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Purchase Orders: Complete Guide

Purchase Orders: Complete Guide

Purchase orders (POs) in BarSight help you track what you've ordered from vendors, manage deliveries, and keep your accounting organized. Whether you're ordering tracked inventory items, untracked supplies, or just recording shipping fees, this guide covers everything you need to know.

Before You Start

To create purchase orders, you'll need:

  • At least one vendor set up in the system
  • GL accounts configured for expense categorization
  • Payment types defined (cash, check, credit card, etc.)

If any of these are missing, BarSight will prompt you to set them up when you first access Purchase Orders.

Creating a Purchase Order

Step 1: Start a New Purchase

  1. Navigate to Accounting → Purchase Orders
  2. Click New Purchase
  3. Select the Vendor you're ordering from
  4. Click Create Purchase

BarSight automatically generates a PO number for tracking.

[SCREENSHOT: New Purchase dialog showing vendor dropdown]

Step 2: Add Items to Your Order

With your purchase order open, you can add three types of line items:

Adding an Item

  1. Click Add Item
  2. Search for the item by name (or create a new one on the fly)
  3. Select the GL Account for expense categorization
  4. Enter the Quantity and Purchase UOM (unit of measure)
  5. Enter the Price and select what it's Per (each, lb, kg, etc.)
  6. Optionally add a Tax Code and Lot Number
  7. Click Add Item

Adding a Cost (for shipping, fees, etc.)

  1. Click Add Cost
  2. Select the GL Account (e.g., "Shipping Expense")
  3. Enter the Total amount
  4. Optionally select a Tax Code
  5. Click Add Cost

[SCREENSHOT: Add Item form showing Item, GL Account, Quantity, UOM, Price fields]

Step 3: Review and Send

  1. Review your items and totals (including taxes)
  2. Add any Comments for internal notes
  3. Set the expected Delivery Date
  4. Click Send To Vendor to email the PO, or Save Only to save without sending

Understanding Item Types

BarSight supports different item types to match how you manage your business:

Type Description When to Use
Unmanaged Items Items with a GL account but no inventory tracking Office supplies, cleaning products, disposables—things you don't need to count
Kitchen Items Tracked inventory from the Kitchen module Ingredients, food items that update Kitchen inventory when received
Brewery Items Tracked inventory from the Brewery module Hops, grains, yeast—items that update Brewery inventory when received
Costs GL account entries only (no item) Shipping fees, handling charges, service fees

Note: Kitchen and Brewery item types only appear if those modules are activated on your account.

Receiving Your Order

When your delivery arrives:

  1. Open the purchase order
  2. Verify quantities match what was delivered
  3. Click Receive Items
  4. Confirm the receive action

For tracked items (Kitchen/Brewery), receiving automatically:

  • Adds the quantities to your inventory
  • Creates stock records with the lot number (if provided)
  • Updates your cost-per-unit calculations

Recording Payments

After receiving, record how you paid:

  1. Click Add Payment
  2. Enter the Invoice Number from your vendor (if applicable)
  3. Select the Payment Method
  4. Enter the Payment Date and Amount
  5. Click Save Payment

You can split payments across multiple methods if needed.

Attaching Documents

Keep your records organized by attaching supporting documents:

  • Upload Invoice - Attach the vendor's invoice (PDF, image)
  • Upload Packing Slip - Attach delivery documentation

BarSight can scan uploaded invoices to help verify totals and line items.

Purchase Order Status

Track your orders through their lifecycle:

  • Pending - Created but not sent to vendor
  • Ordered - Sent to vendor, awaiting delivery
  • Partial - Some items received, others still pending
  • Received - All items delivered
  • Paid - Payment recorded and order closed

Restricted Vendors

Some vendors can be set as "restricted," meaning you can only order items that have been pre-defined for that vendor. This is useful for:

  • Commissary orders from your Kitchen locations
  • Vendors with specific product catalogs
  • Controlling what can be ordered to prevent mistakes

When ordering from a restricted vendor, you'll see a product catalog instead of a free-form item entry.

Tips and Best Practices

  • Use lot numbers for tracked items to maintain traceability
  • Verify deliveries immediately - it's easier to report discrepancies while the driver is still there
  • Attach invoices to keep all documentation in one place
  • Set up vendor-specific pricing so prices auto-fill when ordering
  • Use costs for non-item expenses like shipping, rather than creating fake items

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