Purchasing: requests, RFQs, orders, receipts and supplier invoices¶

Language: English · Italiano · Français · Deutsch Manual index: README

Purchases are where job costs are won or lost: buying the right thing, at the right price, from a reliable supplier, without exceeding the budget. ProjectIQ covers the whole purchasing chain inside the project: a team member requests what is needed, the project manager (and above a threshold the purchasing approver) approves, the buyer asks suppliers for quotations and compares them, the winning quote becomes a purchase order, the supplier confirms it (also from the supplier portal), goods are received and become actual cost, and the supplier invoice is checked and approved.

Every step updates the project figures: committed cost when an order is sent, actual cost when goods are received, spend per supplier and item.

All purchasing pages are in the Purchasing area: group Procurement (Purchase Requests, RFQs, Purchase Orders, Goods Receipts, Supplier Invoices) and group Analysis (Spend dashboard). The Purchasing tab of the project form lists the requests and orders of the project.

The chain at a glance¶

flowchart LR
    PR[Purchase request<br/>PR-#####] -->|Submit| AP{Approval}
    AP -->|≤ threshold:<br/>project manager| OK[Approved]
    AP -->|> threshold:<br/>PM then purchasing approver| OK
    OK -->|Create RFQ| RFQ[Request for quotation<br/>RFQ-#####]
    OK -->|Create Order| PO
    RFQ -->|Send| SUP([Suppliers quote<br/>portal or buyer])
    SUP -->|Award| PO[Purchase order<br/>PO-#####]
    PO -->|Send to Supplier| SENT[Sent]
    SENT -->|Confirm / portal| CONF[Confirmed]
    CONF -->|Register Receipt| GR[Goods receipt<br/>GR-#####]
    GR -->|material usage| ACT[(Project actual cost)]
    PO -.-> INV[Supplier invoice<br/>INV-#####]
    INV -->|Approve / Reject| DONE[Approved]

Numbers are assigned automatically when the record is saved: purchase requests PR-00001, requests for quotation RFQ-00001, purchase orders PO-00001, goods receipts GR-00001, supplier invoices INV-00001.

Who does what¶

Action	Who can do it
Create a purchase request	A Manager or Contributor of the project, an administrator (the requester is set to you)
Submit a request	The requester, a Manager of the project, an administrator
Approve / reject up to the threshold	The project manager (current approver), any Manager of the project, an administrator
Approve / reject above the threshold (second level)	The Purchasing Approver set in the environment variables, or an administrator
Cancel a request	The requester, a Manager of the project, an administrator
Create RFQs and orders, send, award, change order status	A Manager of the project, an administrator
Register goods receipts	A Manager or Contributor of the project, an administrator
Approve / reject supplier invoices	The Purchasing Approver, an administrator

"Administrator" means a user with the OP365 Administrator or System Administrator role.

All the actions are buttons in the command bar of the forms. Each button is enabled only in the statuses where it applies, and every action asks for confirmation.

1. Purchase requests¶

A purchase request (PR) says what is needed, for which project and task, by when, and roughly how much it costs.

Creating a request¶

Go to Purchasing → Procurement → Purchase Requests → + New, or to the Purchasing tab of the project.
Fill in the header:

Field	Meaning
Title	Short description of the need (for example "Cables for 2nd floor")
Needed By	Date the material is needed on site
Project	The project (must not be closed)
WBS Node	The task the purchase is for (same project only). Used for the budget check and copied to the order lines
Preferred Supplier	The supplier you suggest. Required to use Create Order; always invited when an RFQ is created
Requester	You, by default
Justification	Why it is needed, anything the approver should know

Save, then add the Lines (section Lines, + New Purchase Request Line):

Field	Meaning
Item	Catalogue item (optional)
Description	From the item when empty
Quantity / Unit of Measure	How much (the unit comes from the item when empty)
Estimated Price	Unit price you expect. Empty = the preferred supplier's price for the item, else the item unit cost
Amount	Quantity × Estimated Price (calculated)
Sort Order	Order of the lines
Notes	Specifications for the supplier

The Estimated Amount of the request is the sum of the line amounts.

Submitting and approving¶

Click Submit. The request becomes Submitted, its content is locked (only the Justification can still be completed), and the application records three things in the Approval section:

Above Threshold: whether the estimated amount exceeds the Purchase Request Threshold environment variable;
Over Budget: whether actual cost + committed cost + this request exceed the budget of the WBS node (or of the project, if no node is set);
Current Approver: the project manager, who receives a notification "Purchase request to approve".

