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Purchase Requests vs. Purchase Orders
Purchase Requests vs. Purchase Orders
Learn the difference between Purchase Requests and Purchase Orders, what their functions are in Limble, and setup.
Cynthia Blanco avatar
Written by Cynthia Blanco
Updated over a week ago

Overview

Purchase Requests in Limble are a streamlined way to submit a request and get approval for an expense, such as a part, service, or other item. Limble converts Purchase Requests into Purchase Orders when they are approved.

Basic Comparison of Purchase Requests and POs

Purchase Requests

A Purchase Request is a simplified way for a technician or manager to request the purchase of goods or services. They differ from Purchase Orders in three primary ways:

  1. Purchase Requests only require basic information, such as vendor name, part or service needed, estimated cost, and the reason for the request.

  2. Purchase Requests have a mandatory approval process.

  3. Once a Purchase Request is approved, it automatically becomes a Purchase Order.

Here is an example of a Purchase Request:

Whether an expense needs to be started as a Purchase Request or Purchase Order is governed by the permissions of a user. To learn more, visit the section below titled, “Starting Purchase Requests and POs.”

Purchase Orders

A Purchase Order (PO) is the form outlining the details of an actual purchase. This is the official purchase document that gets submitted to the vendor. Here is an example of a simple PO:

All Purchase Requests and POs are stored in the cloud and can be easily viewed by Limble users.

By default, any Limble user with a manager or technician role can create POs. The permissions for creating POs can be customized to fit your company’s specific needs (See "Starting Purchase Requests and POs").

NOTE: The ability to customize user permissions is only available on Business Plus and Enterprise plans.

Starting Purchase Requests and POs

By default, managers and technicians can start a Purchase Request or a PO from within a task.

There can be many reasons for technicians to start a PO. However, once a PO is created it becomes an official purchase document – meaning it can be shared with a vendor or audited. To learn how to create a PO approval process, read Setting Up a Purchasing Budget and Workflow.

POs also require more time to set up. You can help you technicians save time by disabling the “Start PO” permission.

To disable the “Start PO” permission, go to Advanced Settings > Roles in the left navigation column.

Select the Technician role, scroll down to the “POs” section, and uncheck the box next to “Start a PO.”

Be sure to keep the “Request Purchases” box checked to ensure that technicians can still submit Purchase Requests.

Related Articles

We recommend learning more about Limble’s Purchasing system in sequential order.

Next Article: Setting Up a Purchasing Budget and Workflow

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