Know what you ordered and what arrived.
Purchase orders connected to receipts, invoices and stock.
Prepare a purchase, route it for approval and track the delivery. When the invoice arrives, compare it with the agreed order and the quantity actually received.
Has the supplier delivered everything we ordered?
Keep ordered, received and outstanding quantities together. Purchasing can follow up a shortage while finance reviews the related invoice.
What is still outstanding on this purchase?
Purchasing and finance can see the same quantity difference.
PurchasingIllustrative records| Measure | Quantity | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered | 24 units | £297.60 |
| Received | 18 units | £223.20 |
| Outstanding | 6 units | £74.40 |
Follow up the six outstanding units.
Confirm the supplier’s plan for the remaining delivery and keep the related invoice discrepancy visible to accounts payable.
- Supplier records — set up each supplier, what they sell you and the agreed costs once.
- Create purchase orders — raise orders with the right products, quantities and costs, ready to send.
- Goods receipt — book in deliveries against the order, including part deliveries, and stock goes up straight away.
- Supplier invoice matching — check the invoice against the order and the delivery to catch differences before you pay.
- Stock & cost updates — goods you receive update live stock and the value of what you hold.
- Purchasing visibility — see what's on order, what's arrived and what's still to come.
Keep the source document with the decision.
An invoice, delivery note and inspection record answer different questions. Keep the supporting records close to the purchase so the team can check what was agreed, what arrived and what should be paid.
Read the invoice, then review the draft
From Growth, capture supplier bills and search inside scanned documents within your plan’s document-page allowance. Review the extracted supplier, quantities and prices before using the draft.
Retain the supporting files
Attach the original invoice and relevant supplier documents to the business records your team reviews. File-size, attachment-count and storage limits apply on each plan.
Review quality evidence at receipt
Scale adds inspection plans, including checks and certificates of analysis. A supplier certificate supports the review; it does not, by itself, confirm that the delivery has passed inspection.
Learn how document capture prepares fields for review and how warehouse quality checks and quarantine affect usable stock. The plan comparison lists capture, storage and inspection requirements.
Stop over-ordering and over-paying.
When purchasing isn't linked to your stock, you reorder things you already have, lose track of what's coming and pay invoices that don't match.
See current stock and what's already on order, so you don't order twice or run out.
3-way matching flags differences in quantity or price between the order, the delivery and the invoice before you pay.
Deliveries update the cost of the stock you hold, so your margins and stock value are based on real figures.
Part of the full procure-to-pay process.
Buying starts with the purchase order.
After that, receiving the goods and checking the supplier's invoice finish the job. See procure to pay for the whole process, and supplier invoice 3-way match for how Cobalt ERP catches differences. New stock goes straight into inventory, ready for the sales orders that use it.
Frequently asked questions.
What is purchase order management software?
It's software for the buying side of the business: raising purchase orders, receiving goods against them and checking supplier invoices, so your stock, costs and what you owe stay accurate.
Can I receive partial deliveries?
Yes. You can book in a delivery against a purchase order even if only part of it arrived, and stock goes up by exactly what was received.
Does it match supplier invoices to purchase orders?
Yes. Cobalt ERP supports 3-way matching. It compares the purchase order, the delivery and the supplier invoice, so you can catch differences in quantity or price before paying.
Will received stock update inventory automatically?
Yes. Booking in a delivery increases live stock and updates the value of what you hold, with no separate stock step.
Can I see what's on order?
Yes. You can see what's on order, what's been received and what's still to come, across all your suppliers.
Does Cobalt ERP pay suppliers or post to a ledger?
Cobalt ERP records supplier invoices and payments, so you can see what's paid and what's still owed. Use Cobalt ERP’s generally available ledger, or retain Xero or QuickBooks with the supported connections from Growth. Confirm the posting and reconciliation scope with your accountant.
Related pages.
Take control of your purchasing.
Raise purchase orders, receive goods and check supplier invoices in one system, and only pay for what you ordered and received.
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