Purchase order

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An example of a purchase order request from a travel agent. Purchase Order Request Form.jpg
An example of a purchase order request from a travel agent.

A purchase order, often abbreviated to PO, is a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services required. [1] It is used to control the purchasing of products and services from external suppliers. [2] Purchase orders can be an essential part of enterprise resource planning system orders.

Contents

An indent is a purchase order often placed through an agent (indent agent) under specified conditions of sale. [3]

The issue of a purchase order does not itself form a contract. If no prior contract exists, then it is the acceptance of the order by the seller that forms a contract between the buyer and seller.

Overview

Purchase orders allow buyers to clearly and openly communicate with the sellers to maintain transparency. They may also help a purchasing agent to manage incoming orders and pending orders. Sellers are also protected by the use of purchase orders, in case of a buyer's refusal to pay for goods or services. [4]

Purchase orders provide benefits in that they streamline the purchasing process in a standard procedure. Commercial lenders or financial institutions may provide financial assistance on the basis of purchase orders. [4] There are various trade finance facilities that almost every financial institution allows business people to use against purchase orders such as:

  1. Before shipment credit facility
  2. Post shipment credit facility
  3. Trade finance facility
  4. Foreign bill purchase credit facility
  5. Bill retirement credit facility
  6. Order confirmation
  7. Followup

The purpose of purchase orders is to procure materials for direct consumption or for stock, procure services, fulfil customer requirements using external resources, or procure a material that is required in production from an internal source (long-distance intra-plant stock transfers). They may also place once-only procurement transactions and optimize purchasing by taking full advantage of negotiated conditions or for optimal utilisation of existing resource capacities. [4]

Creating a purchase order is typically the first step of the purchase-to-pay process in an ERP system. Purchase orders may require a SKU code.

Many organisations encourage staff to use a purchasing card (or procurement card) for low value purchases instead of issuing a purchase order. [5]

Future business scenarios anticipate a reduced role for purchase orders or even their full elimination, leaving organizations with a smaller and more strategic procurement function than in the past. Kai Nowosel and Kris Timmermans of consultants Accenture ask why purchase orders and invoices are needed when digital systems can deliver goods confirmations and authorize funds, and suggest that digital functionality and supply analytics will change the landscape for purchase orders and processes "in the coming years". [6]

Although a typical purchase order may not be worded as a contract (in fact most contain little more than a list of the goods or services the buyer desires to purchase, along with price, payment terms, and shipping instructions), the purchase order is a specially regarded instrument regulated by the Uniform Commercial Code or other similar law which establishes a purchase order as a contract by its nature. Yet despite the nature of the purchase order as a contract, it is common to accompany the acceptance of a purchase order with a legal document such as the terms and conditions of sale, which establish specific or additional legal conditions of the contract. [7]

The US Federal Acquisition Regulation states that purchase orders should generally be issued on a fixed-price basis, but provision is also made for unpriced purchase orders to be issued where "it is impractical to obtain pricing in advance of issuance of the purchase order". [8]

In the UK, the Office of Government Commerce noted with concern in 2010 that "contracting authorities [were] not always raising purchase orders", and that where they were used, invoices were not always being reconciled to purchase orders before payment. [9] Some organisations operate a "No PO, no pay" policy, which means that invoices which do not refer to a purchase order number will be returned to the supplier unpaid. The City of London Corporation, for example, operates such a policy. [10]

Formats

Electronic

Many purchase orders are no longer paper-based, but rather transmitted electronically over the Internet. It is common for electronic purchase orders to be used to buy goods or services of any type online.

There are many names for Electronic Purchase Orders. It is sometimes known as: E-Procurement, E-Purchasing, E-Purchase Requisition. These terms are normally all referring to Electronic Purchase Orders.

Non-electronic

The record of purchase order in most business firms are still [ when? ] on paper and thus there is a need for proper purchase order format. Many users wish to have professional formatting for purchase orders for several reasons. A company may wish to have a strong understanding of purchase transactions or to know the basic requirements of purchase order. It may also make it part of business documentation, which makes the process easier while keeping record of all transactions and to have good impression on the client or customer. [11]

Planned purchase order

The term "planned purchase order" (PPO) is used to refer to a buyer's commitment to purchase goods or services from a single supplier on a long term basis, with individual purchase orders specifying the quantities required from time to time. [12] [13]

Purchase order request

A purchase order request or purchase requisition is a request sent internally within a company to obtain purchased goods and services, including stock. The request is a document which tells the purchasing department or manager exactly what items and services are requested, the quantity, source and associated costs.

