Table of Contents
2. Enable purchase orders features
2.2 Enable purchase order approvals
3.2 Approve purchase orders permission
4.1 Create a purchase order from a sales invoice
5.1 Submitting a purchase order for approval
5.2 Approving a purchase order
5.2.1 Edit an approved purchase order
1. Introduction
Purchase orders can be used to request products or services from a supplier before creating a bill. An advanced setting allows employees to submit purchase orders as part of an approval process, providing greater control and oversight.
The purchase order feature is available exclusively on the Medium, Large, and Practice Edition plans (the latter is only accessible to accountants).
2. Enable purchase orders features
There are two toggle features for purchase orders, allowing you to customise them based on your needs. If you have employees and require more control over the approval process, enable both features.
2.1 Enable purchase orders
To enable the purchase order feature, go to Settings > Configure System > Toggle Features, and click the ‘Features’ tab and enable ‘Purchase orders’.
Once enabled, the purchase order feature will be accessible under Purchases > Purchase Orders.
2.2 Enable purchase order approvals
To enable the purchase order approval feature, go to Settings > Configure System > Toggle Features, and click the ‘Features tab’ and enable ‘Purchase order approvals’.
Enabling this feature will add approval options to purchase orders, which can be accessed under Purchases > Purchase Orders.
3. Purchase order permissions
There are two purchase order user permissions that can be assigned to existing or new users via the Home > Manage Users menu. The Purchases - Approve Purchase Orders permission will only be available if the purchase order approvals feature is enabled.
3.1 Purchase order permission
The ‘Purchases - Purchase Order’ permission grants users access to the purchase order menu, allowing them to create, send, view purchase orders as PDFs or online, and generate bills from purchase orders.
3.2 Approve purchase orders permission
The Purchases - Approve Purchase Orders permission only becomes visible if the purchase order approvals feature is enabled. This permission allows the user to approve purchase orders submitted for review.
If a user is granted the Purchases - Purchase Order permission but not the Purchases - Approve Purchase Orders permission, they can only view purchase orders as PDFs or online and generate bills from approved purchase orders.
4. Create a purchase order
To create a purchase order, navigate to Purchases > Purchase Orders, and click the 'Create PO' button.
Fill in the necessary details, then click 'Save' to store the purchase order in the 'Unbilled' tab under Purchases > Purchase Orders. Alternatively, click 'Save Draft' to store it in the 'Draft' tab.
4.1 Create a purchase order from a sales invoice
To create a purchase order from an invoice, navigate to Sales > Invoices and click the ‘All’ tab. In the table, click the ‘Manage’ drop-down under the ‘Options’ column for the relevant invoice.
Then, select ‘To Purchase Order’ and complete the purchase order creation form.
5. Approval process
If the purchase order approvals feature is enabled, users may have different permissions: some can submit purchase orders for approval, while others can approve them.
5.1 Submitting a purchase order for approval
To submit a purchase order for approval, the user must have the ‘Purchases - Purchase Order’ permission.
Once a purchase order form has been filled in, the user will now have the option to 'Submit for approval'. Alternatively, the user can save as a draft and submit for approval at a later date.
The purchase orders submitted for approval will appear on the ‘Unapproved’ tab within the Purchases > Purchase Orders menu.
5.2 Approving a purchase order
To approve a purchase order, the user must have the ‘Purchases - Purchase order approvals’ permission.
The purchase orders submitted for approval will appear on the ‘Unapproved’ tab within the Purchases > Purchase Orders menu. Click on a purchase order number and select the ‘Mark approved’ button.
Note: You can also select the ‘Mark approved’ option from the ‘Manage’ drop-down under the ‘Options’ column for the relevant purchase order.
Alternatively, purchase orders can be approved in bulk by ticking the checkboxes beside each purchase order and selecting the ‘Mark approved’ button.
5.2.1 Edit an approved purchase order
To edit an approved purchase order, it must first be marked as unapproved. This action can only be performed by users with the 'Purchases - Purchase Order Approvals' permission. To do this, navigate to the Purchases > Purchase Orders menu, click on the 'Approved' tab, and select the 'Mark Unapproved' button.
Once the purchase order is marked unapproved, it will move to the 'Unapproved' tab. There, any user with the 'Purchases - Purchase Order' permission can make edits.
6. Convert to a bill
To convert a purchase order into a bill, go to the Purchases > Purchase Orders menu and click the ‘All’, 'Unbilled' or 'Approved' (if the purchase order approvals feature is enabled) tab.
Next, click the ‘Manage’ drop-down beside the relevant purchase order and select ‘Create Bill’.
Note: If the purchase order approvals feature is enabled and the purchase order has not been approved, will not be possible to convert it to a bill.
The details from the purchase order will automatically populate the bill form. You can enter the invoice number in the ‘Reference’ field, while the ‘Purchase Order Ref’ field will automatically display the purchase order number.
Click 'Save' to create the bill. The new bill will now appear under Purchases > Bills > Unpaid.
To view bills generated from a specific purchase order, click on the purchase order number from the 'Billed' tab on the Purchases > Purchase Orders menu.
7. Email a purchase order
To email a purchase order, go to the ‘All’ tab to view all purchase orders.
Then, either click the ‘Manage’ drop-down beside the desired purchase order and select ‘Email’, or click the email icon in the ‘Status’ column.
Note: If the purchase order approvals feature is enabled and the purchase order has not been approved, will not be possible to email it.
Edit the email form as needed, then click the 'Send email' button.