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> Draft
    Draft --> Submitted: Submit
    Rejected --> Submitted: Submit again
    state Submitted {
        direction LR
        [*] --> Manager
        Manager --> Administrator: PM approves and amount > threshold
    }
    Submitted --> Approved: approve (≤ threshold, or 2nd level)
    Submitted --> Rejected: Reject + reason
    Approved --> Ordered: RFQ awarded or Create Order
    Draft --> Cancelled: Cancel Request
    Submitted --> Cancelled: Cancel Request
    Approved --> Cancelled: Cancel Request
    Rejected --> Cancelled: Cancel Request

Two-level approval

Level	Who decides	What happens on Approve
Manager (first)	Project manager / Managers of the project	If the request is not above the threshold → Approved. If it is above → it moves to level Administrator, Manager Approved By/On are recorded, and the second-level approvers are notified
Administrator (second)	Purchasing Approver environment variable (if set), otherwise every OP365 Administrator	→ Approved

If the person approving at the first level is already a second-level approver, the request is approved directly.

To reject, click Reject: a dialog asks for the Reason (required). The request becomes Rejected, the reason is stored in Decision Note, and the requester is notified. The requester can change the request and Submit it again.

The view Purchase Requests to Decide lists the requests waiting for a decision; My Purchase Requests lists yours; Open Purchase Requests lists those not yet ordered, cancelled or rejected.

A threshold of zero (or empty) means that no request needs the second level. Over Budget is a warning for the approver: it does not block the approval.

After approval: two ways to buy¶

Button	When to use it	Result
Create RFQ	You want competing quotes	A new RFQ in Draft, with the preferred supplier and the default suppliers of the items already invited
Create Order	You already know the supplier and price	A Draft purchase order to the Preferred Supplier with the request lines; the request becomes Ordered

Cancel Request stops the request at any status except Ordered and Cancelled. Only Draft, Rejected or Cancelled requests can be deleted.

2. Requests for quotation (RFQ)¶

An RFQ asks one or more suppliers to quote the lines of an approved request.

Preparing and sending¶

On the approved request click Create RFQ. The RFQ is created with a Deadline in 7 days and the request title in Notes; the preferred supplier and the items' default suppliers are listed in Invitations with status To Invite.
Open the RFQ. Adjust the Deadline (today or later) and the Notes for the suppliers.
Add more suppliers in Invitations (+ New RFQ Invitation): choose the Supplier; the Email is copied from the supplier. Inactive, non-supplier or blocked accounts are refused.
Click Send. The RFQ becomes Sent, every To Invite invitation becomes Invited (with the RFQ number, deadline and notes), and one empty quote line per request line is prepared for each supplier. Each invited supplier also becomes a project supplier (status Invited), so the project appears on its portal.

You can add suppliers after sending: add the invitation and click Send again; only the new invitations are invited.

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> Draft
    Draft --> Sent: Send
    Sent --> Sent: Send (new invitations)
    Sent --> Awarded: Award
    Draft --> Cancelled: Cancel RFQ
    Sent --> Cancelled: Cancel RFQ

Collecting quotes¶

Each invitation has its own quote lines (one per request line) with Unit Price and Notes, plus Delivery Days and Supplier Notes at invitation level. They can be filled in two ways:

by the supplier, on the supplier portal: the supplier sees the RFQ, types prices, delivery days and notes, and clicks Send quote — or Decline;
by the buyer, when the quote arrives by email or phone: open the invitation, tab Quotes, and type the prices.

The first price entered marks the invitation Responded (with the response date); the RFQ's Responses counter shows how many suppliers answered. The invitation's Quoted Amount is the sum of quantity × price over its lines.

Invitation status	Meaning
To Invite	Added, not yet sent
Invited	Sent, waiting for an answer
Responded	At least one price entered
Declined	The supplier said no (portal)

After the deadline, quotes can no longer be changed ("The deadline of the request for quotation has passed."); to extend it, change the Deadline of the RFQ and click Send again.

Comparing and awarding¶

The Quote Comparison tab of the RFQ shows a grid request lines × suppliers:

Line	Quantity	Supplier A	Supplier B	Supplier C	Best price
Cable 3x2.5	500 m	0.95	0.89	0.97	0.89 (B)
Junction box	40 pcs	3.10	3.40	–	3.10 (A)
Total		2,989.00	3,081.00	3/4 lines	Best total: A
Delivery		10 days	7 days	5 days

the best price of each line is highlighted;
the total of each supplier is shown, with "x of y lines" when the supplier did not quote every line; the best total is chosen only among suppliers who quoted all the lines;
delivery days and the invitation status are shown for each supplier;
Refresh reloads the quotes.

Click Award under the supplier you choose and confirm ("Award the request for quotation to and create the purchase order?"). The application:

creates a Draft purchase order to that supplier with the quoted lines and prices (only lines with a price), the WBS node of the request, and an Expected Delivery = today + the supplier's delivery days;
sets the RFQ to Awarded, records the winning invitation and the order;
sets the purchase request to Ordered.

