Understanding the Purchase Order Process

Purchase orders (POs) are the formal way to buy new books for your library. Here is the full process from start to finish.

Step 1: Set Up Your Vendors

Before creating purchase orders, add your book suppliers.

1. Go to Vendors in the sidebar.
2. Click Add Vendor.
3. Enter the vendor's details: name, contact person, email, phone, address, and payment terms.
4. Save the vendor.

Step 2: Set Up Your Budget

1. Go to Budget in the sidebar.
2. Make sure you have a budget set up for the current school year.
3. Set the allocated amount for each budget category.

Step 3: Create the Purchase Order

1. Go to Purchase Orders in the sidebar.
2. Click Create PO.
3. Select the vendor.
4. Add the books you want to order (title, ISBN, quantity, price per copy).
5. Click Create. The PO is saved as a "Draft."

What you'll see: The PO appears in your list with the status "Draft" and an auto-generated PO number like "PO-2026-0042."

Step 4: Submit for Approval

1. Click Submit on the draft PO.
2. The status changes to "Submitted."

Step 5: Approve the PO

1. An authorized person clicks Approve on the submitted PO.
2. The system checks if there is enough budget available.
3. If approved, the budget amount is reserved (encumbered). This means the money is "set aside" for this order.

Step 6: Receive the Books

1. When the books arrive from the vendor, click Receive on the approved PO.
2. The system automatically:
   • Creates a catalog entry for each book
   • Assigns accession numbers
   • Changes the reserved budget to "spent"
3. The books are now in your catalog and ready to be placed on shelves.

Cancelling a Purchase Order

You can cancel a PO at any stage (Draft, Submitted, or Approved).

1. Click Cancel on the PO.
2. If the PO was already approved, the reserved budget is released back to "available."

Downloading a PO as PDF

1. Click the Download PDF button on any PO.
2. A printable PDF downloads with the PO details, line items, and your school's name.
3. You can print this and send it to the vendor.