Purchasing GuidePurchase Orders

Purchase Orders

Commit to a vendor for specific products, at an agreed cost, by an expected date.

What is this?
A Purchase Order (PO) is a document you send to a vendor to formally request products at agreed prices.
When to use it
Use a PO when you want to lock in a price, track what's coming in before it arrives, or keep a budget against a vendor.

How to create a Purchase Order

  1. Go to Purchasing → Purchase Orders and click New PO.
  2. Pick the vendor you're ordering from.
  3. Choose the location the stock will ship to.
  4. Add products — enter quantities and confirm unit cost.
  5. Set the expected delivery date.
  6. Save as Draft, or click Open to commit it.

Lifecycle

Purchase Order lifecycle
DraftOpenPartially ReceivedFully Received
Any state can also be →Deactivated

What you can do from a PO

  • Email to vendor — send the PO directly from Octopos.
  • Download PDF — save or print a copy.
  • Convert to Receipt — when stock arrives, start a Purchase Receipt pre-filled from this PO.
  • Convert to Bill — if the vendor billed you before shipping, start a Purchase Bill from this PO (stock won't update — you'll be prompted to also create a Receipt later).
Do I have to create a PO first?
No. Purchase Orders are optional. If stock just showed up, you can start with a Receipt (Path B). If you only have the invoice, you can start with a Bill (Path D). POs are for when you want to plan ahead.
Next step
Purchase Receipts
Confirm what arrived, capture the true cost, and update inventory.