“Order” has two viewpoints: the buyer sends a purchase order to the supplier, while the seller records a customer sales order. State who issues, who receives and which offer was accepted. It prepares performance; it replaces neither delivery note nor invoice.
Eight decisive fields
- Identified buyer and supplier.
- Unique reference/date.
- Source quote/offer.
- Items, units and quantities.
- Price, discount, estimated tax and currency.
- Requested delivery date/address.
- Payment terms.
- Approver identity and authority.
1. Download the template and choose the direction
The template uses neutral labels. Adapt the title: “supplier purchase order” when the buyer is the one ordering; “customer sales order” when the seller is recording what the customer has confirmed.
| View | Issuer | Recipient | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | Buyer | Supplier | Order and authorise spend |
| Customer sales order | Seller | Internal team/customer | Prepare confirmed order |
| Quotation | Seller | Customer | Propose before order |
| Delivery note | Seller/carrier | Receiver | Record quantities handed over |
| Supplier invoice | Supplier | Buyer | Invoice operation |
| Payment | Buyer/bank | Supplier | Settle/reconcile |
- Downloads: Download Word · Download Excel · Download PDF
The title alone is not enough: make the roles visible in the party blocks and in the signature area.
2. Complete a usable order
The order has to be readable by sales, by the warehouse, by whoever receives the goods and by accounting alike.
- Allocate BC/PO reference.
- Identify buyer and supplier.
- Cite accepted quote/version.
- Copy useful product references.
- State unambiguous quantity/unit.
- Fix price, discount, estimated tax and currency.
- Give delivery place/date/window.
- Write payment, transport and expected documents.
- Obtain approval under internal threshold.
- Send fixed version and keep evidence.
| Line | Poor | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Cartridges | 12 DEMO-A cartridges, SKU-0042 |
| Unit | 12 | 12 units / 6 cartons of 2 |
| Price | 80 | MAD 80 excl. VAT/unit, 5% discount |
| Delivery | Quick | 10/09/2026, Rabat depot, 9–12 |
| Substitution | Equivalent | None without written approval |
| Evidence | Call | Acknowledgement bearing PO-2026-0042 |
For the preceding offer, see the quotation guide.
3. Receiving and matching
An order does not prove receipt. Compare ordered, received and invoiced.
| Check | Order | Receipt | Invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference | BC/PO | Linked DN | BC/DN cited |
| Product | Ref/description | Received ref | Invoiced ref |
| Quantity | Requested | Accepted/outstanding | Invoiced |
| Price | Accepted | Often hidden on DN | Price, discount, VAT |
| Condition | Expected | Damage/reservation | Credit if validated |
| Payment | Terms | Not payment proof | Due/settlement |
Law 104-12 requires an invoice for transactions between professionals and sets out the fields it must carry. The purchase order stays a commercial document that helps you control that invoice; use the supplier-invoice checklist.
Approved does not mean received
Do not increase stock merely when sending a purchase order. Move stock after validated physical receipt or the system will show units still at the supplier.
4. Statuses and ownership
Use a small number of clear states, each with an owner: draft, awaiting approval, sent, acknowledged, partly received, received, closed or cancelled. Define who may commit spend and at which threshold.
A post-send change creates a new version/amendment. Keep request, approval, version, acknowledgement, delivery, invoice and payment together.
On the customer side, keep the accepted quote, the sales order, the delivery note and the invoice together in the same way.
5. Orders and purchases in BelloPOS
BelloPOS Pro handles the customer sales order inside the quote → order → delivery → invoice chain. It is a commercial document with its own numbering, it prints “not an invoice” and it converts to the next document without any retyping.
| Need | Module | Plan/boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Customer sales order | Commercial documents | Pro |
| Quote→order | Lineage | Pro |
| Received supplier purchase | Purchasing | Go, order separated from receiving since 3.0 |
| Stock intake | When purchase saved | After validated receipt |
| Buying price | Product update | Go |
| Procurement/EDI | Not advertised | External process if needed |
Go purchasing records the supplier, the products that arrived, the status, a note, the payment and the amount, then updates stock and cost. Since version 3.0 the supplier purchase order is separated from receiving and landed costs are spread across the lines. It can print or export the purchase. Do not present it as a full tender, budget-approval or supplier-EDI suite.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not naming issuer.
- Confusing quote/order.
- Vague product/unit.
- Adding stock on send.
- Paying without match.
- Overwriting changes.
- Confusing sales order and purchase.
- Treating order as invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues a purchase order?
For procurement the buyer sends it to the supplier. A seller can keep a customer sales order; label the view.
Does it replace an invoice?
No. It formalises the order; the invoice documents the invoiced transaction.
Should prices appear?
Usually to fix the commitment, subject to the process; state currency, discounts and estimated treatment.
When does stock update?
After validated physical receipt, not merely on purchase-order issue.
How to handle partial delivery?
Record received and outstanding on the delivery note, keep order open and match invoice to reality.
Does BelloPOS cover both?
Pro handles customer sales orders. Go records received supplier purchases; it is not advertised as full procurement/EDI.
What to take away
A useful order names roles, fixes lines and authorises commitment. Its operational value appears in the order–receipt–invoice match.
Sources
The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.
- Ministry of Justice, Law 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition, Article 58
- Law 31-08 on consumer-protection measures, official text, read 30 August 2026
- BelloPOS quotes, orders, deliveries, invoices and credit notes, read 29 August 2026
- BelloPOS purchasing and suppliers, read 30 August 2026
Test both sides
Create a Pro customer sales order and a Go supplier receipt, then check that stock and invoice follow reality.
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