Summary

Once a Purchase Orders batch has been created and the Settings step is complete (sets the fiscal year of the encumbrances are recorded), use the Purchase Orders step to create a PO.

There are two levels of detail on a PO: information that is attached to the PO and information that is attached to the PO line item. The shipping address, purchase order date, purchase order deadline, shipping instructions and other information that applies to all of the line items is set up on the PO. Information that is specific to each line item is set up on the PO line items, such as the GL accounts that should be debited when the PO is invoiced. There is a separate document that describes how to create the two types of PO line items; contract and standard.

When an Accounts Payable module vendor is attached to a purchase order, some of the information attached to the vendor record will populate on the purchase order, such as the vendor address and phone number, ship to address, discount terms and sales tax. This reduces data entry and allows you to apply information set up on the vendor record to all purchase orders or invoices created for that vendor.

The encumbrance associated with the purchase order line items is recorded in the fiscal year set up in the Settings step on the Purchase Orders palette (PO> Purchase Orders> Settings> Fiscal Year field). The Chart of Accounts Maintenance window will display the encumbered amount on a GL account (GL> Maintenance> Chart of Accounts> Balance tab> Encumbered field).

Step by Step

1     Open or create a purchase orders batch.

2     Open the Purchase Order window.

• After a Purchase Order batch has been created and the Setting step is complete, select the Purchase Orders step on the Purchase Orders palette to create a new purchase order.
• The Purchase Orders step will display all of the purchase orders in the Purchase Orders batch.
• Highlight a purchase order and click the Delete icon to delete the selected purchase order.
• Highlight a purchase order and click the Modify icon to edit the selected purchase order.
  • You can also highlight a purchase order and click the Generate icon to close the PO line items attached to the selected purchase order without having to open the purchase order, open the line item, and change the Status field to Closed. Press SHIFT or CTRL while selecting purchase orders in order to select and close multiple POs.
    • After clicking the Generate icon to close the PO line items, the Close Date Confirmation window will display. Specify a close date for the PO line items and click the Confirm icon   to complete the close process.
• Highlight a purchase order and click the Copy icon to copy the selected purchase order.
  • The copied purchase order will inherit all of the details of the original but will be assigned the next available purchase order number.
• Click the Generate from Recurring icon to generate a new purchase order based on a recurring purchase order template.
  • This will open the Recurring Purchase Order Selection window. Select the desire recurring purchase order template and click the Confirm icon. This will open the Purchase Order Maintenance window and automatically populate the new purchase order with the details included on the selected recurring purchase order. These details can be edited.
  • Recurring purchase order templates are created and maintained on the Recurring Purchase Order Maintenance window (PO> Maintenance> Recurring Purchase Order). 
• Click the Create icon to create a new PO. This will open the Purchase Order Maintenance window.

