Purchases

The Purchases Module

The Purchases module manages procurement - from requesting quotes to receiving goods and paying vendor bills. It integrates with Inventory (stock replenishment), Accounting (vendor bills), and Manufacturing (raw material procurement).

Core Concepts

Procurement Flow

1. Need Identified - Manual request, reordering rule trigger, or MTO from sales.
2. RFQ Created - Sent to preferred vendor(s).
3. PO Confirmed - Vendor accepts. Order is confirmed.
4. Goods Received - Receipt validated in Inventory. Stock updated.
5. Bill Received - Vendor invoice posted in Accounting.
6. Payment - Bill paid according to payment terms.

Menu Structure

• Orders - Requests for Quotation, Purchase Orders, Receipts, Vendor Bills.
• Products - Products (shared catalog), Vendor Price Lists.
• Configuration - Settings, Purchase Teams, Product Categories.
• Reporting - Purchase Analysis (pivot/graph).

Purchase Analysis

Go to Purchases > Reporting > Purchase Analysis. Pivot and graph view for procurement data.

Dimensions

• Vendor, Product, Product Category.
• Buyer, Purchase Team.
• Order Date, Receipt Date.
• Country, State.

Measures

• Untaxed Amount, Total, Quantity Ordered, Quantity Received.
• Number of Orders, Average Order Value.

Filters

Date range, order status (RFQ, PO, Done, Cancelled), vendor, buyer.

Key Insights

• Spend by vendor - identify top suppliers.
• On-time delivery rate - compare expected vs actual arrival dates.
• Price trends - track price changes per product over time.
• Procurement cycle time - PO creation to receipt.

Best Practices

• Review vendor performance quarterly using on-time delivery and quality metrics.
• Negotiate better prices based on volume trends identified in the report.
• Use the pivot table to forecast future procurement needs.

Vendor Records

Vendors are contacts marked as "Vendor". Create via Purchases > Orders > Vendors or the Contacts app.

Key Vendor Fields for Purchases

• Name - Legal vendor name.
• Supplier/Partner - Check this box to mark as vendor.
• Currency - Vendor's currency for multi-currency procurement.
• Payment Terms - Net 30, Due on Receipt, etc. Flows to bills.
• Purchase Team - Assign to a team for procurement tracking.
• Tags - Categorise: Preferred, International, Backup, etc.
• Fiscal Position - Auto-apply tax rules based on vendor country.
• Bank Accounts - For vendor payments.

Vendor Price Lists (Supplier Info)

Define per-vendor pricing for each product. Go to Purchases > Products > Vendor Price Lists or open a product → Vendors tab.

Vendor Portal

Vendors with portal access can view their RFQs, POs, and bills. They can confirm delivery dates and submit invoices online. Enable portal access on the vendor contact form → Portal Access tab.