Project Equipment

The Equipment tab on the project detail page is where you build the equipment list for your booking. It combines a browsable equipment catalogue with real-time availability checking, flexible pricing controls, scanning support for warehouse operations, and intelligent suggestions to help you assemble the right gear quickly and accurately.

Equipment browser sidebar

The left-hand side of the Equipment tab features a browsable equipment catalogue. The browser includes:

• Category tree — A hierarchical list of your equipment categories. Click a category to filter the browser to items within that category and its children.
• Search bar — Full-text search across equipment name, SKU, and serial number. Results update as you type.
• Rental / Sale toggle — Switch between rental equipment and sale items. By default the browser shows rental equipment only.

Each item in the browser shows its name, thumbnail image, available quantity, and daily rate. Items with zero availability for the project date range are flagged with a warning indicator.

Adding equipment to the project

To add equipment, click an item from the browser sidebar or use the search bar at the top of the equipment list to find and add items by name or SKU. When an item is added, a new line appears in the equipment list with the following editable fields:

• Quantity — The number of units required. Defaults to 1. The system checks availability and warns if the requested quantity exceeds stock.
• Rate Override (unit price) — Pre-filled from the equipment’s default rental rate. Can be overridden on a per-project basis without affecting the master price.
• Discount Percentage — Apply a percentage discount to the line item. Useful for client-specific pricing or promotional offers.
• Start & End Date — Defaults to the project start and end dates. Can be adjusted if this item is needed for only part of the project duration.
• Notes — Free-text notes specific to this line item (e.g., “Client requests white units only”)
• Total — Calculated automatically from quantity, rate, discount, and duration

Equipment status within the project

Each equipment allocation in a project tracks its own status through the booking lifecycle:

• Available — The item is in stock and has been added to the project but not yet reserved
• Reserved — The item has been formally reserved. Stock is deducted from availability for the project date range.
• Checked Out — The item has been physically checked out of the warehouse and is with the project crew or on site
• Checked In — The item has been returned to the warehouse and checked back in after the project
• Cancelled — The allocation has been cancelled and stock has been released back to availability

Status updates can be made manually from the equipment list or automatically via the warehouse scanner during check-out and check-in operations.

Tracking methods

Equipment allocations support three tracking methods that determine how items are scanned during warehouse check-out and check-in:

• Bulk — Scanned by quantity. The warehouse operator scans the equipment type and confirms the count. Best for high-volume, low-value items such as cables, clamps, and consumables.
• Serialised — The operator scans any available serial number for this equipment type. Each scanned serial is recorded against the project but the system does not enforce which specific serials are used.
• Serialised Specific — The operator must scan the exact serial numbers that were pre-assigned to this project. The system rejects serials that do not match the allocation. Best for high-value items where individual unit tracking is critical.

Scanning and prep tracking

Each equipment line item tracks scanning and preparation progress:

• Quantity Prepped — The number of units that have been picked, tested, and packed in the warehouse. Updated by warehouse staff during the prep stage, along with prepped_at and prepped_by timestamps.
• Check-out Scanned — Whether the item has been scanned during the check-out process, with a count of scanned units and a JSON scan log recording each individual scan event.
• Check-in Scanned — Whether the item has been scanned during the check-in process, with the same quantity and scan log tracking.
• Condition Out / Condition In — The condition of the equipment when it left the warehouse versus when it returned, with optional condition notes for damage reporting.

Kit and container support

Equipment allocations can be organised into kits and containers:

• Kits — An allocation can be marked as a kit (is_kit flag) to group related items together. Child items reference the parent kit via parent_kit_id. Kits can be sealed with a timestamp once packing is complete.
• Containers — Individual allocations can be assigned to a physical container (container_id) for transport and warehouse tracking. Containers also support sealing with timestamps.

Temporary equipment

For items not in your inventory, toggle the Temporary flag (is_temporary) on a line item. This creates a placeholder allocation with a custom name and description rather than linking to an equipment record. Temporary items are useful for one-off purchases, client-supplied gear, or items you plan to add to your inventory later.

Subrental tracking

If you need to source an item from an external supplier, toggle the Requires Subrental flag on the line item. This unlocks additional fields:

• Supplier — Select the supplying company from your supplier list
• Subrental Status — Track the status of the subrental order independently
• Delivery & Collection Dates — When the subrented items arrive and when they are collected
• Cost Price & Markup Percentage — The cost from the supplier and your markup. These feed into the Financial tab for margin reporting.

Subrented items appear with a distinct visual indicator in the equipment list and their costs are tracked separately in the Subrentals tab.

Equipment groups and factor groups

Equipment can be organised into equipment groups (equipment_group_id) within a project for logical grouping on quotes and packing lists. Separately, factor groups apply tiered multi-day pricing based on rental duration (e.g., a three-day hire at 2.5× the daily rate). Factor groups are configured in Configuration > Project Settings and applied via the time period’s rental multiplier.

Availability checking

NexusRMS performs real-time availability checking as you add equipment. The system considers the project date range, existing reservations, items currently checked out on other projects, and items undergoing repair or maintenance.

If a conflict is detected, you will see a warning indicator on the affected line item with details about the clash — which project holds the conflicting reservation, how many units are short, and the conflicting date range. You can choose to proceed with the over-allocation (useful for tentative quotes), reduce the quantity, adjust the date range, or source the shortfall via subrental.

AI-powered equipment suggestions

Below the equipment list, NexusRMS displays intelligent equipment suggestions. The suggestion engine analyses:

• Client history — Items this client has hired on previous projects
• Venue patterns — Equipment commonly used at the same venue or venue type
• Co-usage data — Items frequently rented together with items already on the list (e.g., suggesting speaker cables when speakers are added)

Click any suggestion to add it to the equipment list instantly.

Summary and reordering

A summary row at the bottom of the equipment list shows the combined equipment total for the project. You can reorder line items using drag-and-drop to match your preferred packing, documentation, or presentation order on quotes.

Tips

• Check availability before sending quotes — Always verify that all items show green availability before generating a quote to avoid promising equipment that is already committed.
• Use subrental tracking for transparency — Flagging items as subrented keeps your cost tracking accurate and ensures supplier costs appear on the correct financial reports.
• Review AI suggestions — The suggestions often catch commonly forgotten accessories such as cables, stands, cases, and adapters.
• Use serialised specific tracking for high-value items — When individual unit accountability matters, assigning specific serial numbers ensures the exact units are dispatched and returned.
• Mark temporary items clearly — Use descriptive names and notes on temporary equipment so warehouse staff can identify non-inventory items during prep.

Next steps

Continue to the next article to learn about the Crew tab and Crew Scheduling tab, including how to assign crew members, configure rates, schedule shifts, and integrate GPS-verified time tracking.