A Purchase Order (PO) is a formal request to one vendor for a list of materials, items, disposables or services. POs let you send a clean list to the supplier, track what has been delivered, add received goods to stock, and record what you paid. They are part of the Purchase Orders plan feature.
PO lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared; editable |
| Sent | Emailed/given to the vendor |
| Confirmed | Vendor has accepted |
| Partially Received | Some lines delivered (set automatically on receiving) |
| Received | Everything delivered (set automatically) |
| Cancelled | Withdrawn |
Buttons on the PO: Send (Draft → Sent), Confirm (Sent → Confirmed), Receive, Cancel. A PO is locked for editing once it leaves Draft; cancel it and create a new one to change the lines. Received and Cancelled are final.
Create a PO manually
- Application Setup → Purchase Orders → New purchase order.
- Vendor — select first; the rate card drives the prices.
- Linked Order / Event — optional but recommended: links the PO to the order so its cost appears in that order's vendor finances. Choose None (order-level only) to link to the order without an event, or All Events (Merged Itemware).
- Order date, Delivery date, Delivery address, Notes.
- Line items — Add line for each: Type (material, item, cutlery, operational resource, or Vendor Service), the Resource, Quantity, Unit, Rate (Prefilled from the vendor's rate card — adjust for a negotiated price). The Grand total updates as you go. The Unit offers the resource's own unit, plus the other weight / volume units when the resource is kept in one (order a material kept in kg by the gram). A material kept in packs with a pack size — 1 Bottle = 750 Mililitre — can also be ordered in Litre or Mililitre; the Rate is re-priced for the chosen unit from the rate per bottle. A line keeps the unit it was written in, even if the material's unit is changed later.
- Save (created as Draft).
Shortcuts on the form:
- Add disposables — fills the linked order's disposable cutlery and operational-resource requirements as line items; Include all disposable operational resources adds every disposable OR; Include categories limits by type.
- Include Available Stock — deducts current inventory from required quantities and removes fully-covered lines.
Create POs from an order's requirements
Usually faster than manual entry — Neviscater already knows what you need. The step-by-step guide for the most common case, the raw material list of an order, is Create Purchase Orders from an Order's Raw Material List.
| From | Button | Creates |
|---|---|---|
| Order → Raw Materials (vendor-wise view) | Create Purchase Orders | One draft PO per vendor per procurement scope, from materials' Preferred Vendor |
| Order → Menu Items Services / vendor-supplied items | Create Purchase Orders | One draft PO per vendor for ready-made items |
| Order → All External Services | Create Purchase Orders | One draft PO per vendor for booked services |
| Order → Cookware, Serveware & Cutlery | Create a purchase order for this entry | PO for disposables |
| A material's Add Stock | Create PO from material | Single-line PO to its preferred vendor |
Lines without an assigned vendor are skipped. Materials with a pack size are rounded up to whole packs — a requirement of 12.4 Bottle becomes a line of 13 Bottle — while other materials are ordered exactly as calculated. Entries already covered show Already on a purchase order (status); you can still Create another PO for this entry if needed. The note N of M items on a purchase order on vendor finances shows coverage.
Send to the vendor
Open the PO → Send. If the vendor has an Email on file, the PO PDF is emailed and the status becomes Sent; otherwise the status still changes and you are told the vendor has no email. PDF / Download gives you the document to share by other means.
Receive goods
- Open the PO → Receive.
- Enter the Received quantity per line (defaults to ordered). Partial deliveries are fine — receive again later for the rest.
- Confirm. For every line with inventory tracking on, the received quantity is added to Current Stock (materials, items, cutlery, operational resources) and the PO moves to Partially Received or Received. A line written in another unit than the material's is converted on the way in: 9 Litre received of a material kept per 750 ml Bottle adds 12 Bottle to stock.
View receipt details → on the PO shows what was received when.
Record a payment
PO → Payments → Record Payment: Payment Date, Amount, Description. The PO shows Total paid, Outstanding and Settled when fully paid. These payments are vendor payments, linked to the PO's order, and appear in the vendor's ledger — see Vendor Finances on Orders.
The Purchase Orders list
Filter by Order month / From / To date, Vendor, Status, Linked order; each row shows PO number, Vendor, Linked Order / Event, Delivery, Total, Progress (received vs ordered), Status. View, Edit (Draft only), Delete (Draft only).
Common questions
Stock did not increase after receiving. The material/item has Track Inventory off, or the line is a service (services never add stock).
Can I edit a Sent PO? No. Cancel it and create a new Draft (duplicate the order's requirement again or enter manually).
The PO shows 13 Bottle but the raw-material list said 12.40. Purchase orders round up to whole packs for materials with a pack size; the list shows the exact requirement.
PO total differs from the vendor bill on the order. The vendor bill on an order comes from the menu-item / service entries; the PO is what you ordered. Adjust the entry's rate on the order to match the negotiated price.