Purchasing Department
Roles covered: Purchasing Officer · Buyer · Purchasing Manager · Supply Manager
Main modules: Purchase (RFQ · Quotations · POs · Vendor Invoices · Tax Receipts · Debit Notes · Purchase Contracts · Reports)
Who uses this guide
| Role | What they do in CRMConnect |
|---|---|
| Purchasing Officer | Creates RFQs, evaluates offers, issues purchase orders |
| Buyer | Works with specific vendors, negotiates prices, updates the item catalog |
| Purchasing Manager | Approves orders, monitors spending, evaluates vendor performance |
| Supply Manager | Tracks deliveries, creates goods receipt notes, reconciles stock |
Your module map
PLANNING QUOTING ORDERING
──────── ─────── ────────
Purchase Items RFQ (Purchase Request) Purchase Orders
Vendor Catalog Received Quotations Purchase Contracts
Purchase Categories Vendor Portal Debit Notes
Purchase Attributes
RECEIPT & PAYMENTS REPORTING
────────────────── ─────────
Goods Receipt Notes Purchase Reports
Vendor Invoices Tax Receipts (Bonuri)
Account Balances Warehouse History
Payments
Recommended daily routine
Morning (10–15 min)
1. Orders expected today — /admin/purchase/purchase_order?delivery_status=0
Filter purchase orders with delivery_status = 0 (Undelivered) and delivery date ≤ today. Contact late vendors.
2. Pending quotations — /admin/purchase/myquotations
Quotes received from vendors that have not yet been evaluated or accepted.
3. Unprocessed vendor invoices — /admin/purchase/myinvoices?payment_status=unpaid
Received unpaid invoices — check due dates to avoid penalties.
During the day
- Update PO statuses after confirmations received from vendors
- Process invoices received by email or through the vendor portal
- Create new RFQs for supply needs identified by the warehouse or production
- Track deliveries with reference to AWB numbers or vendor confirmations
Weekly
- Spending report by vendor —
/admin/purchase/myreports— top vendors by value - Open orders review — undelivered POs older than the estimated deadline
- Minimum stock check — together with the warehouse team, identify products below minimum
Main workflow: Purchase to Pay
→ Detailed guide: Purchase to Pay
→ Full Commercial Cycle — for full context including sales
Flow summary:
Need identified (internal / stock / production)
↓
RFQ created and sent to vendors
↓
Quotes received → comparison → selection
↓
Purchase Order issued and confirmed
↓
Goods received → Goods Receipt Note → stock updated
↓
Vendor Invoice processed → Payment recorded ✓
Request for Quotation (RFQ) — practical guide
Creating an RFQ
Where: /admin/purchase/purchase_request → Add RFQ
Key fields:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| RFQ Name | Descriptive internal reference (e.g., "Raw materials Q3 2026") |
| Department | Who needs the products |
| Responsible | The assigned buyer |
| Requested date | Deadline for the need |
| Items | Products + required quantities (from the item catalog) |
| Notes | Technical specifications, quality requirements, special conditions |
RFQ statuses:
| Code | Status | Your action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Draft | Complete and verify before approval |
| 2 | Approved | Sent to vendors — automatic email with portal link |
| 3 | Rejected | Rejected internally — review and resubmit |
| 4 | Canceled | Canceled — need covered another way |
When the RFQ is approved (
status = 2), selected vendors automatically receive an email with their quoting portal link.
Sending RFQ to multiple vendors
You can invite multiple vendors simultaneously for the same RFQ — each receives their own link. Responses appear separately in /admin/purchase/myquotations for comparison.
Evaluating received quotations
Where: /admin/purchase/myquotations
What you can compare per quotation:
- Unit price per item
- Quantity offered vs. quantity requested
- Availability and ETA (if the vendor filled it in)
- Quote expiration date
- Payment terms proposed by the vendor
Selecting the winning quotation:
Open the quotation → Accept → status becomes 2 (Accepted) → Create Purchase Order button becomes active.
