In Vendra, purchasing follows the Request for Quotation (RFQ) → Purchase Order → Receipt → Vendor Bill workflow. Each step is linked: confirming an RFQ creates the receipt, receiving the goods updates stock, and creating the bill ties back to the original PO for three-way matching. This guide walks through the complete flow from scratch.
Steps to create a purchase order
Go to Purchase Orders
From the main menu, click Purchase to open the Purchase module. In the top navigation bar, click Orders → Purchase Orders. This view shows all confirmed purchase orders. To start a new order from scratch, it will be created as an RFQ first.
Create a new Request for Quotation
Click New. A new RFQ form opens. In the Vendor field, search for and select the supplier. If this is a new supplier, type their name and select Create and Edit to add their contact details, payment terms and lead time before saving.
The Order Date fills automatically with today's date. Check that the company shown in the top right is the correct entity if you operate multiple companies under Vendra.
Set delivery and payment terms
Set the Delivery Date — the date you expect to receive the goods. This drives the receipt creation date and helps with demand planning. The Payment Terms field shows the credit terms for this supplier (for example, 30 days net). If the vendor's profile already has payment terms configured, this field populates automatically — you can override it per order if needed.
If goods will be delivered to a location other than your default warehouse, update the Deliver To field accordingly.
Add products to the order
In the Order Lines tab, click Add a product. Search for the product by name or internal reference. Select it and enter the quantity you want to order in the Quantity field. Review the Unit Price — if this vendor has a configured price list, it fills automatically. Otherwise enter the agreed price.
Click Add a product again to add more lines. Each line can have its own product, quantity, price and tax. The order subtotal, tax and total update at the bottom as you add lines. Add as many product lines as the order requires.
If a product has a configured default vendor with a price list, Vendra automatically populates the unit price when you select that product on a purchase order from that vendor. Set this up in the product record under the Purchase tab to save time on future orders.
Send the RFQ to the vendor
If you need to get formal confirmation from the supplier before committing, click Send by Email. Vendra generates a PDF of the RFQ and opens an email composer pre-filled with the vendor's email address. Review the message and click Send. The vendor receives the RFQ by email and can reply to confirm their pricing and availability.
You can also click Print to generate a PDF to send via another channel. While the order is still in RFQ status, you can edit all fields freely.
Confirm the purchase order
When you are ready to commit to the order, click Confirm Order. The order status changes from RFQ to Purchase Order and is assigned a purchase order reference number (for example PO/2026/00045). At this point, Vendra automatically creates a stock receipt in the Inventory module linked to this PO — it represents the expected incoming goods.
The order is now locked. To make changes after confirming, you may need to cancel and recreate, or edit if the lock setting is not enforced in your configuration.
Receive the goods into stock
When the delivery arrives, click the Receive Products button on the purchase order (or go to Inventory → Overview → Receipts and find the linked receipt). A stock receipt form opens showing the ordered products and quantities in the Demand column.
For each product line, enter the actual quantity received in the Done column. If you received everything, click Validate All to accept all quantities as ordered. Vendra immediately updates the stock levels at the destination warehouse. If you received a partial delivery, enter only what arrived and Vendra creates a backorder for the remainder.
Match and pay the vendor bill
When the supplier's invoice arrives, go back to the purchase order and click Create Bill. Vendra generates a draft vendor bill pre-filled with the PO's products, quantities and prices. This is three-way matching: the bill is linked to both the PO and the stock receipt.
Review the bill amounts against the supplier's paper invoice. If there are any price differences, correct them on the bill lines. Click Confirm to post the bill. When payment is due, go to Accounting → Vendors → Payments, create a payment against the bill and select the appropriate payment journal (bank transfer, cheque, or M-Pesa).