Projects are the core of Rentman. They are the element around which all other information and modules in the software are built. 

In this article, we will explore the different components of the most commonly used type of project in Rentman, the Regular project. You will learn the purpose of each tab and what information to enter in it.

What is a project in Rentman?

A project represents an event organized by your company—for example, a concert, a festival, a wedding, an equipment rental, or a sale.

For a given event, a customer needs equipment at a specific location and on specific dates. To get the equipment there, you may need one or more vehicles. In order to drive the vehicle, set up the equipment or structures, and so on,  you will also need crew.

If you do not have all the equipment for this event, you may need to subrent it from another company and then create a purchase order, or have it brought in from one of your other warehouses.

Before you and your client agree on all the event details, you may need to send several quotes, followed by an invoice.

All these elements are organized into the different tabs that make up your project.

Note: The tabs available might differ depending on your subscription plan.

Types of projects

• Regular project: It is used when the project involves renting out equipment and scheduling crew. This can be an event with only equipment, without using any of your crew members. It can also be an event with only crew, without using any equipment. If you have an event with rental equipment and consumables, you can also use this type of project.
  
  
•  Without times (sale) project: It is used for sale equipment. Once the equipment leaves your warehouse, it will not return, so this type of project theoretically does not have or require time periods.
  
  
• Transfer project: It is used when you want to transfer your equipment from one stock location to another one.

Structure of a regular project

Once you have created a project, you can start filling in the information in the General tab of your project. 

Before you can save your project, you need to enter its time periods (planning period and usage period) in the Time Schedule tab.

General tab

Here, you will find the most important details such as its name, client, location, project type and time schedule.

This tab is divided into sections.

Project section

Client section

Choose a client (and contact person) for your project. The client and contact person need to be added to the contact_phone Contacts module, before you can choose them here. If you have saved the client's address, it also appears here when you select them as a client for this project.

If the client is not yet in your contact_phone Contacts module, you can add it directly from the Client section by clicking on more_vert for more options.

Location section

Choose a location for your project. The location needs to be added to the contact_phone Contacts module, before you can choose it here. The location will be shown on a map, with the distance and time travel from your warehouse to the location. If the location is not yet in your contact_phone Contacts module, you can add it directly from the Location section by clicking on more_vert for more options.

Project Progress section

The icons in project progress indicates what has been completed and what still needs to be done in a project. 

You can read more about the you can read more about the project progress icons here. 

Tasks/notes/files section

Read our article about tasks, notes and files for more information.

Time schedule section

The Time schedule section contains all time periods of your project. By default, it contains the planning period and usage period of your equipment.

Learn more about using the time schedule in this article.

Create a packing slip or callsheet section

Read our article about Creating a packing slip or callsheet for more information.

Time schedule tab

The Time schedule tab lists all the time periods related to your project. By default, it includes both the planning period and the equipment usage period. A project cannot be saved until its time schedule has been defined. If you wish to transform your project into a more complex project with subprojects (for example in the case of a tour), you can see the different time periods of each subproject in that tab. 

Rentman Tip: We recommend dividing your project into detailed periods. The periods you define will depend on your workflow, the event, and your company’s needs, and will later be linked to equipment, function, and transport groups.

Equipment tab

The Equipment tab is where you plan the equipment for your project. You must organize the equipment into equipment groups, which are linked to specific periods.

The equipment groups help you organize your equipment for the event — for example, by type (sound, lighting, etc.), by location (Gate A, Section 5, etc.), or by day (Day 1, Day 2, etc.). 

Linking an equipment group to a period enables Rentman to check the availability of the equipment for that specific time period. If there is a shortage, you can solve it and create a purchase order.

An equipment timeline allows you to see equipment availability, quantities, and which other projects it is scheduled for.

Crew and transport tab

The Crew and Transport tab is where you define your project’s crew and vehicle requirements—including the roles needed (lighting technician, driver, sound engineer, etc.), the number of people, and the types of vehicles (size, capacity, etc.).

These requirements are managed through functions:

• Crew functions for personnel ;

• Transport functions for vehicles ;

Before planning, you must first create the necessary functions (if you have not done so already). Functions are grouped into function groups, each linked to specific periods.

The function groups help you arrange the functions for the event — for example, by project phase (setup, dismantling, etc.), by location (Gate A, Section 5, etc.), by day (Day 1, Day 2, etc.), or by working hours (morning shift, evening shift, etc.). Linking a function group to a period enables Rentman to check the availability of which crew members and vehicles for that specific time period.

Additional costs tab

Additional costs let you include project-related expenses beyond equipment and crew—such as travel, accommodation, meals, or other logistics. These costs can appear on quotations and invoices just like equipment or crew items, making it easy to pass them on to your customer. You can also generate purchase orders for external suppliers directly from the Additional Costs tab.

Financial tab

The Financial tab provides a complete picture of your project’s revenue, costs, and profitability. It includes a detailed breakdown of Estimated, Planned, and Actual costs, along with a quick overview of your total profit and the amount already invoiced.

If you have the Quotations and Invoicing add-on, you can:

• View totals and margins for each cost category

• Apply discounts

• Adjust VAT details

From this tab, you can also generate and send quotations, contracts, and invoices directly.

Subrent tab

The Subrent tab gives you an overview of all subrentals—both internal and external—linked to your project, helping you address equipment shortages.

• Internal subrentals occur when you borrow equipment from one of your own stock locations to meet the needs of a specific project.

• External subrentals occur when the required equipment is unavailable in any of your stock locations. In this case, you source it from a third-party supplier or vendor.

From this tab, you can also create a purchase order for a specific subrental. This tab only offers an overview of the subrentals, but you cannot generate one from here. Learn more about adding a subrental in this article.

Purchase orders tab

A Purchase Order (PO) is a document you can create to record extra project expenses or subrentals, ensuring all purchases are clearly documented. The Purchase Orders tab provides an overview of all POs linked to the project.

Note: This tab only offers an overview of the purchase orders, but you cannot generate one from here. You can create one from the Additional Cost tab or the Subrent tab of your project. 

Crew scheduling tab

The Crew Scheduling tab is where you assign crew members to crew functions within your project. It gives you a clear overview of:

• Functions that still need to be filled ; 

• Which crew members are available ; 

• Who is already assigned to a function ; 

From this tab, you can also invite crew members to specific functions and send them their schedules directly.

Transport planning tab

The Transport planning tab is where you assign vehicles to transport functions within your project. It gives you a clear overview of:

• Functions that still need to be filled

• Which vehicles are available

• Which vehicles are already assigned to a function

History log tab

The  History Log tab is a tracking tool that records every modification made to a project, showing what was changed, who made the change, and when it happened. 

Entries in the history log are organized by save actions. Within each save, changes are grouped according to the section of the project where they occurred.

Frequently asked questions