A Purchase Requisition Form (PRF) is filled out prior to purchasing goods as a form of tangible authorisation. Purchase request forms are often used in smaller business who do not have a computer-based system. However, many computer (included web-based solution) systems are available on the market that can facilitate the capture of purchase request information. Purchase order requests can also be passed to the purchasing department via a management information system.

A PRF may contain budget and purchase values to make the individual aware of the annual and remaining budget before a purchase is made. Such a system is there to guarantee that goods and services are purchased with the consent of the line manager and that a sufficient budget is available.

Purchase Order Finance (or PO Finance)

[edit source] The term "purchase order finance" (PO finance) is used to refer to a type of financing that helps buyers to receive financing help from another entity to prepay the cost of goods (and sometimes services). This takes the form of a loan or purchase agreement that can be with or without recourse, depending upon the structure of the deal. There are very few purchase order finance companies, as the market is small, niche, and rarely advertise. Oftentimes, PO finance companies will work alongside factoring or accounts receivables finance companies to provide a complete financing package. Factoring companies like LSQ, Riviera Funding, and Triumph, among others, work with companies like King Trade or PayMeFaster to achieve the combined package of PO financing and receivables financing (factoring). [14] [15]

Many transactions are between a Client company that is selling to a large Buyer, and buying from a Supplier in Asia, South America, or Europe. An example would be that Client buys goods from Supplier at $500 per item and sells to Buyer for $600 per item. In this case, the PO finance company would help by paying for (financing) the goods from the Supplier at $500, those ship to the Client, then the Buyer. 30-60-90-120 days later, the Buyer and would pay the PO finance company at $600 per item. The PO finance company would then pay down their loan and remit the balance to Client. [16] [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Factoring (finance)</span> Financial transaction and a type of debtor finance

Factoring is a financial transaction and a type of debtor finance in which a business sells its accounts receivable to a third party at a discount. A business will sometimes factor its receivable assets to meet its present and immediate cash needs. Forfaiting is a factoring arrangement used in international trade finance by exporters who wish to sell their receivables to a forfaiter. Factoring is commonly referred to as accounts receivable factoring, invoice factoring, and sometimes accounts receivable financing. Accounts receivable financing is a term more accurately used to describe a form of asset based lending against accounts receivable. The Commercial Finance Association is the leading trade association of the asset-based lending and factoring industries.

Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual obligation to "procure", i.e. to "ensure" that something is done. When a government agency buys goods or services through this practice, it is referred to as government procurement or public procurement.

An invoice, bill or tab is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer relating to a sale transaction and indicating the products, quantities, and agreed-upon prices for products or services the seller had provided the buyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letter of credit</span> Document issued by a financial institution

A letter of credit (LC), also known as a documentary credit or bankers commercial credit, or letter of undertaking (LoU), is a payment mechanism used in international trade to provide an economic guarantee from a creditworthy bank to an exporter of goods. Letters of credit are used extensively in the financing of international trade, when the reliability of contracting parties cannot be readily and easily determined. Its economic effect is to introduce a bank as an underwriter that assumes the counterparty risk of the buyer paying the seller for goods.

Purchasing is the procurement process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations.

E-procurement is a collective term used to refer to a range of technologies which can be used to automate the internal and external processes associated with procurement, strategic sourcing and purchasing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business-to-business</span> Commercial transaction between businesses

Business-to-business is a situation where one business makes a commercial transaction with another. This typically occurs when:

Strategic sourcing is the process of developing channels of supply at the lowest total cost, not just the lowest purchase price. It expands upon traditional organisational purchasing activities to embrace all activities within the procurement cycle, from specification to receipt, payment for goods and services to sourcing production lines where the labor market would increase firms' ROI. Strategic sourcing processes aim for continuous improvement and re-evaluation of the purchasing activities of an organisation.

A blanket order, blanket purchase agreement or call-off order is a purchase order which a customer places with its supplier to allow multiple delivery dates over a period of time, often negotiated to take advantage of predetermined pricing. It is normally used when there is a recurring need for expendable goods. Blanket orders are often used when a customer buys large quantities and has obtained special discounts. Based on the blanket order, sales orders and invoice items can be created as needed until the contract is fulfilled, the end of the order period is reached or a predetermined maximum order value is reached.

A retention of title clause is a provision in a contract for the sale of goods that the title to the goods remains vested in the seller until the buyer fulfils certain obligations.

Procurement software refers to a range of business software designed to streamline and automate purchasing processes for businesses and organizations. By managing information flows and transactions between procuring entities, suppliers, and partners, procurement software aims to cut costs, improve efficiency, and boost organizational performance.

Purchasing is the formal process of buying goods and services. The purchasing process can vary from one organization to another, but there are some common key elements.

