How does Acumatica's Prepare Replenishment to Create Purchase Orders process work?

In Acumatica, buying stock to replenish is a two-step process. On Prepare Replenishment (IN508000) you process items whose available stock has reached the reorder point, which creates internal replenishment requests; on Create Purchase Orders (PO505000) you turn those requests into purchase orders, grouped by vendor and receiving warehouse.

What has to be set up before Prepare Replenishment shows anything?

An item only appears on Prepare Replenishment when replenishment is switched on and the item has a reorder point and the Purchase source at that warehouse. The setup lives in five places:

1. On Enable/Disable Features (CS100000), turn on Inventory Replenishment plus Multiple Warehouse Locations, Multiple Warehouses, or both.
2. On Replenishment Classes (IN208800), create a class for each replenishment source you use, and set the default class for each warehouse in the Replenishment Class box on Warehouses (IN204000).
3. On the Inventory Planning tab of Item Classes (IN201000), set default replenishment settings that new stock items inherit.
4. On the Inventory Planning tab of Stock Items (IN202500), pick a Method (Min./Max. or Fixed Reorder Qty.; the default None means no replenishment) and the source for each row.
5. On the Vendors tab of Stock Items, mark the default vendor. You can override it per warehouse in the Preferred Vendor box on Item Warehouse Details (IN204500).

Acumatica's help says it plainly: an item is listed when its Item Warehouse Details record has a Reorder Point and Replenishment Source set to Purchase. For choosing the numbers themselves, see how to set reorder points in Acumatica.

What do you do on the Prepare Replenishment screen?

You filter the list, check the suggested quantities, adjust any that look wrong, and click Process or Process All. Processing does not create a purchase order. It creates replenishment requests, which are internal records numbered by a sequence you can see on Inventory Preferences (IN101000).

The Selection area filters by Warehouse, Purchase Date, Vendor, Item Class, Inventory ID, product manager and workgroup. Tick Only Suggested Items to hide items that do not need stock. The columns that matter most:

How does Acumatica calculate Qty. to Process?

For the Min./Max. method, Acumatica fills the gap between the maximum and what is coming: Max. Qty. minus on hand (less unavailable stock), plus supply, plus requests already planned, minus demand. It only suggests an order once available stock has reached or dropped below the reorder point.

Vendor settings then adjust the request. For the Min./Max. method, Acumatica rounds the quantity up to a whole number of the vendor's Lot Size. Min. Order Qty. and Max. Order Qty. are also set per vendor on the Vendors tab of Stock Items. Prepare Replenishment works in the base unit of measure; Create Purchase Orders converts to the purchase unit, so ten eaches can become one box.

With Fixed Reorder Qty., the request is for the vendor's EOQ (set on Vendor Inventory, PO201000) each time the item reaches its reorder point.

What happens on the Create Purchase Orders screen?

Create Purchase Orders (PO505000) lists everything waiting for a purchase order and builds the POs when you click Process or Process All. Generally, it creates one order for each vendor and receiving warehouse.

The list holds more than replenishment. It also shows sales, transfer, production and service order lines marked Mark for PO. Use the Selection area to narrow it: Creation Date sets the PO date, and Requested On shows only lines expected on or before that date. Each row shows the Vendor, Warehouse, Quantity, Lead Time (Days) and Vendor Price, so you can review vendor by vendor before you process.

The new orders open on Purchase Orders (PO301000). From there the normal flow applies: approval if you use it, sending to the vendor, then a purchase receipt on Purchase Receipts (PO302000). The Acumatica purchase order process guide covers those steps.

What are good habits for running replenishment?

Run the two screens on a fixed rhythm that matches how often you order from each vendor, and work one vendor at a time. A few habits help:

• Filter Prepare Replenishment by Vendor so each run becomes one purchase order you can sanity-check.
• Read Qty. on Supply before overriding a suggestion. Acumatica may already be counting an order you forgot about.
• Keep vendor Lead Time (Days), Lot Size and Min. Order Qty. current, because they change the final quantity.
• If processed items never reach Create Purchase Orders, work through why items are missing from Create Purchase Orders.

Acumatica's own help calls this "basic replenishment functionality" and suggests add-on solutions for complex needs. The parameters only work as well as the numbers you maintain.

Where does ReorderOwl fit?

ReorderOwl is a purchasing agent you use in ChatGPT. It works from your sales history rather than from reorder points you maintain by hand. It reads sales history, stock on hand, open purchase orders, vendors and lead times from Acumatica, forecasts each item, and tells you what to order and how much. An Excel workbook explains every line.

You can draft a purchase order in chat and confirm it, and the order is saved in Acumatica. Nothing goes to a vendor until someone on your team sends it. The Acumatica connection is built and tested against Acumatica test systems, and we connect it to yours with you during setup. See ReorderOwl for Acumatica or how the ChatGPT purchasing agent works.

Frequently asked questions

Does Prepare Replenishment create purchase orders?

No. Processing items on Prepare Replenishment (IN508000) creates internal replenishment requests. You create the actual purchase orders from those requests on Create Purchase Orders (PO505000).

Which Acumatica features does replenishment need?

Inventory Replenishment, plus Multiple Warehouse Locations or Multiple Warehouses, enabled on Enable/Disable Features (CS100000). Transfers between warehouses need Multiple Warehouses.

Can I change the suggested quantity before creating the PO?

Yes. Qty. to Process on Prepare Replenishment can be edited before you process the row. For Min./Max. items, the quantity is still rounded up to the vendor's lot size.

How does Acumatica group the purchase orders?

Create Purchase Orders generally creates one purchase order for each vendor and replenishment warehouse, whatever demand warehouses the items were needed for.

Can a request become a transfer instead of a purchase?

Yes. Requests with the Transfer source, or with a purchase routed through a distribution center, go to Create Transfer Orders (SO509000) instead of Create Purchase Orders.

Sources

1. Replenishment Through Purchases: General Information, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
2. Configuration of Replenishment: General Information, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
3. Configuration of Replenishment: Replenishment Methods, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
4. Prepare Replenishment (IN508000), Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
5. Create Purchase Orders (PO505000), Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
6. Configuration of Replenishment: Configuration Prerequisites, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01