You can accept partial quotations from different vendors for the same RFQ — useful when no single vendor can deliver all items.
Purchase Order
Where: /admin/purchase/purchase_order
PO statuses
| Field | Code | Description |
|---|---|---|
status |
1 | Draft — unconfirmed |
status |
2 | Approved — confirmed, sent to vendor |
status |
3 | Rejected |
status |
4 | Canceled |
order_status |
1 | Not Started |
order_status |
2 | In Progress — partial delivery or in process |
order_status |
3 | Completed — all items received |
delivery_status |
0 | Undelivered |
delivery_status |
1 | Fully delivered |
Important fields on a PO
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
Payment terms (days_owed) |
Commercial credit days from delivery date |
| Estimated delivery date | Promised deadline — basis for tracking delays |
| Associated contract | If a framework contract exists with the vendor |
| Destination warehouse | Where goods are received |
| Vendor notes | Delivery, packaging, labeling instructions |
Sending to vendor
Send button → email with PDF of the order + vendor portal link. The vendor can:
- Confirm the order
- Update the estimated delivery date
- Add shipping notes
- Upload documents (certificates, specifications)
Tracking deliveries
Useful filters in the PO list:
| Filter | URL | What you check |
|---|---|---|
| Undelivered | ?delivery_status=0 |
Orders with no receipt |
| Partially delivered | ?delivery_status=3 |
Orders with incomplete delivery |
| Fully delivered | ?delivery_status=1 |
Completed orders |
| Today / This week | date filter | Due deadlines |
Purchase Contracts
Where: /admin/purchase/contracts
Framework contracts with strategic vendors — define terms for multiple orders over a given period.
Key fields:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
contract_number |
Internal reference number |
vendor |
The contracting vendor |
pur_order |
Associated purchase order (if point-specific) |
contract_value |
Total contracted value |
start_date / end_date |
Validity period |
payment_terms |
Negotiated payment terms |
payment_cycle |
Payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.) |
service_category |
Product/service category |
signed |
Digitally signed (0/1) |
buyer |
Internal buyer responsible |
Vendor invoices can be created automatically from a contract (
create_invoice_by = 'contract'in Purchase settings).
Vendor Invoices and Tax Receipts
Vendor Invoices
Where: /admin/purchase/myinvoices
Statuses:
payment_status |
Description |
|---|---|
unpaid |
Unpaid |
partially_paid |
Partial payment recorded |
paid |
Fully paid |
Creating an invoice:
- Automatically from a PO or Contract (if the option is configured)
- Manually by staff: from
/admin/purchase/myinvoices→ Add - By vendor: from the vendor portal, Invoices section
Paying an invoice:
From the invoice → Record Payment → amount, date, payment mode, transaction reference (payment order number / bank statement).
Tax Receipts (Bonuri Fiscale)
Where: /admin/purchase/mytaxreceipts
Tax receipts are fiscal-type invoices (document_type = 2) — used for purchases with a cash register receipt or fiscal receipt.
When you use them: small cash purchases, fuel, office supplies, travel expenses with a fiscal receipt.
Supports:
- Recurring invoices (monthly subscriptions — fuel, cleaning, etc.)
- Link to PO or Contract
- Excel export for accounting reporting
Debit Notes (Corrections from Vendors)
Where: /admin/purchase/debit_notes
When they are used
Debit notes record credits received from vendors for:
- Returned goods (defective products, delivery errors)
- Post-invoice discounts (bonifications, volume discounts negotiated later)
- Price corrections (vendor invoiced more than the contract)
- Partial returns
Debit note flow
1. You receive a credit from the vendor (or negotiate one)
2. Create Debit Note referencing the original invoice
3. Add the corrected lines with the credit amounts
4. Apply the note to the vendor invoice (reduces the balance)
5. If unapplied credit remains → process a Refund (money returned)
Key fields:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
prefix / number |
Document code (e.g., DN-001) |
vendorid |
The vendor |
pur_invoice_id |
The original invoice being credited |
total |
The credit amount |
reference_no |
Reference from the vendor's document |
Purchase Item Catalog
Where: /admin/purchase/items and /admin/purchase/vendor_items
Purchase Items
The internal catalog of purchased products/services. Each item can be associated with multiple vendors at different prices (pur_vendor_items).
