| Before Quickbase and FastField | With Quickbase and FastField |
| Handwritten notes and delayed spreadsheet entry | Instant digital capture via mobile forms |
| Manual site visits for install audits | Real-time photo verification in Quickbase |
| Invoices delayed up to 60 days | Payments triggered within minutes |
| Frequent purchase order mismatches and rejected invoices | Auto-matched POs, zero payment errors |
| Slow revenue recognition | Real-time revenue capture and reporting |
About HD Supply
A subsidiary of The Home Depot, HD Supply is one of the largest industrial distributors in North America. Serving multifamily, hospitality, military, and institutional customers, HD Supply’s renovation services division coordinates large-scale construction projects and rapid-response repairs across thousands of properties nationwide.
The Challenge: Manual Field Data, Delayed Revenue, and Visibility Gaps
Before adopting FastField and Quickbase, HD Supply’s renovation team was stuck with paper-based processes and slow systems:
- Field technicians jotted notes by hand and manually uploaded photos.
- Project managers relied on spreadsheets to track multi-phase construction timelines.
- Verifying an HVAC install required sending someone back on-site, delaying invoicing by weeks.
- Auditing errors—like mismatched purchase order numbers—often went undetected until contractors escalated payment delays.
Rich Phelan, Renovations National Account Manager at HD Supply, described the situation bluntly:
“We were flying blind. If a contractor installed a unit in Arizona, it could take 10 days—or even weeks—before we had proof it was done right. Meanwhile, invoicing was stuck waiting on paperwork.”
The Solution: Seamless Field Data Capture and Instant Visibility
FastField, integrated with Quickbase, transformed how HD Supply works in the field. Now, when a technician finishes an install, they snap a few photos, complete a FastField form on their phone, and submit it instantly. Quickbase captures it all in real-time.
That’s the game-changer. I can verify installs in minutes. No more sending someone back to the property. No more interrupting tenants. I get what I need—right when I need it.
Key Use Cases Now Streamlined:
- HVAC Installation Audits: Instant photo verification and compliance tracking.
- Real-Time Project Timelines: Track phases like cabinet install, flooring, and paint across large-scale renovations.
- Contractor Invoicing: Submission triggers automated PO matching and payment.
- Survey & Equipment Tracking: FastField captures equipment details before failures happen—eliminating guesswork and site revisits.
The Results: Faster Revenue, Fewer Errors, and Happier Contractors
From Weeks to Minutes:
Previously, it took up to 60 days to receive a contractor’s invoice. Now, it's processed within 10 minutes of install verification. “Our contractors get paid faster," Rich said. "No more typing up invoices in Word or re-submitting for tiny PO mismatches. We used to get calls asking where the money was—now we get thank-yous.”
Error Reduction:
PO mismatches once delayed 30% of payments. Now, invoice data auto-matches the original PO—eliminating errors and tense phone calls.
Faster Decision-Making:
With Quickbase dashboards, field leaders can track performance week-to-week, state-by-state, and customer-by-customer.
“We couldn’t do this with SAP alone. Now we can spot dips in Georgia or growth in Arizona and take action right away.” - Rich Phelan, Renovations National Account Manager, HD Supply
Looking Ahead
FastField has seen rapid adoption across HD Supply's field teams—with little resistance. With broader adoption underway, HD Supply expects more divisions to adopt Quickbase for visibility, speed, and smarter collaboration in the field.
Our old systems were more painful than learning something new. Now, a five-minute form saves hours and unlocks speed to revenue. It’s been a huge shift, and leadership has noticed.
