Transforming Goods Received Management: How Automation Streamlines Control, Visibility, and Budget Tracking

Efficient goods received management sits at the heart of every successful operations, procurement, and project delivery function. Yet for many organisations, this process still involves manual paperwork, disconnected systems, and limited visibility creating unnecessary delays, filing backlogs, and restricted insight into what has been delivered, what’s outstanding, and what needs urgent action.

As organisations continue to modernise their supply chain and project controls, automating the goods receipt process has become a crucial step forward. By introducing scanning technology, digital workflows, and integrated procurement links, businesses can take full control of incoming goods while improving reporting accuracy and operational efficiency.

Automating the Goods Receipt Process

Introducing a device or phone-based scanning solution at the Stores transforms how goods are checked in. Instead of relying on manual GRNs and physical filing, teams can scan every delivered item from individual parts to complex assemblies instantly linking them to the correct project.

This automation offers several major advantages:

1. Accurate, Real-Time Stock Levels

Every scanned item updates stock levels automatically, ensuring total accuracy and eliminating mismatches between expected and actual inventory.

2. Better Control Over Incoming Goods

With immediate digital records, teams gain visibility over what has arrived, where it is stored, and which project it belongs to strengthening traceability and reducing losses or misplacements.

3. Support for Partial Deliveries

Many projects involve components with varied lead times. Automated scanning enables partial goods receipts, allowing project teams to keep moving while waiting for remaining deliveries. This also helps align materials availability with project milestones.

Removing Paperwork and Centralising Documentation

Automating goods receipt also eliminates the need for physical GRN archives and manual filing. A digital repository provides a single source of truth, with every receipt linked to its corresponding Purchase Order.

This centralisation offers:

• Improved visibility into what has been received and what is still outstanding
• Faster access to historical data no more digging through paper folders
• Streamlined workflows for Buyers and Project Managers
• Better communication across procurement, stores, finance, and project teams

With all documentation available in one place, Buyers and PMs can quickly review item status, enabling faster decision-making and clearer alignment with project timelines.

Enhancing Spend Control with C-SAM Integration

When paired with tools like C-SAM, automation becomes even more powerful.

C-SAM allows detailed project budgets to be created based on contract values or awarded scope. Budgets can be categorised by phase, cost type, or activity and aligned with real-time procurement and timesheet data.

Key benefits include:

• Accurate budget tracking against delivered and invoiced items
• Alerts when budgets approach limits, preventing overspend
• Automatic blocking of requests when a budget phase is exceeded (if configured)
• Improved cashflow forecasting through real-time visibility
• Reduction in manual financial management tasks

By connecting the goods received data directly with budget management, organisations gain total control over spend and eliminate the risk of surprises later in the project.

Driving Efficiency Across the Entire Project Lifecycle

Taken together, these improvements create a fully integrated, highly efficient goods management workflow that benefits every team involved:

• Stores Teams gain faster processing, fewer errors, and reduced admin.
• Procurement Teams see better alignment between PO, receipt, and invoice data.
• Project Managers gain visibility to expedite delayed deliveries and keep timelines on track.
• Finance Teams benefit from improved cost control and forecasting accuracy.

Automation modernises a previously manual process, bringing clarity, consistency, and confidence to project operations.

To find out how C-SAM can help your business, call +44 (0)1224 249550 or email sales@c-sam.co.uk to book a demo