Purchase orders
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A purchase order (PO) records stock you are buying from a supplier. While it is open, its units show as incoming in Inventory. When the goods arrive, you receive them against the PO and your stock goes up, in one go or in several deliveries.
Add your suppliers#
- Open Purchase Orders from your desk and switch to the Suppliers tab.
- Click Add supplier.
- Enter the supplier's name, Contact person, Phone, Email and Address.
- Set the Lead time (days) it usually takes them to deliver, and their Default currency.
- Click Add supplier.
Purchase order status#
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared. Can be edited or deleted. |
| Ordered | Placed with the supplier. Its units count as incoming stock. |
| Partially received | Some of the goods have arrived. |
| Received | Everything has arrived. |
| Cancelled | No longer expected. Stops counting as incoming stock. |
Create a purchase order#
- In Purchase Orders, click New purchase order.
- Pick a Supplier, or type a new name to add one.
- Set the Expected date and currency.
- Enter the Supplier reference, such as their quote or invoice number.
- Add a line for each item: search by name or SKU, then enter the Qty and unit cost. The unit cost is filled from the product's cost per item when one is set.
- Add an Internal note, such as payment terms, if useful.
- Click Create draft.
The footer shows the total units and the order total as you add lines.
Place the order#
Open the draft from the list and click Place order when you send it to the supplier. The PO becomes Ordered and its units appear under Incoming in Inventory.
Before placing it, you can still click Edit draft to change it, or delete the draft. A PO needs at least one line to be placed.
Receive stock#
- Open the purchase order and click Receive stock.
- Set the Received on date.
- Enter the quantity received on each line. Outstanding shows what is still expected.
- Add a Receiving note, such as a damaged carton or who signed for it.
- Click Receive stock.
The received units are added to your stock and recorded as received in the stock history. If part of the order is still to come, the PO becomes Partially received; receive the rest when it arrives.
Cancel a purchase order#
Click Cancel order on an order that will not arrive. It stops counting as incoming stock. An order that already has received stock cannot be cancelled; correct the stock in Inventory instead.
Record the supplier bill#
To record what the supplier invoiced you for a purchase order:
- Open FinancePayables and click New bill.
- Choose the purchase order. Choose Standalone bill for a bill not tied to a PO.
- Check the amounts and save. Record payments against the bill as you pay it.