Purchase Orders Documentation

Purchase orders help you manage vendor relationships, track shipments, and receive inventory for special orders. Create professional POs and email them directly to vendors.

Overview

Purchase orders in OrderMAX streamline the vendor ordering process by:

• 📧 Creating professional purchase orders for vendors
• 🚚 Tracking shipments and delivery dates
• 📦 Managing receiving and inventory updates
• 🔗 Linking to customer special orders
• 💰 Tracking costs and payment terms
• 📊 Maintaining vendor communication history

Purchase Order Workflow

Purchase Order Statuses

• Draft - PO created but not finalized
• Pending Approval - Awaiting manager approval
• Approved - Approved and ready to send
• Sent - Emailed to vendor
• Acknowledged - Vendor confirmed receipt
• Partially Received - Some items received
• Received - All items received
• Completed - PO closed out
• Cancelled - PO cancelled

Setting Up Vendor Contacts

Before creating purchase orders, set up your vendor contacts for streamlined ordering:

Adding a Vendor Contact

1. Go to Vendors in the OrderMAX admin
2. Click Add Vendor Contact
3. Fill in vendor information:
   • Shopify Vendor Name: Must match vendor name in Shopify products
   • Contact Name: Main contact person
   • Email: Primary email address
   • Secondary Email: Optional backup email
   • Phone/Fax: Contact numbers
   • Website: Vendor website
4. Set ordering preferences:
   • Ordering Method: Email, Phone, Fax, Website, or Portal
   • Ordering Email: Email address for receiving POs
   • Ordering Instructions: Special notes for ordering
   • Payment Terms: Net 30, Net 60, COD, etc.
   • Shipping Method: Preferred carrier or method
5. Click Save Vendor Contact

Creating Purchase Orders

Create from Special Order

The easiest way to create a purchase order is directly from a special order:

1. Open the special order details page
2. Click Create Purchase Order
3. Select the vendor contact
4. Select which special order items to include
5. Review and adjust:
   • Quantities
   • Unit costs
   • Expected delivery date
6. Add shipping information
7. Click Create Purchase Order

Create Standalone Purchase Order

For inventory restocking or general vendor orders:

1. Go to Purchase Orders
2. Click Create Purchase Order
3. Select vendor contact
4. Fill in PO details:
   • Order date
   • Expected delivery date
   • Shipping method and address
   • Payment terms and method
5. Add line items:
   • Search Shopify products
   • Add custom products
   • Enter quantities and costs
   • Add vendor SKUs
6. Add internal and vendor notes
7. Click Create Purchase Order

PO Line Item Details

Each line item on a purchase order can include:

• Product name and description
• SKU and Vendor SKU
• Quantity ordered vs. quantity received
• Unit cost and total cost
• Expected delivery date
• Lot numbers and serial numbers
• Specifications and notes

Sending Purchase Orders to Vendors

Email Purchase Order

1. Open the purchase order
2. Click Email to Vendor
3. Review the email details:
   • Recipient email (from vendor contact)
   • Subject line
   • Message body
4. Optional: Add CC recipients
5. Click Send Email

The vendor will receive a professional PDF purchase order with all line items, costs, and shipping information.

Communication Tracking

OrderMAX tracks all vendor communications:

• Email sent date and time
• Delivery status (delivered, opened, clicked)
• Follow-up reminders
• Vendor acknowledgments
• Communication history

Receiving Items from Purchase Orders

Mark Items as Received

1. Open the purchase order
2. Find the line item that arrived
3. Click Receive Items
4. Enter received quantity
5. Optional: Add received date (defaults to today)
6. Optional: Enter lot number or serial number
7. Click Save

OrderMAX automatically:

• Updates the received quantity
• Calculates remaining quantity to receive
• Updates PO status (Partially Received or Received)
• Updates linked special order items
• Creates inventory movement records

Partial Receiving

If items arrive in multiple shipments:

1. Receive items as they arrive
2. Status automatically updates to "Partially Received"
3. Track how many items are still pending
4. When all items received, status changes to "Received"

Receiving with Serial Numbers

For items that require serial number tracking:

1. When receiving the item, click Add Serial Number
2. Enter the serial number
3. Serial number links to the special order item
4. Appears on customer invoices and work orders

Purchase Order Status Tracking

Updating PO Status

1. Open the purchase order
2. Click the Status dropdown
3. Select new status
4. Optional: Add notes about the status change
5. Click Update

Adding Tracking Information

When vendor provides shipping information:

1. Open the purchase order
2. Click Edit Details
3. Add tracking information:
   • Tracking number
   • Shipping carrier
   • Expected delivery date
4. Update status to "In Transit"
5. Save changes

Linking to Special Orders

Automatic Linking

When you create a purchase order from a special order, OrderMAX automatically:

• Links PO line items to special order items
• Updates special order when PO items are received
• Tracks which customer orders are waiting on which POs
• Allows you to see all related orders

Viewing Linked Orders

From a purchase order:

• See all linked special orders in the sidebar
• Click to view the special order details
• Track which customers are waiting for items

From a special order:

• See which purchase orders contain items for this customer
• View PO status and expected delivery dates
• See which items have been received

Manual Linking

To link an existing PO to a special order item:

1. Edit the special order item
2. Select the purchase order from the dropdown
3. Save the item

Best Practices

For Vendor Management

• Set up all vendor contacts before creating POs
• Include complete vendor information (email, phone, terms)
• Use consistent vendor names matching Shopify
• Update vendor contacts when information changes
• Track preferred ordering methods for each vendor

For Purchase Order Creation

• Include vendor SKUs when available for accurate ordering
• Set realistic expected delivery dates
• Add clear specifications in item notes
• Include shipping address if different from main location
• Double-check quantities and costs before sending

For Receiving

• Receive items as soon as they arrive
• Verify quantities match what was ordered
• Record serial numbers for trackable items
• Note any discrepancies in receiving notes
• Update special order status when items arrive
• Notify customers immediately when their items arrive

For Communication

• Send PO immediately after approval
• Follow up if vendor hasn't acknowledged after 2-3 days
• Update tracking information when received from vendor
• Keep customers informed of delivery timelines
• Document any changes to PO in notes

Multi-Vendor Orders

• Create separate POs for each vendor (don't combine)
• Track different delivery timelines per vendor
• Update special order estimated date based on slowest vendor
• Consider backup vendors for critical items