A wagon at the gate, the crane already busy
It is ten in the morning on a city-centre site with one loading bay. A flatbed of plasterboard arrives that nobody booked, while the crane is lifting steel and the concrete wagons are due. The driver waits, then leaves. Meanwhile the windows the site manager called off for today are nowhere, and when the office rings the supplier they say the call-off was for next Tuesday.
Everyone on site has a story like this. The site manager called off some materials, the package manager called off others, subcontractors arranged their own, and nobody had the full list.
Why deliveries collide
Call-offs are spread across people and channels. A merchant gets a phone call, a manufacturer gets an email, a subcontractor arranges its own materials with its own suppliers. The site's delivery plan, if there is one, is a spreadsheet the gate person was sent last week. There is no single list of what is coming, when, and on what vehicle.
- Several people call off materials without seeing each other's bookings.
- Suppliers confirm by phone, so dates are only in someone's memory.
- Subcontractors' own deliveries are invisible until they arrive.
- The gate has no list to check arrivals against.
- Loading bay, crane and hoist time are not booked alongside deliveries.
What bad delivery planning costs
Rejected or waiting wagons, redelivery charges and materials left in the wrong place. Trades standing because what they need was called off for the wrong day. Crane or hoist time lost to unplanned lifts. On a tight site, deliveries that cannot be accommodated cause knock-on delays and friction with neighbours and the local authority over parking and access.
The office loses time too. Every missed or unexpected delivery means calls to the supplier, the subcontractor and the site manager to find out what happened, and the answers conflict.
The booking system we build
- Every call-off, from the site team, package managers or subcontractors, is made through one booking form, choosing a date, time slot and any crane, hoist or bay needed.
- The form shows slots already taken, so two big deliveries cannot be booked into the same bay at the same time.
- The supplier gets a booking reference and a link to confirm, move or cancel. Changes show immediately on the site's plan.
- Suppliers receive the site's delivery rules and route with the booking: gate, times and contact.
- The gate person sees today's expected deliveries on a tablet and checks each one in, with a photo of the delivery note.
- Arrivals that were not booked are logged as unbooked, so the site team can speak to whoever arranged them.
- Late or missing deliveries are flagged to the person who made the call-off while there is still time to act.
| Question | Before | With booking |
|---|---|---|
| What is arriving today? | Ask around | Gate list on a tablet |
| Is the crane free at eleven? | Phone the site manager | Shown on the booking form |
| Did the windows get confirmed? | Somebody's memory | Supplier confirmed in the system |
| Who booked this wagon? | Nobody knows | Named on the booking |
| Did it all arrive? | Check the paper note later | Checked in with a photo |
A site that knows what is coming
The gate knows what to expect and who to call. Deliveries are spread across the day rather than stacked at eight o'clock. Suppliers can see and move bookings themselves, which cuts phone calls. Subcontractors' deliveries are part of the plan instead of a surprise. And the delivery record joins up with purchase orders and invoices, so the office knows what actually arrived.
Signs your deliveries need a booking system
- Deliveries arrive that nobody on site booked.
- Called-off materials turn up on the wrong day.
- The gate works from a spreadsheet or a whiteboard.
- Crane or hoist time clashes with deliveries.
- Suppliers and subcontractors book by phone with different people.