Generate POs from Purchasing Plan

Generating Purchase Orders from a Purchasing Plan provides a structured process for converting project purchasing requirements into Purchase Orders in ProjectStream 365. The process begins by creating a Purchasing Plan, generating Purchasing Suggestions from project demand, reviewing and editing those suggestions, and then processing the approved suggestions to generate Purchase Orders.

✅ Goal

Create Purchase Orders from identified project purchasing requirements using a controlled planning and review process.

This process helps ensure purchasing demand is reviewed and organized before Purchase Orders are generated and sent through the procurement process.

📍 When to Use

Use this process when project purchasing requirements have been identified and are ready to be planned, reviewed, and converted into Purchase Orders.

Use a Purchasing Plan to:

• Organize project purchasing requirements.
• Identify materials, products, or services that need to be purchased.
• Generate Purchasing Suggestions from project demand.
• Review and adjust Purchasing Suggestions before committing to a purchase.
• Consolidate requirements for efficient procurement.
• Generate Purchase Orders from approved Purchasing Suggestions.

ProjectStream 365's Purchase Planning and Control process is designed around recognizing purchasing demand against projects and moving that demand into purchase order generation and delivery to vendors.

🚶‍➡️ Step-By-Step Guide

📋 Procedure

1. Create a Purchasing Plan

1. Navigate to Purchasing Plans

2. Select a Purchasing Plan or hit +New in the menu bar

3. Enter the filter information

4. Pick your project from the list by clicking "Project" here.

General

Filters

The Filters section defines the criteria used to determine which project purchasing requirements are included in the plan.

Processing

5. Click Save

Note

Purchasing plans can also be created, viewed and edited from within a Vendor record.  The respective Vendor automatically becomes a filter for the plan.

When multiple filter are selected the system treats it as an AND CLAUSE when querying records to make suggestions.

2. Generate Purchasing Suggestions

1. Click Process > Generate Plan

2. Click Confirm

3. Click Save & Close

⚠️ Important: Generating Purchasing Suggestions does not mean that all identified requirements should automatically become Purchase Orders. Review the suggestions before processing them.

3. Edit Purchasing Suggestions

1. Navigate to Projects

2. Select a Project

3. Click the Planning Tab

4. Select the field to edit. Enter the new value.

5. Click Save

Note: Lines from Purchase Suggestions

💡 Tip: Pay particular attention to quantities and vendors. Correcting purchasing information at the suggestion stage can reduce the need to revise Purchase Orders later.

⚠️ Important: Changes to the underlying project requirements can affect purchasing demand. Make sure the Purchasing Suggestions still represent current project needs before processing them.

4. Process (Generate) Purchase Orders

1. Click Process > Generate PO

2. Select the Vendor and Required Date

3. Click Submit

4. Select Purchase Orders Tab

5. Click the PO to open

6. Select Line Items Tab

✅ Result

After completing the process:

• A Purchasing Plan has been created.
• Project purchasing demand has been evaluated.
• Purchasing Suggestions have been generated.
• Purchasing Suggestions have been reviewed and adjusted as necessary.
• Approved Purchasing Suggestions have been processed.
• Purchase Orders are generated for the selected purchasing requirements.
• The Purchase Orders can continue through the applicable approval, vendor delivery, receiving, and invoicing processes.

ProjectStream 365's documented purchasing lifecycle includes recognition of project purchasing demand, PO generation and vendor delivery, PO revisions, receiving, and invoicing.

💡 Tips

• Review project requirements before starting. Accurate project demand produces more useful Purchasing Suggestions.
• Use the Purchasing Plan as a control point. Organize related purchasing requirements before generating Purchase Orders.
• Always review Purchasing Suggestions. Suggestions provide an opportunity to correct quantities, vendors, required dates, or other purchasing information before a PO exists.
• Watch for duplicate purchasing requirements. Verify that the same requirement has not already been purchased or included elsewhere.
• Confirm vendor information. Make sure the appropriate vendor is associated with the requirement before processing the suggestion.
• Review generated POs before release. Validate quantities, pricing, project relationships, and vendors before Purchase Orders are issued.
• Use an RFQ when pricing is not established. ProjectStream 365 also supports a Vendor RFQ process that can progress to a Purchase Order when vendor pricing needs to be obtained first.

🔗 Related Actions

• ➡️ Create a Purchase Quote / RFQ
• ➡️ Review Purchase Orders
• ➡️ Revise a Purchase Order
• ➡️ Receive a Purchase Order
• ➡️ Enter a Vendor Invoice

These activities align with ProjectStream 365's broader purchasing functionality, which includes Purchasing Requirements Planning, Purchase Quotes/RFQs, automatic PO generation, approval workflows, purchasing to projects or inventory, receiving, invoicing, and Accounts Payable integration.

🧭 What Happens Next?

After the Purchase Orders are generated, review the Purchase Orders and move them through the applicable approval and release process.

Once released, Purchase Orders can be delivered to vendors and subsequently used as the basis for receiving and vendor invoicing. ProjectStream 365 specifically identifies purchase order generation and vendor delivery as part of Purchase Planning and Control, followed by Purchase Receiving and Invoicing.