What is a material control layer?

A material control layer is a system that sits between procurement, field operations, and financial systems to provide real-time visibility into material state across the full lifecycle — from purchase order to installation to reconciliation. Unlike ERPs or inventory apps, it tracks the physical material itself, not just the transaction.

How is RunBlu different from an ERP or inventory management system?

ERPs track dollars and transactions. Inventory apps track what's on a shelf. RunBlu tracks the material itself through six enforced states: Ordered, Received, Stored, Allocated, Installed, and Reconciled. Every state change is an immutable event. When RunBlu says you have 200 feet of conduit in Bay 4, it means someone put it there, nobody has moved it, and it's not allocated to another job.

What trades does RunBlu work for?

RunBlu is built for specialty trade contractors including electrical, mechanical/HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and civil contractors, as well as general contractors who need visibility across all subcontractor material flows. It's designed for contractors in the $5M to $50M revenue range.

How long does it take to implement RunBlu?

RunBlu is implemented in four sprints over 17 to 24 weeks: Foundation, Receiving, Allocation, and Readiness. The system is configured around your workflows, your team is trained, and you go live together.

How much can RunBlu save my company?

Contractors typically recover $400K to $700K in working capital in year one through reduced over-purchasing, waste elimination, and improved reconciliation. The average contractor over-purchases 10-20% of material due to unreliable inventory data. Eliminating that alone often delivers 13x+ ROI.

Does RunBlu integrate with Procore?

Yes. RunBlu is the material control layer and Procore is the project management layer. They are complementary systems. RunBlu integrates with Procore as well as accounting systems like QuickBooks and Sage.

Comparison

RunBlu vs Sortly: Inventory App vs. Material Control Layer

Sortly is a visual inventory management app. RunBlu is a material control layer purpose-built for construction. One tracks shelves, the other tracks material lifecycles.

Quick Answer

Sortly is a visual inventory management app. RunBlu is a material control layer purpose-built for construction. One tracks shelves, the other tracks material lifecycles. They solve different problems for different use cases.

Last updated: April 2026

Feature Comparison

Capability	Sortly	RunBlu
Photo-based tracking	Yes	No
General inventory	Yes	Construction-specific
QR/barcode scanning	Yes	Yes
Folder organization	Yes	Location-based
Material lifecycle states	No	Yes
Job allocation enforcement	No	Yes
Multi-location movement tracking	Basic	Yes
Continuous material tracking (footage)	No	Yes
PO reconciliation	No	Yes
Material bleed analysis	No	Yes

Sortly Strengths

+Simple, visual inventory interface with photo-based tracking
+Easy setup — scan items, take photos, create folders
+Good for general inventory (office supplies, tools, equipment)
+Affordable pricing for small operations
+Barcode and QR code scanning
+Clean mobile app experience

RunBlu Differentiators

+Purpose-built for construction material operations (not general inventory)
+Enforced lifecycle states — not just a count of what's on a shelf
+Handles material movement between yards, trucks, and job sites
+Allocation enforcement — material can be reserved for specific jobs
+Real-time reconciliation against POs and job costs
+Continuous material (wire footage, pipe footage) not just discrete items

Use Sortly if...

→You need general inventory tracking (tools, equipment, office supplies)
→You have a single, static location with stable stock
→Your inventory challenge is knowing what you own, not tracking lifecycles
→You want the simplest possible inventory solution at the lowest cost

Use RunBlu if...

→You're a contractor with material moving between yards, trucks, and job sites
→You need to allocate material to specific jobs and enforce those allocations
→You track continuous material (wire, pipe, conduit) by footage, not just count
→You need to reconcile material consumption against purchase orders
→Material waste and over-purchasing are costing you real money

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not just use Sortly for construction material?

Sortly is a general-purpose inventory app designed for static stock in fixed locations. Construction material moves constantly — between yards, trucks, and job sites. It gets allocated to jobs, transferred between crews, partially consumed, and returned. Sortly doesn't handle these workflows because it wasn't designed for them.

Can Sortly track wire footage?

Sortly tracks items by count, not by continuous measurement. A reel of wire is one item in Sortly, whether it has 2,500 feet or 200 feet remaining. RunBlu tracks wire at the footage level — every pull event updates the remaining footage on the reel.

Is Sortly cheaper than RunBlu?

Sortly has lower subscription costs, yes. But the question isn't the software cost — it's the material cost. If your operation loses $200K+ annually to material waste, over-purchasing, and reconciliation gaps, a purpose-built material control layer pays for itself many times over. Sortly solves a different (simpler) problem.

See the material control layer in action

Understand your material bleed, then see how RunBlu recovers it.

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