> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.assetinfinity.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Purchase orders

> The committed order sent to a vendor — its six tabs, its states, and how receiving fits in.

The point of no return. A purchase order is a commitment to buy, on agreed terms, from a named
vendor.

## Where a PO comes from

An [RFQ](/commercial/rfqs) award raises one automatically, on the winning quote's terms. A purchase
order can also be raised directly against a vendor, without a competing-quote process, for buys where
one is not warranted.

## PO states

| Status                 | Meaning                           |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Draft**              | Being prepared. Not yet sent      |
| **Sent**               | Issued to the vendor              |
| **Confirmed**          | The vendor has acknowledged it    |
| **Partially Received** | Some, not all, items have arrived |
| **Received**           | Everything ordered has arrived    |
| **Closed**             | Received, invoiced, and settled   |
| **Cancelled**          | Withdrawn before receipt          |

```text theme={null}
Draft ──Send──→ Sent ──Confirm──→ Confirmed ──Receive (partial)──→ Partially Received
                                                       │
                                                       └──Receive (full)──→ Received ──→ Closed

Draft, Sent, Confirmed ──Cancel──→ Cancelled
```

A PO with anything still outstanding shows up on [Awaiting Delivery](/commercial/receiving) until it
reaches **Received**.

## Columns

| Column            | Notes                                        |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **PO number**     | Click to open                                |
| **Vendor**        | Who it was sent to                           |
| **Status**        | As above                                     |
| **Value**         | Committed total                              |
| **Order date**    | When it was sent                             |
| **Expected date** | When the vendor promised delivery            |
| **Received**      | Fraction of ordered quantity received so far |

## Tabs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Overview">
    The vendor, the order and expected dates, terms, and the request or RFQ it came from, if any.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Items">
    What was ordered — part, quantity, unit price, and line total. This is the commitment; everything
    else on the PO is measured against it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Receipts">
    Where goods are actually received. Record what arrived, against which line, in full or in part —
    the PO moves to **Partially Received** or **Received** depending on what is left outstanding.

    This is the only place receiving happens. There is no separate goods-receipt screen; see
    [Awaiting Delivery](/commercial/receiving) for the list of what still needs this tab visited.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Invoices">
    Vendor invoices matched against this PO, so what was billed can be checked against what was
    ordered and what was received.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Documents">
    The PO as issued, vendor order confirmations, and anything else on paper that belongs with the
    order.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Approval history">
    How this PO itself was authorised — separate from the purchase request's approval chain, if one
    preceded it. See [Approvals](/work/approvals).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  Receiving less than was ordered is not an error state. **Partially Received** is a normal, expected
  stop on the way to **Received** — most deliveries arrive in more than one shipment.
</Note>

## Creating a purchase order

Usually raised by [awarding an RFQ](/commercial/rfqs). Raised directly, a PO needs a vendor, the
items and quantities, and terms.

<Card title="Awaiting Delivery" icon="truck" href="/commercial/receiving">
  Purchase orders placed but not yet fully received.
</Card>

<Card title="Vendors" icon="handshake" href="/commercial/vendors">
  Who a purchase order can be sent to, and whether they are still allowed.
</Card>


## Related topics

- [Purchase requests](/commercial/purchase-requests.md)
- [Requests for quotation](/commercial/rfqs.md)
- [Awaiting Delivery](/commercial/receiving.md)
- [Approvals](/work/approvals.md)
- [Approval workflows](/config/workflows.md)