Plant Hire Supplier Rate Management Software
Hold supplier plant rates in one place, order against agreed rates and check hire costs against what suppliers actually invoice.
Agreed rates mean nothing if nobody can find them
Rates get agreed in emails, on calls and at annual reviews, then scatter. The hire desk orders at whatever gets quoted that morning, different sites can use different prices for the same machine, and when the invoice lands the agreed rate can be difficult to confirm. Without a shared rate record, discrepancies are harder to spot and resolve.
Transport charges are the same story at smaller scale: agreed once, forgotten, and re-negotiated by accident on every order.
Supplier rates in one place and available when orders are raised
Equipbase holds your agreed rates per supplier and plant type. When an order is raised, it can use the relevant held rate, making the agreed price and expected starting cost visible on the order.
Because orders carry their rates and dates, the expected cost of any hire period is known, which is exactly what finance needs to put a supplier invoice next to and check line by line.
What you can do with supplier rate management
Rates per supplier and plant type
Day and week rates held against each supplier's plant, maintained centrally.
Orders use agreed rates
New orders can use the held supplier rate, reducing re-keying and unintended rate drift.
Expected cost at order time
Know what a hire should cost before it starts, not when it's invoiced.
Manual invoice comparison
Compare supplier invoice lines with the recorded order rates, hire periods and off-hire dates.
Supplier spend visibility
Spend per supplier across all contracts: the numbers you want in the room at rate review time.
Transport and extras
Capture transport and chargeable extras on orders so they're expected, costed and checkable too.
Who supplier rate management helps
Plant managers
- Held rates visible when orders are raised
- Rate reviews backed by real spend data
Finance teams
- A recorded basis for manual invoice checks
- Discrepancies easier to query before approval
Buyers
- One shared rate book across contracts
- Supplier comparisons with real numbers
Frequently asked questions
Can different suppliers have different rates for the same plant?
Yes. Rates are held per supplier, so the same plant type can carry each supplier's own agreed pricing, and you can see the comparison when choosing where to order.
What happens when a rate changes?
You update the held rate and new orders use it from then on. Existing orders keep the rate they were placed at, which is exactly what you want when checking the invoices for those hires.
Does Equipbase check supplier invoices automatically?
No. Equipbase gives you the expected side of the comparison: what was ordered, at what rate and for what period. Finance can then compare the supplier invoice with those records and raise a query where needed.
Can we track transport charges as well as hire rates?
Yes. Transport and other chargeable extras are captured on orders, so they're part of the expected cost rather than a surprise on the invoice.