# How do I assign a work order to a vendor instead of employees?

> Set the work order's "Performed by" field to Vendor, pick an approved vendor from the dropdown, optionally attach a purchase order with a budget, and set the expected date range. The vendor manages their own people — no employee assignment is needed.

- Product: WorkSkedge
- Section: Work Orders
- Canonical: https://workskedge.com/help/work-orders/assign-a-vendor-to-a-work-order
- Updated: 2026-08-31T16:58:13.67716+00:00
- Keywords: vendor assignment, subcontractor work order, purchase order, performed by vendor, approved vendor, vendor insurance expiry, vendor compliance

## Steps

1. Open the work order form and set Performed by to Vendor
2. Select an approved vendor (filter by trade specialty if needed)
3. Optionally add a purchase order with budget and not-to-exceed amounts
4. Set the expected start and end dates
5. Save the work order

Some work is performed by subcontractors rather than your own crew. Setting a work order's **Performed by** field to **Vendor** hands the job to an approved vendor, skips employee assignment entirely, and lets you attach a purchase order so the vendor's cost is tracked against a budget.

## Before you start

- The vendor record must exist and be in **Approved** status. Pending vendors cannot be assigned, and Expired vendors are removed from the assignment options.
- Insurance and compliance expiry dates should be current. Vendors expiring within 30 days show a yellow "Expiring in X days" badge and warn on assignment; past-expiry vendors show a red EXPIRED badge and cannot be assigned to new work orders.
- The [work order must already exist](/help/work-orders/create-a-work-order) on a properly set up project.
- Purchase orders are part of the **Finances** module — if it is not enabled on your tier, the PO fields will not be available.

## Assign a work order to a vendor

1. **Open the work order form** (create or edit) and set **Performed by** to **Vendor**.
2. **Select the vendor** from the dropdown. Only approved vendors appear; you can filter by trade specialty to match the work order type, and the list shows approval status and expiry warnings.
3. **Optionally create a purchase order**: enter the PO number, budget amount, not-to-exceed amount, and any notes or terms.
4. **Set the timeline** with expected start and end dates, coordinated with the vendor's availability.
5. **Save.** No employee assignment is needed — the vendor handles their own resources, and internal employees are not assigned.

## Vendor vs employee assignment

| Aspect | Employee assignment | Vendor assignment |
|---|---|---|
| Performed by | Employee | Vendor |
| Resource selection | Assign specific employees | Select the vendor from a list |
| People required | Specify count and skills | Not applicable |
| Timeline control | Detailed daily assignments | Expected date range only |
| Cost tracking | Internal labor costs | Purchase order with budget tracking |
| Conflict detection | Full conflict detection | None — the vendor manages their own resources |

## Notes and limits

- A work order is either employee-performed or vendor-performed — not both.
- Vendor work orders do not appear as crew assignments, so they will not show up on the [live dispatch board](/help/scheduling/use-the-live-dispatch-board) as staffed employee bars.
- Switching **Performed by** on an existing work order is captured in [version history](/help/work-orders/track-changes-with-work-order-version-history), so the change is auditable.
- Approval maintenance is manual: monitor expiry dates, request renewed certificates before they lapse, and update the documents and dates to keep the vendor Approved.

## Common errors

- **The vendor is missing from the dropdown** — they are Pending (never verified) or Expired (documents lapsed). Complete verification or renew the documents and expiry dates.
- **An expiry warning appears on save** — the vendor's insurance or compliance date is within 30 days. It is a warning, not a block; request the renewal now.
- **You cannot add a purchase order** — the Finances module is not enabled for your billing tier.
- **You expected conflict checking** — there is none for vendor work. Coordinate dates with the vendor directly.

Related: [work order statuses and lifecycle](/help/work-orders/work-order-statuses-and-lifecycle) and [create a work order](/help/work-orders/create-a-work-order).

Also useful: [add a scope of work checklist](/help/work-orders/build-a-work-order-scope-of-work), [progress and completion reports](/help/work-orders/submit-progress-and-completion-reports) and [find, filter and export work orders](/help/work-orders/filter-and-export-the-work-orders-list).

## Screenshots

- Quick Vendor Request dialog in WorkSkedge with project/work order, vendor, scope of work, budget amount and not-to-exceed fields: https://workskedge.com/api/public/help-image/app/v2/wo-vendor.webp

## FAQ

### Why doesn't my vendor appear in the dropdown?

Only approved vendors are listed. Check the vendor's approval status — the list also flags approvals that are expired or expiring.

### Do I need to create a purchase order for vendor work?

No, it's optional — but a PO lets you track the budget and not-to-exceed amount against the vendor's work.

### Does WorkSkedge check vendor scheduling conflicts?

No. Conflict detection applies to employee assignments only; vendors manage their own resources.

### Can I assign both employees and a vendor to the same work order?

A work order's Performed by field is either Employee or Vendor. Vendor-assigned work orders do not take internal employee assignments.

### What makes a vendor eligible for assignment?

The vendor must be in Approved status (green). Newly added vendors start as Pending and cannot be assigned; vendors whose insurance or compliance dates have lapsed go to Expired (red) and cannot be assigned to new work orders until documents and expiry dates are updated.