The invoice your rep already retyped
Today a distributor wins a package on a general contractor's email thread, ships against a PO number in a spreadsheet, and rebuilds the same lines in QuickBooks to send an invoice. Net terms on the PDF do not match what the estimator thought they awarded. A release ships while accounts receivable still shows the deposit open, and the follow-up is a thread that starts with "checking on payment for invoice 1042."
Material Engine keeps the award, the purchase order, each release, the invoice, and the payment on one procurement record, so the supplier bills what was specified and shipped, and the general contractor pays against the schedule they saw at award.
The supplier bills the PO, not a blank form
After award the purchase order carries the quoted subtotal, tax, payment schedule, and cap. When the supplier ships a release they open the invoice from that PO: release lines and amounts prefilled, sales tax consistent with how the quote was computed, and a total that cannot exceed what remains on the order. Structured payment terms from the quote (deposit, balance on delivery, milestone rows) become due dates on the invoice instead of a net-30 typed from memory.
The general contractor pays the schedule they awarded
The contractor's payment screen reads the same PO the supplier invoiced. Deposits and balance tranches match the quote's schedule, not a surprise rewrite at pay time. When a delivered PO still has an open invoice and a remaining balance, the buyer gets a balance-due notice tied to that order so accounts payable can close the tranche without a side email hunt.
Cash collection rides Stripe Connect on the order
Buyer firms pay through the platform against the invoice; supplier firms receive payout through Stripe Connect linked to the firm that quoted and shipped. That is the construction invoice-to-cash loop for platform trades today: invoice raised from the PO, buyer settlement on the PO, supplier payout on Connect. Marketplace listing remains free while mass marketplace payouts roll out in a later wave, as described in our building materials marketplace post.
The job ledger reads the same spine
Project Books (available on develop and preview while export and categorization are reviewed for production) is the downstream books layer on procurement: job cost and accounts-payable categories derived from award and PO events, then payments, rather than a parallel spreadsheet. The general contractor sees committed versus actual on the project; accountants can export toward QuickBooks or Sage-friendly journals without re-keying the PO spine.
What is live and what is next
Live on Material Engine today for participating firms: RFQ through award, issued PO, release shipment, PO-grounded supplier invoice, buyer payment against schedule, and Connect payout when the buyer pays. In active development or gated to develop and preview: Project Books close views, spend ask, and accountant export polish. On the roadmap: broader marketplace settlement, early-pay options at invoice time, and deeper automation for follow-ups beyond delivery-triggered balance notices.
The procurement story through quote and delivery is in Material Engine: construction procurement on one record. Distributors listing into California can start at suppliers.