Fields per item-vendor (pur_vendor_items):
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
vendor |
The vendor |
vendor_purchase_price |
Purchase price from this vendor |
vendor_item_code |
The vendor's internal code for the item |
datecreate |
Date added to catalog |
Price comparison by vendor
When creating a PO or RFQ, you can filter items by vendor (item_by_vendor = 1 in settings) — automatically displays the price history with that vendor.
Categories and Attributes
Purchase Categories — /admin/purchase/categories
Product classification for reporting: Raw Materials, Consumables, Services, etc.
Attributes — /admin/purchase/attributes + /admin/purchase/attribute_groups
Product variants: color, size, model — relevant when buying products with variants (e.g., textiles, components).
Purchase Reports
Where: /admin/purchase/myreports
| Report | What you analyze |
|---|---|
| Spending by vendor | Who receives the most money; diversifying the vendor base |
| Orders by period | Monthly/quarterly purchasing volume |
| Tax receipts | Expenses with fiscal receipts for accounting |
| Import goods | Tracking imported goods (customs, origin) |
| PO voucher | Summary of purchase vouchers per PO |
| Vendor invoices | Spending per vendor, per category, per period |
Useful automations for Purchasing
Configurable in Workflow Automation (/admin/workflow_automation):
| Trigger | Automatic action | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| PO approved | Automatic vendor email + goods receipt note created | Zero manual steps |
| PO delivery date exceeded | Task "Follow up on delayed delivery" → responsible buyer | No delayed delivery goes undetected |
| Vendor invoice > 30 days unpaid | Notification to purchasing manager | Avoid penalties |
| Product stock < minimum | Task "Create RFQ" → responsible buyer | Proactive replenishment |
| Goods receipt note approved | Warehouse notification + PO update | Automatic synchronization |
Purchase Settings — initial configuration
Where: /admin/purchase/mysetting
Before the first purchases, the administrator configures:
| Setting | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| PO Prefix | PO- (e.g., PO-0001) |
| RFQ Prefix | RFQ- (e.g., RFQ-0001) |
| Vendor Invoice Prefix | FZ- or INV- |
create_invoice_by |
pur_order (invoice from PO) or contract (from framework contract) |
item_by_vendor |
1 — filter items by vendor when ordering |
send_email_welcome_for_new_contact |
1 — automatic email when creating a vendor account |
pur_return_request_within_x_day |
30 (days for goods return) |
Common permissions for Purchasing Officer
Ask the administrator to verify your role at /admin/roles:
| Permission | Required for |
|---|---|
| Purchase → View / Create / Edit | Full purchasing module access |
| Vendors → View / Create | Vendor management |
| Purchase Orders → Approve | Order approval (for managers) |
| Warehouse → Goods Receipt | Creating goods receipt notes |
| Reports → Purchase | Access to reports |
Quick references
Workflows: Purchase to Pay · Full Commercial Cycle · Warehouse Inbound → Outbound
Modules: Purchase Items · Vendors · Vendor Items · RFQ · Quotations · Purchase Orders · Purchase Contracts · Debit Notes · Vendor Invoices · Purchase Settings
Activate the supplier B2B portal for vendors with high transaction frequency — suppliers who confirm POs and submit invoices through the portal eliminate manual entry errors and compress the AP cycle without additional headcount.
Purchase categories must be assigned consistently to every Purchase Order for spend analysis to be meaningful. A spend report where 30% of orders have no category assigned produces analysis that cannot drive strategic sourcing decisions.