Compare supplier prices with a pricing order

Before a large purchase you usually ask several suppliers for a price. A pricing order keeps those quotes side by side: one line per item and supplier, with the quoted price, the quantity you need, the unit, what you pay today and how long the quote is valid. When you have chosen, you raise the purchase order from the same sheet, so the decision and the order stay linked.

A pricing order posts nothing to the books and moves no stock. It is a comparison sheet.

Create a pricing order

1. Open Administration › System › Pricing Order.

2. Select New pricing order.

3. Give it a Name, for example "Packaging Q4", and an optional Note.

4. Under Comparison lines, fill in one line per quote:

   • Item and Supplier.

   • Price: the price the supplier quotes.

   • Target qty and Unit: the quantity you plan to buy and the unit the price is for. You can leave the quantity empty while it is still undecided.

   • Current price: what you pay today for the same unit, to see the saving at a glance.

   • Quote valid until: the quote's expiry date, if the supplier gave one.

5. Select Add line for each further quote. Add the same item with different suppliers to compare them.

6. Select Save. At least one line is required.

Review a pricing order

Select a row in the list to open the pricing order. It shows the branch, who created it and when, and every line with its item, supplier and price. Use Search by name / note in the list to find an older sheet.

Turn it into a purchase order

1. In the list, open the row's actions menu and select Execute — create purchase order.

2. A new purchase order opens, linked to this pricing order. Choose the winning supplier, enter the lines and save it as usual.

3. When the purchase order is saved, the pricing order's Executed column changes to Yes.

An executed pricing order cannot raise a second purchase order. Its actions menu offers View purchase order instead.

Edit or delete

• Select Edit in the actions menu to change the name or note. To replace the comparison, add new lines: they replace all existing lines. Leave the lines empty to keep the current ones.

• Select Delete and confirm to remove a pricing order you no longer need.

Common questions

Can I compare quotes in different currencies? Enter every price in the same currency, usually your base currency, so the comparison is fair.

Does the purchase order copy the lines from the pricing order? No. The purchase order is linked to the sheet, but you enter its lines yourself, for the supplier you chose.