Supplier enablement is the process of electronically connecting suppliers to a company's supply chain. Supplier enablement is achieved when suppliers of goods and services are connected to a company's back-office systems to exchange critical business documents such as purchase orders, invoices and other information. Suppliers can be connected, or "enabled," using a variety of means including Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Web forms, RFID chips, or other e-commerce tools.

A vendor management system (VMS) is an Internet-enabled, often Web-based application that acts as a mechanism for business to manage and procure staffing services – temporary, and, in some cases, permanent placement services – as well as outside contract or contingent labor. Typical features of a VMS application include order distribution, consolidated billing and significant enhancements in reporting capability that outperforms manual systems and processes.

A purchasing card is a form of company charge card that allows goods and services to be procured without using a traditional purchasing process. In the UK, purchasing cards are usually referred to as procurement cards.

The term Public eProcurement refers, in Singapore, Ukraine, Europe and Canada, to the use of electronic means in conducting a public procurement procedure for the purchase of goods, works or services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vendor</span> Supplier of goods or services

In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms refer to a supplier of any goods or service. In property sales, the vendor is the name given to the seller of the property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trade finance</span> Strategies to facilitate trade

Trade finance is a phrase used to describe different strategies that are employed to make international trade easier. It signifies financing for trade, and it concerns both domestic and international trade transactions. A trade transaction requires a seller of goods and services as well as a buyer. Various intermediaries such as banks and financial institutions can facilitate these transactions by financing the trade. Trade finance manifests itself in the form of letters of credit (LOC), guarantees, or insurance, and is usually provided by intermediaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reverse auction</span> Auction with one buyer and many potential sellers

A reverse auction is a type of auction in which the traditional roles of buyer and seller are reversed. Thus, there is one buyer and many potential sellers. In an ordinary auction also known as a forward auction, buyers compete to obtain goods or services by offering increasingly higher prices. In contrast, in a reverse auction, the sellers compete to obtain business from the buyer and prices will typically decrease as the sellers underbid each other.

Supply chain finance is a form of financial transaction initiated by the ordering party in order to help its suppliers to finance their receivables more easily and at a lower interest rate than the rate available commercially. Similarly, under reverse factoring, a third party facilitates an exchange by financing the supplier on the customer's behalf. The term also refers to practices used by banks and other financial institutions to manage capital invested into the supply chain and reduce risk for the parties involved.

References

  1. ↑ Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, Glossary of Terms: Purchase Order (PO), accessed 24 May 2023
  2. ↑ Dobler, Donald W; Burt, David N (1996). Purchasing and Supply Management, Text and Cases (Sixth ed.). Singapore: McGraw-Hill. p. 70.
  3. ↑ "Indent". businessdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Purchase Order Benefits". Loyola University New Orleans. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Oxfordshire County Council, Purchasing and Embedded Card Policy, accessed 24 May 2023
  6. ↑ Nowosel, K., Is Yours a Procurement Organization of One?, published 28 September 2015, accessed 1 September 2023
  7. ↑ "Requisition Order and Purchase Order". DPO. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  8. ↑ FAR - Subpart 13.3—Simplified Acquisition Methods Archived 2018-07-09 at the Wayback Machine , accessed 15 November 2016
  9. ↑ Office of Government Commerce, Procurement Policy Note – The requirement for effective scrutiny of invoices before payment. Action Note 18/10 29 September 2010, archived by National Archives, accessed 28 August 2021
  10. ↑ City of London Corporation, Information for Suppliers, updated on 18 September 2024, accessed on 6 December 2024
  11. ↑ "Purchase Order Templates". Smartsheet.
  12. ↑ Gaur, P., Purchase Order, Cargoflip, Inc., published 7 April 2023, accessed 10 August 2023
  13. ↑ Istanbouli, B. et al., Combinatorial Effects in Supply Chain Processes, published in Aveiro et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the Enterprise Engineering Working Conference (EEWC) Forum 2017, Antwerp, Belgium, 09-May-2017 to 11-May-2017, accessed 10 August 2023
  14. ↑ "Invoice Factoring Lenders | Recommended Invoice Factoring Companies". Funder Intel. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  15. ↑ "Best Factoring Companies Of 2024 – Forbes Advisor". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  16. ↑ Kouvelis, Panos; Dong, Lingxiu; Turcic, Danko, eds. (2017). Supply chain finance. Foundations and trends in technology, information and operations management. Boston: now. ISBN   978-1-68083-376-8.
  17. ↑ Chhabra, Chhabra (2021). "SUPPLY CHAIN FINANCE BY DEVELOPMENT BANKS AND PUBLIC ENTITIES" (PDF). The World Bank.
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