What is the Acumatica purchase order process, start to finish?

An Acumatica purchase order goes through six steps. It is created On Hold, removed from hold, approved if your approval maps require it, and becomes Open to send to the vendor. Then it is received on a purchase receipt and billed. It ends as Completed once everything is received, and Closed once everything is also billed.

Where do purchase orders come from?

Most purchase orders start in one of three places: entered by hand, generated from demand, or built from a requisition.

• By hand on Purchase Orders (PO301000).
• From demand on Create Purchase Orders (PO505000). This covers replenishment requests from Prepare Replenishment (IN508000) and sales, transfer, production or service order lines marked Mark for PO. See how Prepare Replenishment works.
• From a requisition on Requisitions (RQ302000), optionally built from purchase requests on Requests (RQ301000). Requisitions can include budget checks and vendor bidding.

Which purchase order type should you use?

Use Normal for everyday stock purchases. The other types cover drop shipping, reserved vendor stock and repeat orders.

What do the purchase order statuses mean?

The status tells you what the order is waiting for. On Hold is a draft, Pending Approval waits for approvers, and Open means it can go to the vendor. Completed and Closed track receiving and billing.

• On Hold: a draft you can edit.
• Pending Approval: waiting for every assigned approver. Needs the Approval Workflow feature.
• Rejected: an approver rejected it.
• Pending Printing or Pending Email: the vendor location requires the order to be printed or emailed, and that has not happened yet.
• Open: processed and not yet complete.
• Completed: everything received, but not fully billed.
• Closed: everything received and billed.
• Canceled: canceled with Cancel Order. It can no longer be edited or received.
• Awaiting Link: drop-ship orders only, when a line is not linked to a sales order line.

How do purchase order approvals work?

Approvals run when someone clicks Remove Hold. Acumatica applies the approval maps for that order type, assigns approvers and sets the order to Pending Approval. If no rule assigns an approver, the order goes straight to Open.

To set up approvals:

1. Plan the approver workgroups on Company Tree (EP204061).
2. Enable Approval Workflow on Enable/Disable Features (CS100000).
3. Build one or more approval maps on Approval Maps (EP205015). Use one map per approval for parallel approvals, or one multistage map for sequential approvals.
4. Optionally create notification templates on Email Templates (SM204003).
5. On the Approval tab of Purchase Orders Preferences (PO101000), add a row for each order type that needs approval, pick the map, and tick Active.

Approvers act on Approvals (EP503010) or on the order itself. A rejection sets the order to Rejected. Editing a rejected order clears its approvals, and approval starts again when it is taken off hold.

A common rule is a threshold. For example, a map might assign an approver only to orders above a set total. Orders below it go straight to Open.

What happens after the order is open?

An Open order is sent to the vendor by email, print or both. When the goods arrive, you create and release a purchase receipt on Purchase Receipts (PO302000). Acumatica's replenishment help also lists the matching inventory receipt on Receipts (IN301000).

Once every line is received, the order becomes Completed. Once every line is also billed, it becomes Closed. The receipt dates also feed Acumatica's Lead Time Average, which replenishment uses to set reorder points if you use the Moving Average forecast model. Accurate requested dates and prompt receipts give you better reorder points.

What makes the process run smoothly?

A steady rhythm and clean data matter more than extra approval steps. A few habits help:

• Run replenishment on a fixed day per vendor so orders are consolidated, not trickled out.
• Keep approval maps simple: one threshold usually covers most risk.
• Do not leave orders On Hold or Pending Approval for long. Prepare Replenishment counts them as supply, which hides the need.
• Set the requested date on each line accurately, since it drives lead-time history.

Where does ReorderOwl fit in the process?

ReorderOwl, a purchasing agent you use in ChatGPT, covers the first step: deciding what to order and how much. It reads sales history, stock on hand, open purchase orders, vendors and lead times from Acumatica. It suggests quantities with an Excel workbook that explains every line, and drafts a purchase order you confirm in chat. The order is saved in Acumatica.

In our tests against an Acumatica test system, an order created this way landed in Pending Approval, just like one entered by hand. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my purchase order go straight to Open without approval?

No approval map rule assigned an approver for that order, for example because its total was below the threshold. Acumatica then sets the order to Open when it is taken off hold.

What is the difference between Completed and Closed?

Completed means all goods are received but at least one line is not fully billed. Closed means everything is received and billed in full.

Can a rejected purchase order be edited?

If your company's policies allow it, yes. Editing a rejected order removes its approval records, and approval starts again when the order is taken off hold.

What is the difference between a requisition and a purchase order?

A requisition on Requisitions (RQ302000) collects what is needed, can check budgets and request vendor bids, and is then turned into purchase orders. A purchase order is the order to a specific vendor.

Sources

1. Purchase Orders (PO301000), Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
2. Specific Approvals: Purchase Orders, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
3. Create Purchase Orders (PO505000), Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
4. Purchase Requests and Requisitions: General Information, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
5. Replenishment Through Purchases: General Information, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01
6. Configuration of Replenishment: Demand Forecast Model, Acumatica, accessed 2026-10-01