How to Enter a Purchase Order in Epicor® ERP

The whole point of implementing enterprise software such as ERP is to cut out menial tasks and expedite operations to maximize efficiency. One way ERP accomplishes this is by streamlining the purchase order (PO) process. When employees manage this activity without an advanced software solution, they’re liable to enter incorrect data and can potentially experience unfulfilled purchase orders.  

Epicor® ERP’s Purchase Management module works to streamline the PO process, handling PO writing in an intuitive platform. Users can easily modify orders and line items. They can also select from a list of suppliers, parts and quantities, reducing the risk of data entry errors. This system helps you improve on-time deliveries and reduce legal issues by maintaining purchase orders in one place.  

So how do you enter a new purchase order in Epicor® ERP? Here’s a step-by-step guide:  

1. Navigate to the Purchase Order Entry window. Click the New button in the top left corner to start a new PO.  
   • On the Summary sheet, the PO Number defaults to zero.  
   • The PO type defaults to standard, reflecting a typical buy-sell relationship with your supplier. Other types include: Customer Managed, which you’ll use if you are purchasing material to be stored on behalf of the customer; and Supplier Managed, which you’ll use if you’re storing material on consignment from the seller. 
   • The PO Date defaults to today’s date, but you can edit it if necessary.

   2. Click the Supplier button to find and select the Supplier ID. You can also enter it directly if you know it. 

• • When you select a supplier, the system retrieves any details about that supplier that are attached to its record, such as the supplier’s address and the contact’s name.  

   3. Click Save. Note that the system has assigned a new PO number. 

   4. Next, enter lines for the items you need to purchase. To add a line to the PO, click the down arrow next to the New button and select New Line.

   5. Navigate to the Lines > Detail sheet.

   6. In the Buy For pane, select the appropriate option: Inventory, Other, Job Material or Subcontract Operation.  

• • If you assign more than one release to a PO line, Buy For will be disabled and automatically set to Inventory. 

   7. In the Part/Rev field, enter or search for the part number you are purchasing.  

   8. In the Our Qty field, enter the quantity as it is stored within your inventory.  

• • If you need to, you can change the unit of measure. 
  • If you click the Supplier Qty ratio button, the Supplier Qty and Unit of Measure fields activate. Use this function when you need to modify the quantity to reflect the supplier values for the part. When you change a value here, the Our Qty field updates using the conversion factor defined on the supplier price list.

   9. Now enter the Unit Price. If a unit price value is defined on the supplier price list, the value populates the field by default.

• • If the line is subject to Use Tax, select Taxable. This type of tax is levied in the U.S. Also, as an internal corporate tax, it is self-assessed when a product is purchased by a resident of the state that issues the tax. It doesn’t affect the invoice total, but it does affect the general ledger. If the purchase order detail line is taxable, select the appropriate tax category.

   10. Click Save—now you have a new purchase order! Note that the Totals section updates with the current cost of the detail line.  

Wrap Up

See how easy that is? Epicor simplifies critical manufacturing and distribution operations, so users can delegate more time to optimizing customer experiences and products. For more tips as well as help with enterprise software projects, get in touch with our expert consultants at Datix. We service Epicor® products, and are an integration specialist and certified partner of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and Salesforce, we’re a one-stop shop for software services and solutions. Contact us by clicking the button below!