Only suppliers who responded can be awarded. Cancel RFQ closes a Draft or Sent RFQ without an order.

3. Purchase orders¶

A purchase order (PO) is the commitment to buy from a supplier. It is usually created by Award or Create Order, but a Manager can also create one from scratch (Purchasing → Purchase Orders → + New) on an In Progress project.

Fields¶

Field	Meaning
Number	PO-##### (automatic)
Supplier	Must be an active, not blocked supplier
Project	Must be In Progress
Purchase Request	The originating request, if any
Order Date	Today by default
Expected Delivery	When the goods are expected
Delivery Place	Site address or warehouse
Payment Terms	From the supplier
Total Amount	Sum of the lines (calculated)
Progress section	Sent To, Sent On, Supplier Confirmed, Confirmed On, Received Amount, Received On, Cancelled On

Lines: Item, Description, WBS Node (same project), Quantity, Unit, Unit Price (empty = the supplier's price for the item, else the item cost), Amount, Received Quantity (from the receipts, read-only), Sort Order, Notes.

Statuses¶

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> Draft
    Draft --> Sent: Send to Supplier
    Sent --> Draft: Back to Draft
    Sent --> Confirmed: Confirm (buyer or portal)
    Sent --> Received: receipts cover all lines
    Confirmed --> Received: receipts cover all lines
    Received --> Confirmed: a receipt is cancelled
    Draft --> Cancelled: Cancel Order
    Sent --> Cancelled: Cancel Order (no receipts)
    Confirmed --> Cancelled: Cancel Order (no receipts)

Button	From	Effect
Send to Supplier	Draft	→ Sent. Lines are locked. Sent To records the supplier's email, Sent On the date. The order becomes visible to the supplier on the portal, and the supplier becomes an active project supplier that sees the WBS nodes of the order lines (Supplier portal). Requires at least one line
Back to Draft	Sent	→ Draft, to change the order (then send it again)
Confirm	Sent	→ Confirmed, records the supplier's confirmation. The supplier can also confirm on the portal, with the same effect
Register Receipt	Sent, Confirmed	Opens the goods receipt dialog (see below)
Cancel Order	Draft, Sent, Confirmed	→ Cancelled, only if the order has no goods receipts ("Cancel the goods receipts before cancelling the order.")

Received is never set by hand: the order becomes Received when the receipts cover all its lines. Only Draft or Cancelled orders can be deleted.

Once an order has left Draft, you can still update its Notes, Expected Delivery and Delivery Place (for example when the supplier announces a new delivery date); everything else needs Back to Draft.

Send to Supplier records that the order was sent; it does not email the supplier by itself. Send the order document by your usual channel, or let the supplier find it on the portal.

Effect on costs¶

Sent and Confirmed orders count in the project Committed Cost for the quantities not yet received.
Every order not cancelled counts in the supplier's Spend; every line in the item's Order Lines and Spend.

4. Goods receipts¶

A goods receipt (GR) records what arrived, against which delivery note.

Registering a receipt¶

On a Sent or Confirmed order click Register Receipt.
In the dialog fill in Receipt date (today by default), Delivery note number and Delivery note date.
For each order line type the quantity received now. Receive all fills in everything still to receive; Clear empties the quantities.
Click Register.

The application:

creates the receipt (GR-#####) with one receipt line per received order line;
creates one material usage per line, at the order price, on the order's project and the line's WBS node → actual cost;
increases the Received Quantity of the order lines (and the order's Received Amount); the received part leaves the committed cost;
sets the order to Received when every line is fully received.

You cannot receive more than ordered: ": only N still to receive."

sequenceDiagram
    actor B as Buyer / site manager
    participant PO as Purchase order (Confirmed)
    participant GR as Goods receipt
    participant MU as Material usage
    participant P as Project
    B->>PO: Register Receipt (60 of 100 m)
    PO->>GR: GR-00012 with 1 line
    GR->>MU: 60 m × 2.00 = 120.00
    MU->>P: Actual cost +120.00
    PO->>P: Committed cost −120.00
    B->>PO: Register Receipt (40 m)
    PO->>PO: All received → Received

Cancelling a receipt¶

If a receipt is wrong, open it and click Cancel Receipt. Its material usage and lines are deleted, the quantities to receive are restored, and a Received order goes back to Confirmed. Then register the correct receipt.

On a registered receipt only the delivery note data and the notes can be changed; lines and quantities change only through Cancel Receipt. Receipts can be created only with Register Receipt.

