> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherecast.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Purchase orders

> How a purchase order buys product into a warehouse, and how ordered breaks into open, in-shipping, and received.

## What this page is for

A **Purchase Order (PO)** is an order you place with a supplier to **buy product into a destination warehouse**. It carries header fields that describe the deal, one or more **line items** (each a product and a quantity), and optional **extra costs** such as freight or duty.

This page explains how to read a PO — especially the quantity breakdown on each line, which tells you at a glance how much of the order has landed, how much is on the water, and how much is still outstanding.

## The header fields

| Field               | What it means                                                                                                        |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **PO number**       | The order's identifier. An optional **secondary tag** can group POs together — for example by collection or program. |
| **Supplier**        | Who you are buying from.                                                                                             |
| **Destination**     | The warehouse the goods are bought into.                                                                             |
| **Placed**          | The date the order was placed.                                                                                       |
| **Original ETA**    | The arrival date first expected. (**ETA** = Estimated Time of Arrival.)                                              |
| **Confirmed ETA**   | The arrival date the supplier has confirmed.                                                                         |
| **Incoterm**        | The shipping terms that set where responsibility passes between you and the supplier.                                |
| **Currency**        | The currency the PO is priced in.                                                                                    |
| **Notes**           | Free-text notes for your team.                                                                                       |
| **Work order link** | An optional link to a work order this PO supplies (for example, buying a component a build needs).                   |

## Quantities explained

Every line item's quantity splits into three buckets that always add back up to what you ordered:

> **Ordered = Open + In-shipping + Received**

| Term                   | What it means                                                                        |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Ordered (Quantity)** | The quantity you ordered on that line.                                               |
| **Received**           | The quantity that has already arrived at the destination.                            |
| **In shipping**        | Dispatched but not yet received — in transit.                                        |
| **Open**               | The remainder not yet in shipping or received — still outstanding with the supplier. |
| **Closed**             | Set on a line when no more inbound is expected, even if some quantity never arrived. |

So a line moves left to right over its life: quantity starts as **Open**, becomes **In shipping** when the supplier dispatches it, and lands as **Received**. When everything has arrived (or the rest is closed), the line is done.

Each line also carries pricing: a **unit price**, a **total price** (= quantity × unit price), and **VAT**. At the PO level you see rolled-up totals: **product cost**, **additional costs** (freight, duty, and the like), and **cost with VAT**.

## Statuses

Before a PO is written to your ERP it carries a **Spherecast-only** status; after it is placed it takes on a real status from your ERP. (An **ERP** is your company's system of record. The status names below are NetSuite-style examples — the exact wording varies by company.)

| Status                     | What it means                                                         |
| -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Recommended**            | An engine-proposed reorder. Not a real order yet.                     |
| **Draft**                  | You started a PO but haven't submitted it. Still Spherecast-only.     |
| **Pending Approval**       | Waiting for a supervisor's sign-off.                                  |
| **Pending Receipt**        | Approved and placed with the supplier; awaiting goods.                |
| **Partially Received**     | Some of the order has arrived; the rest is still open or in shipping. |
| **Pending Bill**           | Fully received; awaiting the supplier's invoice.                      |
| **Fully Billed**           | Received and invoiced.                                                |
| **Closed**                 | Settled; no further activity expected.                                |
| **Rejected by Supervisor** | The approver turned the order down.                                   |

Every PO also belongs to a **scenario** — the live plan or a what-if copy — and shows a **warning** if its last write to the ERP failed.

## From recommendation to real PO

Spherecast proposes reorders as **Recommended** POs. You turn one into a real order like this:

1. **Review** the recommended reorders in the recommendations view.
2. Optionally route one through approval — **Ask for approval**, then **Accept** — so a supervisor signs off.
3. **Sync to ERP** promotes it from Recommended / Draft to a real placed status (such as **Pending Receipt**). This is the point where the order becomes real. See [Writing to your ERP](/guide/supply-planning/writing-to-erp).

A few more actions help you manage POs already in flight:

* **Expedite / Defer** move an existing PO line's ETA earlier or later.
* **Consolidate** merges POs together to save cost.
* A PO can have **dependent POs** — raw-material POs that support it.

## Step by step: place a recommended reorder

1. Open the recommendations view and find the **Recommended** PO you want to place.
2. Confirm the **supplier**, **destination**, **quantity**, and **ETA** look right.
3. If your team requires it, **Ask for approval**, then **Accept** once signed off.
4. Click **Sync to ERP** and confirm. The status moves to a real placed status like **Pending Receipt**.
5. As goods move, track the line: **Open** shrinks, **In shipping** rises, then **Received** grows until the order is complete.

## Example

You place a PO line for **500 units**. Over the next few weeks:

* **200** arrive at the warehouse → **Received = 200**.
* **100** are dispatched and on the water → **In shipping = 100**.
* The rest is still outstanding with the supplier → **Open = 200**.

Check the identity: **Received 200 + In shipping 100 + Open 200 = 500 Ordered.** The line reads **Partially Received** until the remaining 300 land (or the rest is closed).

> **Tip:** If a line lands too late for your plan, use **Expedite** to pull the ETA earlier; if it lands too early, **Defer** it. And watch **Open** — that is the quantity still under your control before it ships. See [Finished-good planning](/guide/supply-planning/finished-good-planning), [Cash Requirements](/guide/reports/cashflow-projection), and [Suppliers & co-manufacturers](/guide/network/suppliers-co-manufacturers).