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Version: 2.0.x

Purchase Orders

After a suggestion for a new item has been approved, the next step in the acquisitions workflow is to create a Purchase Order (PO). A PO is the formal document that the library sends to a supplier or vendor to order one or more items.

The Purchase Orders section of the Acquisitions module allows you to group approved suggestions, assign them to a specific supplier, and track the order's status until the items are received.

The Purchase Order Lifecycle​

  1. Creation: An operator creates a new, empty PO and associates it with a specific supplier.
  2. Adding Items: Approved suggestions are selected and added to the newly created PO.
  3. Issuing the Order: The PO is finalized and can be printed or exported to be sent to the supplier. Its status changes to "Pending".
  4. Receiving Items: When the physical items arrive, the operator marks them as "received" within the PO. This is the final step that confirms the acquisition.

How to Create and Manage a Purchase Order​

Step 1: Create the Purchase Order

  1. Navigate to the Acquisitions module and select the Purchase Orders menu.
  2. Create a new PO by selecting a supplier from your list of vendors and filling in order details like the date and any internal notes.

Step 2: Add Items to the Order

  1. After creating the PO header, the system will allow you to add items to it.
  2. You will be presented with a list of all suggestions that have the status "Approved".
  3. Select the checkbox next to each approved suggestion that you want to include in this specific PO and add them to the order.

Step 3: Receive the Items

  1. When the ordered materials arrive from the supplier, locate and open the corresponding PO in the system.
  2. The system will display a list of all items that were on the order.
  3. For each item that has arrived, mark it as received. At this stage, you can also input final invoice information, such as the actual price paid.
  4. Marking an item as received is the final step in the acquisition process. This action often automatically creates a basic bibliographic record and an item record in the copies database, which can then be fully cataloged and prepared for circulation.