A Purchase Order, or PO for short, is like a binding promise between a buyer and a seller. It's the official way a buyer says, "I want to buy your products or services." This document is super important because it spells out all the specifics of what's being bought, such as how much, how many, at what price, and when it needs to be delivered.
You might think that only big companies use POs, but that's not the case. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) find them just as useful. Why? Because they help keep purchases clear and organized, which is key for managing finances smoothly. Plus, having everything written down in a PO can really strengthen the relationship between a buyer and a seller. It shows that both parties are serious and professional about the transaction.
A Purchase Order (PO) is a legally binding document from a buyer to a seller, specifying the types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services. Essential for both large corporations and SMEs, POs streamline the procurement process by ensuring clear terms and efficient Accounts Payable cycles. They facilitate accurate forecasting, minimize errors, and improve supplier relationships, ultimately leading to smoother operations and reduced disputes through clear communication and detailed record-keeping.
Raise Purchase Order
Request Approval
Send PO to Supplier
Raise Purchase OrderRequest ApprovalSend PO to Supplier
Zahara is truly incredible because it's crafted to be user-friendly for everyone! Any authorised user can quickly generate a purchase order with minimal training. Our ultimate aim in developing Zahara was to ensure accessibility, so the entire interface is thoughtfully designed to be user-friendly in every possible way.
The platform's high accessibility not only streamlines operations but also lowers the overall cost of ownership, as new teams or recruits can take advantage of our helpful guides and quick learning videos. These resources will expertly guide them in harnessing Zahara's full potential so that you can derive maximum benefits from the system, too!
Sending pricing requests is simple and hassle-free. Moreover, our import module empowers you to update product lists and effortlessly access the latest pricing.
You can easily set up alerts in Microsoft Teams, which allows your finance team to carry out their checks seamlessly. Zahara's supplier module offers all these fantastic features and much more!
Requesting pricing is straightforward. Additionally, our import module allows you to update product lists to access up-to-date pricing. You can also set up an alert in Microsoft Teams when a new supplier is created so the finance team can conduct their usual diligence checks. Zahara's supplier module enables you to do all of this and more.
Zahara allows you to create budgets for both departments and projects. These budgets can be granular - against GL codes, or cost centres with flexible periods. They’re easy to set up and allocate. When users create spend requests, they can see how their purchase will affect the budget. Managers can be notified of budgets being exceeded and refer to budgets when making approval decisions.
Budgets provide a framework for your departmental and project spend. They help make sure your high performance teams are spending the right amount, with the right people, at the right time.
Using Zahara's conditions, you can create multi-step approval workflows that involve different managers depending on the situation. It could be that a purchase exceeds a budget or the value requires authorisation from the CFO. Whatever you need, you can specify it and create the perfect approval process in minutes. You can also send emails, change field values and send purchase orders to vendors. The approval process is then a complete workflow with a full audit trail behind every request.
Zahara's mobile app allows staff to record expense requests. These can be stored on in the mobile app until they’re ready for approval. Each line-item can have an individual receipt added either as a photo or a PDF. Once submitted, expenses are routed into separate approval workflows and then processed faster and more easily.
An effective purchase order (PO) is more than just a shopping list; it's a cornerstone of efficient procurement. It should include crucial elements to ensure a smooth transaction. These elements typically consist of:
Below are some useful tools we have for your purchase order journey.