Purchase Orders

Purchase orders, or P.O.s, provide the ability to order material and services from vendors. The result of creating a P.O. depends on what source was used:

  • Job Requirements - Satisfies the open requirement(s) on the job(s) the material was ordered for
    • Requirements for both material and services can be used to create P.O.s
    • Requirements are considered to be filled once they are placed on a P.O. to prevent the creation of multiple P.O.s for the same purpose; however costs are not captured until the items are received
    • When received, material / serviced items are posted directly to the appropriate jobs
    • Job Requirements is available as an option when creating an individual P.O. and when using the Automatic Purchase Order Utility
    • Material requirements can be for defined parts or freeform parts (see information below)
  • Part File (Inventory Items) - Removes parts from the Reorder Summary if they are below their listed Reorder Level and they are purchased to inventory (as opposed to a job)
    • Only parts that are included in Inventory Items will display in the Part File list
      • These items are referred to as "defined parts" since they have been entered into the system and provided with details regarding costs and purchasing related information
      • While manufactured parts (estimates) could be selected from the Part File list, it is assumed this option is used for purchased parts (i.e. parts that have a Primary Vendor listed)
    • For the remainder of this topic, when referring to items selected from the Part File or to inventory items, they are assumed to be purchased parts.
    • Part File is available as an option when creating an individual P.O. and when using the Automatic Purchase Order Utility
    • Items selected from the Part File can be ordered for inventory (STOCK listed as 'Job Number') or for specific jobs
      • System defaults parts selected from Part File list to STOCK but this can be edited
      • Parts can be ordered for jobs even if a material requirement does not exist for them
        • If a requirement does exist for material selected from the Part File list that is ordered for that same job, the requirement will still be satisfied upon processing the P.O. even though the 'Job Requirements' option was not used
    • Parts do not display in inventory or get posted to jobs until the items are received
  • Freeform parts- Allows for the purchase of items not defined as inventory items
    • The user must enter all pertinent details for freeform parts including Unit Cost, Description, and Product Code
    • Freeform parts can be ordered to specific jobs or to "STOCK"
      • Freeform items ordered to jobs typically represent material needed for very limited purposes is not expected to be used again
      • Freeform items ordered to inventory typically represents office or shop supplies that are expensed and used without ever being included in inventory counts
      • Freeform parts ordered for STOCK never show up in inventory, even after they are received. Only defined parts display on the Inventory Summary.

Where to Start

Before you start creating purchase orders, it's important to make sure you have defined all the tables you need and that you understand how the system will behave based on the related company preferences and other settings.

ClosedTables Used on Purchase Orders

Preferences and Other Related Settings

There are no preferences or related settings that affect the creation of a purchase order.

Purchase Order Details

Every purchase order has information regarding the vendor, cost, delivery location, and identifying number. The following links lead to topics that provide reference information for each section of the purchase order record.

Go to Purchase Order Details - General Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - Line Items

Go to Purchase Order Details - Header Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - Available Addresses Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - Contacts Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - Comments Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - User Defined Section

Go to Purchase Order Details - Receivers Section

Creating and Editing Purchase Orders

Options for Creating Purchase Orders

Follow the links below for step by step instructions for making a variety of purchase orders:

Once the Purchase Order is Created

Purchase orders can be edited by opening the record and saving upon completion. However, if you make an adjustment to the line items, delivery location, etc., you may need to resubmit your purchase order to the your vendor to ensure they have the updated information.

Reports, Forms, and Labels

Reports

The following summary reports are available for review / generation under the Purchasing Reports dropdown menu:

  • Purchase Order Summary
  • Job Requirements Summary
Forms and Labels

The following reports / forms / labels are available under the Print dropdown menu located in the Purchase Order Navigator:

  • Purchase Order
  • Delivery Ticket
  • PO Label

What Comes Next

There are two main steps that follow the submission of a purchase order: