Purchase orders
The Purchase orders module, to confirm an order before invoicing it.
The purchase order confirms an accepted order: it fixes the items, quantities and agreed prices before delivery and invoicing. It is an add-on module: the Purchase orders entry only appears in the sidebar when the module is active in your subscription. Without it, the type is absent from the menu and from conversions.
- A purchase order always starts from a quote.
- Create the quote first and send it to the customer.
- Once accepted, the quote appears here and is converted from its Options menu.
What you will do
- Activate the module if your plan does not include it.
- Create a purchase order, directly or from an estimate.
- Convert it into an invoice once the order is delivered.
Activate the module
Modules are managed in Plans and subscription. Once the module is active, the Purchase orders entry appears under Documents and the Purchase order option is added to the « Convertir en » (convert to) block of estimates.
Some document types reserved for higher plans (proforma invoice, entry and exit notes) remain visible with a padlock icon. Purchase orders follow a different rule: they are simply hidden until the module is subscribed.
Create a purchase order
- Open Purchase orders, then Create: the « Nouveau bon de commande » (new purchase order) form appears.
- Choose the Customer, check the Number (column header « N° Commande » (order no.)) and the Issue date.
- Enter the ordered lines from the catalogue or as free lines, with quantities, units and discounts in « Avancé » (advanced) mode.
- Add a Note visible to the customer if needed (delivery lead time, site address).
- Click Save.
The form is the one described in Create an invoice. The list shows « N° Commande » (order no.), Customer, Issue date and Amount, with no due date or status column, and the left-hand tile reads « Total des commandes » (total orders).
From an estimate
The most common route is conversion: in the Options menu of an estimate, choose « Convertir en » (convert to), then Purchase order, and confirm with « Convertir » (convert). The purchase order takes over all the lines of the estimate, and the estimate is locked as a converted document.
Signature and deposits
Like the estimate, the purchase order accepts an electronic signature if the signature module is active: « Demander signature » (request signature) in the Options menu, then « Certificat de signature » (signature certificate) once signed.
The menu also offers Add payment: you can record a deposit received with the order. The balance is carried over to the invoice produced by the conversion. See Payments.
Convert into an invoice
- Open the Options menu of the purchase order.
- Under « Convertir en » (convert to), choose Invoice.
- Confirm with « Convertir » (convert).
The invoice receives the next number in the invoice series; the purchase order shows Linked to followed by the invoice number and can no longer be edited or deleted.
The conversion runs from the web application. In the app, the Invoice entry of the « Convertir en » (convert to) block is marked "Available on the web". A purchase order is not sent over the Peppol network: only the invoice derived from it is.
A customer who regularly orders the same items? Duplicate an existing purchase order to avoid re-entering the lines.