Managing the Bill of Materials (BOM)

For system integrations and control panel fabrications, hardware materials often represent a significant portion of a project's cost. Managing your Bill of Materials (BOM) accurately in Time Assign ensures that component costs are properly accounted for, protecting your project's bottom line.

Adding Materials to the BOM

Project managers and procurement leads can log materials against specific tasks and line items within the project interface.

1. Navigate to your project dashboard and select Materials.
2. Click Add Component to log a new part.
3. Assign the component to a relevant Line Item to ensure costs are tracked against the correct budget.
4. Input the Quantity, Unit Cost, and Markup (if applicable).

The Impact of Real-Time Component Costs

Supply chain volatility means prices for industrial hardware—such as Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs), PLCs, and specialized sensors—can fluctuate significantly during a project's lifecycle.

When you log materials with their actual purchase price rather than a preliminary estimated cost, Time Assign immediately recalculates the project's real profitability.

For example, if you budgeted $500 for a specific VFD but had to purchase an expedited replacement for $750:

• The $250 variance is immediately reflected in the project's cost-to-complete metrics.
• Management receives real-time visibility into the shrinking margin.
• You can rapidly determine if a Change Order is required to recoup unexpected material cost overruns from the client.

Linking Hardware to Field Engineering

Often, the hardware specified in the BOM needs to be integrated, commissioned, or modified in the field. Keeping the BOM up-to-date allows your field engineers to know exactly what materials they should have on hand, minimizing downtime and ensuring smooth execution during site deployments.