Both purchase orders and suppliers are managed in the Inventory section of the web admin. Staff need the Show Purchase Order permission to work with orders and the Show Supplier permission to manage supplier records.
Managing suppliers
Before you can raise a purchase order, you need at least one supplier on file.Add a supplier
Click Add Supplier and fill in the details:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Supplier name | Required |
| Contact information | General contact details |
| Email address | Used when sending a PO by email |
| Phone number | For your reference |
Creating a purchase order
Fill in the order details
Complete the header fields:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Required — pick from your saved suppliers |
| Order date | Defaults to today |
| Expected delivery date | Optional; useful for planning |
| Notes / special instructions | Any message you want to include with the order |
Add items
For each item you want to order:
- Select the inventory item from the list.
- Enter the quantity you need.
- Enter the unit price you expect to pay.
Sending a purchase order to your supplier
Once the draft looks correct, you can send it.Receiving stock against a purchase order
When your delivery arrives, mark the items as received to update your stock levels.Open the sent PO
Find the PO in Inventory > Purchase Orders (filter by Sent status if needed) and click to open it.
Receive items
Click Receive. For each item, enter the quantity actually received. You do not have to receive everything at once — enter only what arrived today.
Recording payments
Payments are recorded against an individual PO and do not need to match the total in a single transaction — you can record multiple partial payments over time.Open the PO
From the purchase order detail page, scroll to the Payments section (or click Record Payment).
Enter payment details
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Payment method | Cash, bank transfer, card, cheque, or other |
| Amount | The amount paid in this transaction |
| Payment date | When the payment was made |
| Payment reference | Cheque number, transfer reference, etc. |
Downloading a PDF copy
From any purchase order (any status), click Download PDF to get a formatted copy you can print or email manually.Cancelling a purchase order
If you no longer need an order, open it and click Cancel. The PO moves to Cancelled status and cannot be received or edited. Draft POs can also be deleted outright using the Delete option on the list.Purchase order statuses at a glance
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Created but not yet sent — fully editable |
| Sent | Emailed to the supplier — editing locked |
| Partially received | Some items received; more deliveries expected |
| Received | All items received |
| Cancelled | Order is void; no stock will be received |
Filtering and searching orders
On the Inventory > Purchase Orders list you can:- Filter by status (draft / sent / received / partially received / cancelled)
- Filter by supplier
- Filter by date range
- Search by PO number or supplier name
Auto purchase orders from low-stock alerts
If the Allow Auto Purchase Order option is turned on in Inventory > Settings, oFatoura can automatically generate a draft purchase order when an item’s stock falls below its threshold quantity. The draft is created using the item’s preferred supplier and its configured reorder quantity. You still review and send the draft manually — nothing is sent to a supplier without your action.Related
- Inventory Dashboard and Items — set threshold quantities, preferred suppliers, and reorder quantities on items
- Stock Levels, Movements, and Waste — view how received stock flows into your stock levels
- Inventory Reports and Settings — purchase order summary reports and auto-PO settings