Furniture Procurement Worksheet: Approve the Full Cost and Track Every Delivery

September 29, 2026 · Guide · 4 min read

Approve furniture against a complete order record: exact specification, total client cost, delivery plan, and assigned responsibility for problems. A mood board establishes design direction. It does not tell you who pays for storage, who receives a damaged cabinet, or whether a sofa can reach the room. Use the worksheet below before anyone presses “order.”

Open the interactive comparison worksheet to record options, evidence, and your own costs, then use the project-specific fields below to guide the discussion.

This guide focuses on the handoff from approved design to installed furniture. Our procurement transparency guide covers the initial fee conversation. Here, the goal is to create a repeatable approval and tracking record for every significant purchase.

Identify who is selling and who is providing services

Ask whether you are buying merchandise from the designer, buying directly from a retailer with the designer's assistance, or using a mixture of arrangements. Record the seller on each order. The person selecting a product is not necessarily the party receiving payment or administering a return.

The American Society of Interior Designers' residential contract package treats merchandise selection, purchasing, administration, compensation, and sale terms as distinct subjects. Use that distinction when reading your own proposal. It does not prescribe a universal fee or require your designer to use one pricing method.

Keep responsibilities specific. “Full service” still needs an explanation of receiving, unpacking, inspection, assembly, packaging removal, and return coordination. Ask what happens when an item bought independently affects an installation the designer is managing.

Build the cost record before comparing prices

Start with the price payable by the client for the exact item. If the agreement uses a disclosed cost-plus calculation, record the agreed cost base and fee calculation. If it uses a fixed merchandise price, record that price. Do not add an assumed markup to a price that already includes the seller's compensation.

Then record separately charged purchasing services, freight, receiving, storage, final delivery, assembly, installation, and applicable taxes. Identify which numbers are confirmed and which are estimates. A missing freight quote is an open budget item, not free freight.

Expected item commitment = client merchandise price + separately charged services + delivery and installation charges + applicable taxes. Include each charge once. The design-fee versus procurement guide helps separate project design fees from costs triggered by a particular purchase.

Compare options using the same service boundaries. A direct retail order may be attractive if you can manage the delivery and problems yourself. A designer-managed purchase may suit a complicated installation. The comparison should show those responsibilities alongside the price.

Copy this approval worksheet for each item

Attach the relevant quote and specification rather than copying only a product name. Similar names can refer to different sizes, upholstery grades, orientations, or finishes. For custom pieces, record what the supplier needs before production begins and when changes stop being available under its terms.

Check the route into the room

Confirm both the finished item dimensions and its delivery configuration. Ask who verifies doorways, elevators, stairs, turning space, and any building booking requirements. Use our site-measure responsibility guide to assign the survey. A floor-plan fit does not establish that a packaged item will fit through an entrance.

Record any assembly, attachment, or specialist installation the manufacturer requires. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It campaign addresses furniture and television tip-over prevention. Include appropriate anchoring in the installation discussion and assign it to someone who will follow the product instructions.

Track shipment, receipt, and acceptance separately

A projected ship date is not an installation appointment. Keep distinct dates for order acceptance, shipment, receiving, inspection, final delivery, and installation. The sample approval guide explains how unresolved selections affect that sequence.

If an order slips, request the revised shipping information from the seller and record the response. For covered US mail, internet, and telephone merchandise orders, the FTC explains obligations concerning shipping promises, delay consent, and refunds. Check the actual purchasing arrangement before assuming which party has those obligations.

At receipt, follow the seller's and carrier's inspection and reporting procedures. Record item count, condition, photographs, and any missing parts. Keep packaging where required for a claim. Do not treat warehouse receipt as confirmation that the installation is complete.

Close each item with these checks: [ ] correct specification; [ ] damage or shortage resolved; [ ] installation complete; [ ] instructions retained; [ ] outstanding charges reconciled; [ ] warranty contact recorded. A complete procurement record tells you what was approved, what arrived, and what still needs attention.