If you’ve ever purchased goods from suppliers, you’re probably familiar with purchase orders (POs). These formal documents are great for specifying exactly what you’re buying, in what quantities, and at what price. You can also use them to specify delivery dates and payment terms. In some regions, purchase orders are even legally binding agreements, which protect both parties.
Purchase orders have been one of our most requested features. And now, it’s here! We’re thrilled to announce that purchase orders are available in your Rentman workspace! 🎉
Try this feature today to:
- Control all of your costs directly in Rentman ✅
- Allow your teams to create, approve, or track POs ✅
- Connect project expenses and accounting in one place ✅
- Improve communication with suppliers ✅
How to create a new purchase order
Purchase orders can now be created in two new places in Rentman:
- Under the “Additional costs” tab of a project
- Or in the “Subrentals” submodule when creating an external subrental
Simply add a new cost, then click on the “Create purchase order” button to begin the process.
During this step, you can add all the information you need for the purchase order, including prices, dates, payment terms, etc.
Note: Quantities aren’t available yet, but will be added in an upcoming release. Purchase orders can only be created by users with the correct user role permissions. Read more about it in this support article.
Once the purchase order is created, you can notify the person who needs to approve it by clicking on the “Request approval” button. This is especially important if you need to get purchase orders approved by a different person or department.
How to approve a purchase order
When a purchase order needs to be approved, users will see a notification in their notification bar. You can also choose to be notified via email or push notification in the Rentman mobile app. Read more about it here.
⚠️ Only Power users with the right permissions can approve a purchase order.
A purchase order can also be canceled at any stage. This means the order will no longer be processed, whether because the supplier can no longer fulfill it or the project has been canceled. You can not undo a cancellation.
How to link costs to a purchase order
When adding additional costs to a project, you now have the option to link them to an existing purchase order.
Click on the “Add to purchase order” button and a pop-up message showing existing purchase orders that are in draft or awaiting approval will appear. If the purchase order hasn’t been approved yet, you can add these costs to it.
If you’re creating an external subrental, you can also add it to an existing purchase order, provided the PO hasn't been approved yet, and the supplier is already associated with an existing purchase order.
How to send a purchase order
Once the purchase order has been approved, you can generate a document that can be sent directly to a supplier or printed.
Simply open the purchase order and click on “Generate document” to generate the purchase order of your choice.
After the document is sent, the purchase order will be automatically marked as sent. If the document is sent another way, the PO can be manually marked as sent.
How to check purchase order statuses
You can also track a purchase order's progress and current stage. The Purchase Order submodule shows the status history for all purchase orders.
How to access this new feature
If you have the Quoting and Invoicing add-on, this feature has already been added to your account. If you don’t have the add-on, you will need to upgrade your plan to access purchase orders. Feel free to reach out to your account manager or Rentman’s support team for help.