Buying, end to end: the journey from a department's need to a paid supplier bill. Like its selling mirror, it crosses three modules, Purchase raises the documents, Inventory receives the goods, Finance settles the bill.
- The six steps from a need to a paid vendor, and which module owns each
- How the three-way match controls what you pay
- The variations: direct orders, partial receipts, returns
The journey, step by step
Raise a requisition Purchase
A department asks to buy. The requisition is the approval gate, spending starts with a decision, and it can be pulled in automatically by a sales or production order.
Shop around and award Purchase
Send an RFQ to vendors, compare their quotes on price and terms, and confirm the winner, which generates the purchase order.
Place the order Purchase
The purchase order is your commitment to buy, and the reference both receiving and the bill are checked against.
Receive the goods Purchase · Inventory
A goods receive brings the stock into a location and raises inventory, with an inspection step before it counts.
Match the bill Purchase · Finance
The vendor invoice is matched against the order and the receipt (the three-way match), then posts to payables.
Pay the vendor Finance
Issue a payment that knocks off the invoice and leaves the bank, clearing the payable.
Where it crosses modules
- Purchase to Inventory – the goods receive raises stock; you never touch Inventory directly.
- Purchase to Finance – the invoice posts the payable, and the payment clears it.
Common variations
- Skip the planning – a known supplier can go straight to a purchase order.
- Partial receipt and billing – receive and pay in stages against one order.
- Something goes back – a debit note returns goods and reduces what you owe.
- A bill with no order – utilities and ad-hoc costs go through a bill payment.
Related
- Module: Purchase, Finance
- The selling mirror: Order to Cash