Create a Purchase Order

There are a few different ways to initiate the manual creation of a Purchase Order in Acctivate, depending on where you’re starting from or what works best for your workflow. For information on creating PO’s based on inventory demand, click here.

This page walks through how to manually create a Purchase Order, complete the necessary header fields, and enter the product details to send to your vendor.

From the Vendors List

This is one of the most intuitive ways to start a PO, especially if you already know the vendor you’ll be ordering from.

1. Open the Vendors list from the left navigation toolbar
2. Begin typing in the list to filter down and quickly locate the vendor.
3. Once you’ve found the vendor, click on their name to open the summary view.
4. Click the +Create button and select Purchase Order
   • This will launch the Enter Purchase Order window with the vendor preselected.

From the Purchasing List

This method is useful when you’re already working within the purchasing workflow or plan to create several orders.

1. Click Purchasing from the left navigation menu.
2. At the bottom of the Purchasing List, click + New Purchase Order.
3. In the Enter Purchase Order window, use the magnifying glass next to the Vendor field to search for and select the supplier.

From the Enter Purchase Orders Window

You can also create a new PO directly from the Enter Purchase Orders window if you’re already working there.

1. Click the Purchase Order icon on the toolbar, or go to Purchasing > Enter Purchase Orders from the top menu.
2. Click New in the Enter Purchase Orders window.
3. Use the lookup button to select the vendor in the Supplier field.

Purchase Order Header Information

After selecting a vendor, you can begin entering information into the header section of the PO. While not all fields are required, filling in key information can help with communication and reporting.

• Requested
  This is the date you’re requesting the vendor to deliver the items. It defaults based on your purchasing options but can be changed manually if needed.
• Warehouse
  If your company uses multiple warehouses, use the dropdown to select the appropriate location. The selected warehouse will update the Ship to Address that appears on the PO.
• Related Document
  A free-text, searchable field that can be used internally to link this PO to another document, such as a quote or internal request.
• Terms
  This will default based on the vendor’s Terms Code as set in QuickBooks. If no terms are assigned to the vendor, Acctivate will use the default set in the purchasing options section of Configuration Management.
• Ship Via
  This field defaults based on your purchasing configuration, but you can override it as needed for the current order.
• Reference
  This text field is visible on the printed PO and can be used for PO-specific notes or identifiers.
• Requested by / Approved by
  These can be filled in manually if needed. If someone other than the original creator approves the PO, Acctivate will automatically populate the Approved by field with that user’s name.
• Special Instructions (bottom of the window)
  This section is used for notes specific to this PO and will be included on the printed PO form. It’s helpful for adding additional vendor instructions, delivery notes, or packaging requests.

Enter Purchase Order Details

Once the PO header is complete, you’ll move down to the detail grid to enter each item being ordered. The detail grid shows each PO line as a single row, making it easy to enter and view multiple fields at once.

Users with Administrative privileges can modify what fields you see by clicking Options > Show Columns. Check or uncheck each field to show or hide based on your needs.

Here’s how to fill in each row:

1. Line Type – Leave blank to allow Acctivate to fill in based on item or select one of the following:
   • Toggle to * to enter a note line
   • Select N to add a non-standard product (only saved on this document)
2. Product ID – Begin typing in the field to allow Acctivate to suggest an auto-completion based on best match, enter the full ID followed by Tab, or use the lookup button to use the full search window.
3. Vendor Product ID – If the selected product has one or more Vendor Product IDs set up for this vendor, the field will fill in automatically
   • If multiple vendor IDs exist, click the field to choose from the available options.
   • You can also type in a new Vendor Product ID while entering the details. Acctivate will remember it for future POs with the same vendor and product.
4. Description – This pulls from the product setup by default, but you can manually adjust the description for this PO line if needed.
5. Instructions – This is a line-level note field. It prints directly under the item on the PO form and is often used for product-specific delivery or packing requests. Click the ellipsis button to open a larger window for longer text entries.
6. Ordered Quantity (Ord) – Enter the quantity you are ordering.
7. Unit – This defaults based on the product’s vendor-specific or purchasing setup. If needed, select a different unit of measure from the dropdown.
8. Price – The price will default based on vendor/product pricing settings. If you have permission, you can manually override the price.
9. Amount – This field calculates automatically based on the quantity, unit, and price.
10. Repeat these steps until all products added.
11. Save the order by clicking the save icon or CTRL+S on your keyboard.

The purchase order is now saved and available in your Purchasing List for review, printing, and approval.