Are you running a small or mid-sized company not using purchase orders? They may be more important than you think...
When most small businesses start out, they forego purchase orders in favor of handshake deals and informal processes. Blindly instilling trust in a seller or using an unspoken agreement with a small-time supplier or a trusted vendor is never a smart move.
What happens if there’s ever a dispute, a disagreement about payment, a discrepancy in the amount ordered, poor quality standards, or even an audit? You need a documented purchase order trail to reference.
Maybe your mid-size business is a little savvier and you enter basic expense records for each purchase. What happens if you win a large contract and begin ordering more expensive or regularly occurring items? That basic expense process will quickly become complicated, time-consuming, and inefficient.
That’s where purchase orders come in, as your business grows in size and complexity, a formalized system like Deltek Costpoint ensures your purchases are ordered, budgeted, tracked, and fulfilled accordingly.
Purchase orders are an important tool that businesses like yours should use to ensure spending stays within budget. Without purchase orders, tracking expenses is more difficult, prone to errors, and validating reports can become a nightmare!
Need help with your Purchase Orders, Setting Screens, or General Costpoint Assistance?
Contact us today and let our team configure your system to maximize efficiency, save time, decrease costs, and improve overall performance.
Let's take a look at how easy it is to enter a purchase order in Deltek Costpoint:
Like washing a car or painting a house, in Costpoint you always create a purchase order "top-down." By top-down we mean beginning in the header level and moving to the table/line level. Any info or data you input in the header will default at the table/line level, it will not work the other way around! Most auto-fill defaults will be based upon your initial setting screens and setup.
This example will cover how to enter a simple purchase order in Costpoint, the process will be similar if you ever need to enter a Sales Order or a Release.
HEADER LEVEL
Header - Use this tab to enter buyer, vendor, order date, status, and procurement type information.
Other Information - Use this tab to enter contact, acknowledgment, and other information about the purchase order.
Accounting Defaults - Use this tab to enter project, account, and organization information.
Other Defaults - Use this tab to enter shipping, delivery, and other default information about the purchase order.
Vendor Address - Use this tab to enter vendor address details.
Bill To and Return Address - Use this tab to enter the bill-to and return address for the purchase order.
Blanket Info - Use this tab to enter the period of performance, blanket amounts, and blank PO restrictions.
Security Requirments - Use this tab to enter the security requirements of any resources that are used for the PO.
Subcontract Information - Use this tab to link a purchase order (PO) to one (1) existing subcontract on the Manage Subcontracts (CTMSBCNTR) screen. Lookup for a subcontract ID displays only active subcontract IDs for the matched PO header vendor and company. *The Subcontract Information tab is available only to users who are licensed for Contract Management.
Header:
• Buyer - Enter Buyer
• Vendor - Enter Supplier
• Order Date - Enter Date Ordered
*Pro-tip - Set your vendor addresses to default so they auto-fill
Other Information:
• Put in terms - NET30, NET90, etc.
• Optional put in FOB point - Destination or Shipping
• Input contact info - Last/First Name, Email, etc.
• Select acknowledgment box - Retain, Confirming, Printed, GSA
Accounting Defaults:
• Project - Enter the Project you are Buying To or For
• Account - Enter the Account/Type
• Organization - Enter Organization/Org Name
Other Defaults:
Shipping Information:
• Ship ID - Where it is being Delivered
Delivery Information:
• Deliver To - Who is this for
• Desired Date - When do we want it by
• Due Date - When do we need it by
• Requisition - Create req number
• Taxable - Choose default or non-taxable if applicable
Vendor Address:
• Address Info - Will default in if you set vendors to 'default' if not you must manually enter vendor/supplier address
Bill to and Return Address:
Bill to:
• Branch - Enter ordering company/location
• Address Code - Enter corporate address code
Return to:
• Same as above
TABLE/LINE LEVEL
• Select New
• Enter PO Line Number
• Choose your item, good, or service
• Enter Qty
• Due Date
• Enter U/M
• Misc type & Item ID - *One or the other is required
• Gross Unit Cost
• Volume Discount
• Net Unit Cost
• Extended Cost
• Line Charge Amount
• Taxable or Not
• Sales Tax Rate
• Sales Tax Amount
• Line Charge Sales Tax Amount
• Total Line Amount
• And about 20 additional fields and the "kitchen sink" can be found here under 'Table Window' with their descriptions.
The two most important fields are your Quantity and Due Date. Most of the information for the additional fields listed above will auto-fill/default from the header line above assuming your setting screens have been properly set up. If the fields do not auto-fill/default, manually key in the required fields to complete the purchase order.
*Pro-tip - Adjust column sizes, and arrange the fields to keep the most relevant info at the front of the line and on your main screen. Be sure to click the "person" icon on the upper right corner of the window and save your Application Layout Changes!
The Bottom Line
In summary, purchase orders are necessary documents issued from a Buyer (you/your organization) to a Seller (the vendor/supplier). They are an important tool for Buyers because they formalize requirements and pricing, serve as legally binding documentation of the goods/services that were ordered, and create a detailed purchase order trail for auditors.
Related Posts
"What's New with Deltek Costpoint?"
Did you know Deltek offers two different options for users based upon size - Costpoint for Enterprise and Costpoint for Small Business.