Creating a Purchase Order

A Purchase Order (PO) is a formal document you send to a vendor to order products. This guide will walk you through creating a PO in the Buying Group ERP system.

Creating a New Purchase Order

The process begins on the Purchase Orders list page.

To get started:
1. Navigate to Purchase in the main menu.
2. Select Purchase Order.
3. Click the "Add Purchase" button to open the new PO form.

The form is divided into several sections, which you'll fill out to build your order.

Step 1: Enter Purchase Order Details

In the top-left section, provide the core information for the PO.

Vendor: (Required) Select the vendor you are ordering from. You can search by name. If the vendor doesn't exist, click the + icon to add them on the fly.
Warehouse: (Required) Choose the warehouse where the items will be received.
Date: (Optional) The date of the purchase order. If left blank, it defaults to today.
Invoice Number: (Optional) Enter the vendor's invoice reference number if you have one.
Memo: (Optional) Add internal notes about the PO (max 250 characters).
Attachments: (Optional) Upload relevant files like quotes or specifications (up to 5MB each). Click the "Select Files" button to choose files from your computer.

As you select a vendor, their contact details will appear in the Vendor Details card on the right for quick reference.

Step 2: Add Items to the Order

In the "Items" section, list the products you want to order. You must add at least one item.

Click "Add Item" to create a new line.
In the Item column, search for and select the product by its name, SKU, or UPC. The item's thumbnail and UPC will appear.
Enter the QTY (quantity) you wish to order. This must be a positive number.
The Cost (your cost per unit) will auto-fill from the product's purchase price but can be edited.
The Total (QTY × Cost) is calculated automatically and displayed as a read-only field.

Step 3: Add Financial Items (Optional)

Use the "Expense / Extra" section to add any non-inventory charges associated with the order, such as:
- Shipping & Freight
- Handling Fees
- Customs or Duties

For each charge, provide the following:
- Financial Account: Select the appropriate account for the charge.
- Description: A brief note explaining the charge.
- Amount: The monetary value of the charge.
- Type: Choose whether the item is an Extra or an Expense.

Type behavior:
- Extra: Adds to the PO grand total and is typically shown under "Extra" in the bill summary.
- Expense: Recorded for accounting purposes but is not added to the PO grand total.

These charges will be reflected in the Summary on the right so you can review their impact before saving the PO.

Step 4: Review and Save

As you add items and charges, the Summary on the right side of the page updates in real-time. It shows:

Subtotal: Sum of all item line totals.
Total Quantity: Sum of the quantities for all item lines.
Total Items: Number of distinct item lines on the PO.
Extra: Sum of all Extra-type financial charges.
Order Total: The final grand total for the PO.

Once you have reviewed all the details, click the "Add Purchase Order" button to save the PO. Its status will be set to "Open".

Key Validations When Creating a PO

The system ensures basic data integrity with the following rules:
- Required Fields: You must provide a Vendor and Warehouse.
- Item Requirement: The PO must have at least one item line with a quantity greater than zero and a specified Cost (unit price).

Permissions for Creating Purchase Orders

To create a purchase order, your user role must have the "Create Purchase Order" permission. If you do not see the "Add Purchase" button, you may not have the required permissions.