Skip to content

External Contractors

External contractors can be assigned work orders in Formbird FLEET, allowing work that requires outside specialists to be tracked within the same request and workflow as internal work.

Supplier Records

External contractors are stored as Supplier documents. Each supplier record holds the contractor's contact details — name, phone number, and email address — and can be configured to receive email notifications when work is assigned to them.

To manage supplier records, navigate to the System Administrator Menu, open the Configuration dropdown, and select Suppliers.

Assigning a Work Order to an External Contractor

Work orders support an external assignee option, allowing them to be workflowed to a supplier rather than an internal technician.

  1. Create a work order under the request as normal.
  2. In the assignee field, select the external contractor from the supplier list.
  3. Save the work order.

The contractor can then access the work order to update its status, record details of work completed, and mark it complete.

Typical Workflow with External Work

When a job involves both internal and external work, the Deferred checkbox keeps all work under a single request. A typical approach:

  1. Create the request and complete the internal work order.
  2. Set the request to Work Complete and tick Deferred — indicating more work is pending.
  3. Create a second work order and assign it to the external contractor.
  4. When the external work begins, untick Deferred and set the request to In Progress.
  5. Once the external work order is complete, set the request to Work Complete and then Closed.

External Supplier Accounts

External contractors who need to log in to Formbird FLEET directly use an External Supplier account type. This gives them limited access focused on the work orders assigned to them.

Published: May 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8