How do I Leave Notes on Part Selections?

Overview

Notes provide context for the decisions being made on a part — whether that's an automated decision PartBay made during auto-ordering or a manual decision someone on your team made while resolving a flag. Notes can be left on the marketplace where the part was purchased, on the estimate, or both, and they show up alongside the part for anyone reviewing the file later.

How It Works

Notes are applied throughout the platform in two ways. PartBay leaves notes automatically when it makes selections during auto-ordering — for example, when a part is selected that doesn't match the most cost-effective option, or when other situational logic applies. Users can also leave notes manually at any point during the part selection process, typically when explaining a decision that the carrier or customer might otherwise question.

When you adjust a part's list price, PartBay decides whether a note is required based on the direction of the change. Increasing the list price requires a note. Decreasing it back to the original or to a lower price does not, since the change is in line with what was already the most cost-effective selection.

Leaving a Note from the Part Selection Screen

Click the pencil icon next to the part to open the editing sidebar. From there, you can either remove the list price adjustment entirely or change it to a new value. If the change is an increase over the original or most cost-effective price, a note will be required before you can save.

You can either use one of the quick select options for common reasons or type in a custom note. After writing the note, choose where it should be applied — the marketplace, the estimate, or both — and click Apply to save your changes along with the note.

If you later want to revert the part back to its original price, you can delete the note and reduce the list price. Because the change is no longer an increase, no note will be required to save.

Leaving a Note Without Opening the Part Selection Screen

You can also leave notes directly from the action screen on a part without opening the full part selection screen. The flow is the same — adjust the price, write or select a note, choose where it should be applied, and save — but it skips the extra step of opening the full editor. This is the faster path when you're working through a list of parts and only need to leave a note rather than make a broader selection change.