5. Supplier invoices¶

A supplier invoice is a container for a passive invoice: it holds the invoice data, its lines, the XML or PDF file, the link to the order, and the approval decision. (Automatic import from the Italian SDI exchange system is planned for a later release; today the file is attached by hand.)

Recording an invoice¶

Purchasing → Supplier Invoices → + New (or the Invoices tab of the purchase order, so that the order is filled in).
Fill in Supplier, Document Type (TD01 Invoice, TD02 Advance invoice, TD04 Credit note, TD05 Debit note, TD06 Fee note, TD24 Deferred invoice, TD25 Deferred invoice (triangular)), Invoice Number, Invoice Date, Purchase Order.
Seller Name and Seller VAT Number are copied from the supplier; the Project from the order.
Attach the XML (FatturaPA) or PDF in Invoice File.
Optionally fill in Order References and Delivery Note References as written on the invoice.
Add the Lines: Line Number, Code, Description, Quantity, Unit, Unit Price, Total Price (= quantity × unit price when empty), VAT Rate %, and optionally the Order Line it refers to.
Taxable Amount, VAT Amount and Total Amount are calculated from the lines.

New invoices start in To Review.

Approving¶

The Purchasing Approver (or an administrator) checks the invoice against the order and the receipts, then clicks Approve or Reject (reason required). Decided invoices — and their lines — are locked.

Status	Meaning
To Review	Waiting for the check; data and lines can be changed
Approved	Accepted for payment
Rejected	Contested; the reason is in Decision Note

Views: Invoices to Review, Approved Invoices, Rejected Invoices, Supplier Invoices by Order.

Regular users (OP365 User) can read supplier invoices but not create or change them: invoices are handled by administrative staff with the OP365 Administrator role.

6. The Spend dashboard¶

Purchasing → Analysis → Spend gives buyers and management an overview:

Component	Content
Spend by Supplier	Bar chart: total of purchase orders by supplier
Spend by Project	Bar chart: total of purchase orders by project
Purchase Orders by Status	Pie chart: number of orders by status
Open Purchase Orders	List of orders not yet received or cancelled
Invoices to Review	List of invoices waiting for approval

Click a chart segment to filter, or open the list to see the records.

Views¶

Table	Views
Purchase requests	All, My, To Decide, Open, By Project
RFQs	All, Open, Awarded
Purchase orders	All, Open, Confirmed, Received, By Project, By Supplier
Goods receipts	All, By Order
Supplier invoices	All, To Review, Approved, Rejected, By Order

Messages you may see¶

Message	Meaning and solution
"Use Submit to send a purchase request for approval." / "Use Submit, Approve, Reject or Cancel to change the status of a purchase request."	Status changes only through the buttons
"A purchase request can be changed only while it is Draft or Rejected." / "Lines can be changed only while the purchase request is Draft or Rejected."	Reject or cancel the request to change it
"Add at least one line before submitting."	The request has no lines
"Only the requester or a manager of the project can submit the purchase request."	Ask the requester or the project manager
"This purchase request is above the threshold: only the purchasing approver or an administrator can decide it."	It is at the second level
"Add a note to reject the purchase request." / "...the invoice." / "...time entries."	The reason is required
"Only approved purchase requests can go to a request for quotation." / "...can be ordered."	Approve the request first
"Choose the supplier: set Preferred Supplier on the request."	Create Order needs a preferred supplier
"The deadline must be today or later." / "The deadline has passed: move it before sending."	Change the RFQ deadline
"Invite at least one supplier."	Add an invitation before Send
"Use Send on the request for quotation to invite suppliers."	Invitation status changes only with Send (or from the portal)
"This supplier already has a quote for the line: change its price."	Edit the existing quote line
"Award a supplier who sent a quote." / "The supplier quoted no lines."	Only responding suppliers with prices can win
" is not an active supplier." / " is blocked."	Check the supplier account
" is not a supplier."	Choose an account flagged Is Supplier
"Purchase orders can be created only on projects In Progress."	Check the project status
"A purchase order can be changed only while it is Draft." / "Lines can be changed only while the purchase order is Draft."	Use Back to Draft
"Add at least one line before sending."	The order has no lines
"Cancel the goods receipts before cancelling the order."	Cancel the receipts first
"An order becomes Received when all its lines are received."	Register the receipts
"Goods can be received only on sent or confirmed purchase orders."	Send the order first
": only N still to receive." / "Nothing to receive."	Check the quantities in the dialog
"Received quantities come from goods receipts."	Do not type received quantities
"Use Register Receipt on the purchase order to receive goods, and Cancel Receipt to undo a receipt."	Receipts are managed only with the buttons
"Approved or rejected invoices cannot be changed."	Decided invoices are final
"Only the purchasing approver or an administrator can decide supplier invoices."	Ask the purchasing approver