3     Create a new purchase order.

• The Tab Order icon at the top of the window is used to adjust the tab order of the Purchase Order window.
• The PO Number field is used to enter the purchase order number. This field will be disabled and will display (Auto) if the Purchase Order module is set up to auto-number purchase orders (PO> Utilities> Setup> Automatically number purchase orders toggle).
  • If the PO module is set up for manual numbering on purchase orders, this PO Number can be edited at any point before the PO batch is committed.
• The Date field is used to enter the purchase order date. The purchase order day will display in the Date field on the printed version of the purchase order. There is a separate date entered on each purchase order line item.
  • The purchase order date can be used to filter the purchase orders that display on the Purchase Order List Report (PO> Reports> PO List).
• The Vendor Number field is used to attach an Accounts Payable module vendor to the purchase order.
  • Enter a vendor number or click the Vendor Number field label to select a vendor from a list.
  • The Vendor Name, Vendor Address 1, Vendor Address 2, Vendor City, Vendor State, Vendor Zip and Vendor Phone fields will populate with the address and phone number attached to the vendor. The vendor address information will display on the printed version of the PO in the Vendor fields.
    • If there is a purchase order address attached to the Accounts Payable vendor (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> Shipping tab> PO Address 1, PO Address 2, PO City, PO State and PO Zip fields), the purchase order address will populate in the address fields.
    • If there isn’t a purchase order address attached to the AP vendor, the mailing address will populate on the purchase order (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> General tab> Mailing Address 1, Mailing Address 2, Mailing City, Mailing State and Mailing Zip).
  • The Vendor Phone field will populate with the phone number of the primary contact attached to the AP vendor (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> Contacts tab> Phone Number field and Primary toggle).
  • If there is a PO message attached to the vendor record, the PO message will display in an alert box. For example, if the vendor is always late in sending the goods, you can add that information to the vendor record. When the vendor is attached to the PO, the information will display.
    • Purchase order messages are attached to Accounts Payable vendors using the Vendor Maintenance window (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> Message Alerts tab> PO Message field).
  • If the selected vendor is set up with a Max Amount limit (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> General tab> Max Amount field), the system will validate that the purchase order will not exceed that total value.
  • Organizations that utilize Tag functionality can control which vendors individual Springbrook users can assign to a purchase order.
• The Electronic Recipient field is used to specify additional electronic PO recipients. These recipients will receive a copy of the electronic PO when the Send Electronic POs step is processed.
  • Enter any additional email addresses that should receive the electronic PO. Separate each email address with a comma.
• The Leave Open toggle is used to keep the purchase order open even if all of the purchase order line items have been closed. This feature is used to create blanket purchase orders.
  • When the Leave Open toggle is not checked, the purchase order will close when all of the purchase order line items have been invoiced. If the Leave Open toggle is checked, the purchase order will stay open even when all of the purchase order line items have been invoiced.
• The Author field will populate with the user name of the person who created the purchase order. This field cannot be edited once a purchase order is saved.
• The Home Department field is used to attach a department to the purchase order. Enter the department number or click the field label to select a department from a list.
• The Shipping Location field is used to add a shipping location to the purchase order. The shipping location will display on the printed version of the PO as the Ship To address.
  • If the Use city name as the default shipping location toggle is checked on the Setup window (PO> Utilities> Setup), the shipping location address fields will populate with the address of your organization defined in the System Setup window (SS> Utilities> System Setup> Organization tab> Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, State, and Zip fields).
  • If there is a shipping location attached to the AP vendor, the Shipping Location field will populate with the default shipping location attached to the vendor. A default shipping addresses is attached to an Accounts Payable vendor using the Vendor Maintenance window (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> Shipping tab> Shipping Address field).
  • If any of the PO line items that are added to the purchase order are associated with IC module inventory items, this shipping address must be an IC module shipping address.
• The Shipping Instructions field is used to add shipping instructions to the printed version of the purchase order. The text entered in this field will display in the Shipping Instructions box on the printed version of the PO.
• The Internal Notes field does not display on the printed version of the purchase order. This field can be used to enter notes on the purchase order for internal use only.
• The Vendor Notes field is used to add notes or comments to the purchase order. The notes or comments entered in this field will display on the printed version of the purchase order in a field titled Special Instructions.
• The Resolution Number will not display on the printed version of the purchase orders.
• The Terms field will populate with the discount terms information established for the selected vendor.
  • Discount terms are established on the Vendor Maintenance window (AP> Maintenance> Vendor).
• The Expected Date field is used to enter the required delivery date of the line items on the purchase order. The date entered in this field will display in the Required Delivery Date field on the printed version of the purchase order.
• The Tax Rate field is used to apply a tax rate to the line items on the purchase order.
  • The Tax Rate field will populate with the sales tax attached to the vendor on the purchase order (AP> Maintenance> Vendor> Detail tab> Sales Tax Rate field).
  • If a tax rate is not attached to the vendor, or if you would like to edit the tax rate, you can enter a value between 0.00001 and 99.99999.
  • Click the Generate icon to apply the tax rate to all taxable line items that have been added to the purchase order.

4     Create a purchase order from an approved requisition.

• Click the Import icon to import approved requisitions. This will open the Select Requisitions window.
  • Enter the desired requisition information into the Search Criteria section and click the Refresh icon to filter the displayed requisitions.
  • Select the requisitions you would like to import and click the Confirm icon. There are some limits on how purchase orders can be created from requisitions.
    • A purchase order can be created from a single requisition line item.
    • A single purchase order can be created from all line items on a single requisition as long as all of the vendors on the requisition are the same.
      • You will not be able to create a single purchase order from a requisition comprised of multiple line items associated with multiple vendors.
    • A single purchase order can be created from multiple line items attached to multiple requisitions as long as the vendor is the same on every requisition line item. When the purchase order is created, each requisition line item will be a separate purchase order line item.
  • If a requisition line item is set up as a contract, the purchase order line item created by that line item will also be a contract.
    • Contract Purchase Orders allow you to create a purchase order with a cap amount, and then as you create invoices on the purchase order the system will track the invoiced amount in relation to the capped amount. When the entire contract amount has been invoiced, the Purchase Order line item will close. 
• Refer to Step 3 above for information on completing the Purchase Order fields.

5     Complete the purchase order tabs.

• The Line Items tab is used to add items to the purchase order. This is the only tab that is required.
  • Click the Create icon to add a purchase order line item.
  • When importing entire requisitions, the line items attached to the requisition will automatically populate the Line Items tab if the line items are attached to the same vendor.
  • The running total for the purchase order line items will be displayed at the bottom of the tab.
• The Comments tab is used to add optional comments to the purchase order.
  • Purchase order comments can be up to 1024 characters long.
• The Contract tab is used to record optional contract information. This tab is often used to record bid and vendor information and will not influence purchase order functionality. This information can be viewed on committed purchase orders by using the Display Purchase Orders window (PO> Display> Purchase Orders).
• The History tab displays the purchase order history. As with the Contract tab, the information included on this tab can be viewed using the Display Purchase Orders window.
• The Miscellaneous tab allows you to build your own tables of data if there is information you want to track. This information is optional and user-defined.
• The Work Flow tab will display any work flows associated with the selected purchase order that are relevant to the current batch.
  • When a purchase order is opened from the Display palette, all work flows associated with the purchase order will be displayed.
• Click the Save icon when complete.