. For credit, confirm the application, approval, limit, and payment terms. A customer profile does not by itself let you buy on credit.
Builders FirstSource describes a credit application reviewed by its credit team. It directs customers to a local location or their rep for assistance. Submitting the application does not confirm approval or payment terms.
Ask whether you can buy while the application is pending and which terms apply then. Do not send the foreman to charge materials while approval is pending. Wait for the supplier to confirm the account status and authorized access.
Use the supplier selection guide before concentrating purchases in one account. Check that the supplier can handle your materials and delivery area as well as your account.
Get the application and prepare your business details
Get the current application from the supplier. Use the applying business’s legal name and contact details. Ask which information and documents this supplier requires. Another yard’s checklist may differ.
Before completing the form, prepare answers to these practical questions:
- Which business will purchase and pay for the materials?
- Who can sign the application for that business?
- Where should invoices and statements go?
- Which person handles disputed charges or credits?
- Which jobs and material categories will use the account?
- Who can verify the references the supplier requests?
Use these questions to prepare; required records vary by supplier. Send sensitive application documents through the supplier’s designated channel. Keep them out of a public profile or a message to an unrelated salesperson.
If you do not understand a personal guarantee, security terms, collection charges, or other obligations, take the application to your attorney. Ask the supplier to identify the terms that apply. Do not rely on a rep’s casual summary as the agreement.
NCDOR says real property contractors generally pay sales and use tax on materials used for a real property contract unless an exemption applies. For any tax-related certificate, ask your CPA or the relevant revenue agency whether your business and purchase qualify. Do not submit a certificate merely because another contractor uses one. This guide provides no resale or tax exemption advice.
Compare cash and credit terms in writing
Before choosing, ask how you buy under each option. Compare the written terms offered to your business.
Scroll to read all columns.
| Point to confirm | Pay-at-purchase account | Credit account |
|---|---|---|
| Payment timing | When must each order be paid? | What due date or statement terms apply? |
| Release conditions | What payment releases a pickup or delivery? | What approval and available credit release it? |
| Buyer controls | How are authorized purchases identified? | How are authorized charges identified? |
| Deposits | Which orders need advance payment? | Can an order need a deposit despite credit approval? |
| Disputes | How is a refund or correction handled? | How is a disputed invoice handled before its due date? |
| Records | Which receipts and confirmations are provided? | Which invoices, statements, and credits are provided? |
Save the accepted terms with the application and approval. Record the account number in the business’s secure purchasing records. Give staff only the information and access they need for their role.
Ask what happens if a purchase would exceed the limit or fall outside agreed terms. Name who contacts credit and who can approve another payment arrangement. Resolve payment questions before the crew reaches the loading counter.
Name authorized buyers and set their limits
List each person’s purchasing permissions before the first crew pickup. Specify who can request quotes, place orders, approve product changes, collect material, and receive deliveries. Ask how the supplier records those permissions.
Lowe’s Pro Desk page refers to authorized buyers using dedicated checkout. Ask how the local process works. Check buyer controls separately at other suppliers.
For each buyer, list the jobs and material categories they can buy for. Set approval limits that fit their work. Ask the supplier which controls it can enforce and which remain your responsibility.
If a sub picks up builder-purchased materials, send the project and accepted order reference. State whether the sub can collect that package only or request additions. Route extra purchases back to the person authorized to approve them.
Set a process for changing access when employees leave or change roles. Ask the supplier to remove old access and acknowledge the update. Review shared logins and account contacts at the same time. Remove purchasing access tied to a phone number no one checks.
Connect every purchase to the job record
Use a consistent project reference on quotes, orders, pickups, deliveries, and invoices. Ask the supplier which reference fields its system supports. Use the same job name so the office can match the records.
Identify who holds the original order and who receives the delivery record. Builders FirstSource describes purchase-order submission and delivery photos through its customer platform. Ask what records your supplier provides; its services may differ.
Follow the jobsite delivery process to document shortages or damage. Send the order reference and exact affected items to the supplier. Keep replacement requests and credit requests connected to the original purchase.
The IRS identifies invoices, receipts, and paid bills as supporting business documents. Keep those records with the job reference.
For a desk pickup, compare the released package with the order through the supplier’s process. Save the receipt and notes about outstanding items. Send the record to the office before the charge becomes an unexplained statement entry.
The pro desk guide helps define who handles a quote, a pickup, or a change. Use a named contact for open purchasing questions and a separate billing contact when the supplier requires it.
Keep the account in good standing
Set a schedule to check invoices and statements against orders and receiving records. Mark disputed items clearly. Ask the supplier how to handle undisputed payment and open issues under the account’s actual terms.
Track credit requests until the supplier records the correction. A returned item, an acknowledged shortage, and an issued credit are different statuses. Ask which status applies before reducing a payment on your own.
Track due dates from the accepted agreement. Keep payment confirmation with the invoice or statement reference. If cash flow makes a commitment uncertain, contact the supplier before assuming it will extend the terms.
SBA’s financial-management guidance includes accounts payable, available cash, and bank reconciliation among the functions someone must manage. Name who handles the books and who approves payments. The construction bookkeeping guide explains how to separate transaction recording, review, and payment approval. You can give someone the bookkeeping work while limiting purchasing and payment authority.
Review the account after the first project. Ask whether the buyer list, references, billing route, and return process worked. Fix access, references, and billing problems before more jobs use the account.
If you handle the supplier side, use winning builder accounts to agree who orders, receives, and handles invoice questions.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha supplier profiles show brands carried, and Messages lets members begin contact. Use that conversation to find the relevant supplier representative. Complete account applications, credit review, authorized-buyer setup, and payment through the supplier’s own process.